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Not much in The Boys is hidden. Even when unwinding a complex superhero conspiracy between clashing military and corporate power, The Boys prefers a steady of stream of laser-babies and superpowered sexual trauma over complicated plot points. The Boys is similarly upfront with its roster of characters—we're told (and catch glimpses) of a country full of superheroes, but the series keeps its focus on the premiere team of "supes," The Seven, each twisted into moral abominations by the unlimited power feeding their human foibles. But while The Boys is more about splashing in blood than careful dissection, there's one cryptic element that cries out for explanation: what's up with the buzzing flies?
In at least two episodes of The Boys, a fly bumbles around a character's face. The fly is often accompanied with a conspicuous buzzing, the sound design assuring us it's not happenstance.
One appearance of a buzzing fly is in the fourth episode, when Billy (Karl Urban) delivers a Spice Girls themed pep talk to Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso) and Frenchie (Tomer Capon) as they search a train station for The Female (Karen Fukuhara). Anyone who wants to see for themselves, check at 46:29.
A fly, or the fly, shows up again in Episode 5, "Good for the Soul," when Billy, Mother's Milk and Hughie (Jack Quaid) talk about God at the Believe expo. Check it out for yourself at 17:10. There are likely other appearances of the buzzing fly seeded throughout The Boys, but no explanation is given in the first season.
If Season 2 solves the mystery of the buzzing fly, the answer will likely have its origins in the source comic, written by Garth Ennis, with art by Darick Robertson. In the seventh issue of The Boys, a superhero team called Payback is introduced. Its members closely parody Marvel's Avengers, including a Tony Stark, Thor and Captain America analog. The team also includes a character with the power to change sizes (like Ant-Man) named Swatto. In the comics, Swatto has a supes costume that looks like a fly. He is only ever heard speaking in buzzes.
By the end of Season 1, the Vought Corporation and The Seven are in tatters. What better way to turn the tables in Season 2, than with a new team of supes, who—thanks to Swatto's eavesdropping—already know The Boys inside and out?
There are many other questions we'd like to learn the answer to in The Boys Season 2. What happened to Lamplighter? What will Homelander (Antony Starr) do with his superpowered child? What are Mr. Edgar's (Giancarlo Esposito) plans? But it might just be a buzzing fly that is the key to what's ahead in Season 2 of The Boys. Or maybe the flies are just flies.
