With the recent American presidential election, it’s hard to miss the not so subtle depictions of power coming out of television. Amazon Prime’s The Boys, reimagines superheroes as celebrities within a modern context of unending public scrutiny and social media trends. Alongside this exists Netflix’s Kaos, which similarly reinterprets our own society as existing within Greek mythology, casting the gods as tyrants who rule over Earth and control human life from afar. Both series highlight the insignificance of human struggle over those who create it, inviting viewers to question authority and its potential for abuse.
Season 1 of The Boys depicts the handling of political currents through corporations, highlighting the pervasive influence of companies whose power has become almost indistinct from national politics in America. In the series, Vought International harnesses powers of capitalism by producing a drug which effectuates superhuman powers onto the subject. The company commodifies superheroes to a provocative extreme, artificially producing national symbols to yield political power.
Most prominently, we are shown Homelander, who embodies American spirit of strength and protection, where his facades of heroism mask a deep narcissism and psychopathy. Vought foolishly designs the seats of power for immature and unchallenged superheroes to sit at.
The series holds a sobering mirror to real American anecdotes. Script writers have designed Homelander as a Trumpian figure; his intensely patriotic and populist language cultivates a large audience, positioning himself as a saviour of American values. Similarly, his charisma is inconsistent, and disappears into threats when faced with an opposition to his power. In season 3, Homelander ruthlessly kills a man protesting in front of a crowd of supporters. To his surprise, people begin to cheer, normalising his blatant extermination of dissent. There are unmissable parallels here to Trump’s 2016 statement that he “could… shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters,” challenging viewers to scrutinise those who present themselves as national icons.
In a world where populist rhetoric and corporate influence often blur the line between public service and personal ambition, The Boys forces us to confront the real-life consequences of unchecked authority.
Whilst The Boys place superheroes in a God-like position, Kaos also takes this concept, envisioning our society under the rule of ancient Greek Gods. Through a haze of dark comedy, Kaos retracts the elevated classical status of the Gods, instead portraying them as immature, short-tempered and embroiled in petty fights. Zeus, for instance, is depicted as childlike, and fears his prophecy that “order will fall” and “Kaos will reign”, threatening his unchallenged power over human life.
As Zeus begins to evidence his prophecy, he dissents into tantrum, plotting horrific natural disasters across Earth which “calm” him. This image is suggestive of the climate crisis, where individuals are rendered utterly powerless in the face of big corporations who are the main agents of environmental damage. This depiction of human insignificance is disconcerting. Zeus merely watches with enjoyment from Mount Olympus, far removed from any real danger. His detachment serves as a sharp critique on the climate crisis as a class issue, highlighting how those with the most power and privilege remain shielded from the environmental consequences of capitalism.
In both The Boys and Kaos, viewers are prompted to reflect on the disturbing implications of power concentrated in the hands of those who are detached from accountability, whether they are superheroes commodified by corporations or ancient gods disconnected from the suffering below. Both shows seamlessly integrate Gen Z social media culture to provide an often scarily recognisable critique of celebrity/political influence. Through the lens of satire and dark comedy, the two series illuminate the toxic intersections of power, ego, and apathy, which become scrutinised during presidential campaigns such as this one. Current television seems to be urging audiences to question the institutions, figures, and forces that will define their lives for the next presidential term.
