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Highlights
- The Deep, a character in Amazon Prime's "The Boys," is a satirical take on DC Comics' Aquaman, with significant differences in backstory and abilities.
- In the show, The Deep's assault of Starlight causes him to lose his position on The Seven, while in the comics, A-Train and Black Noir are the perpetrators.
- The Deep's survival and lack of involvement in conflicts set him apart from other Seven members, and his costume in the comics is a more ridiculous take on Aquaman's attire.
The Boys has been a tremendous hit for Amazon Prime Video with both critics and viewers. One character that has caught the attention of many people is The Deep, played by Chance Crawford. This character continues the show's theme of satirical DC Comics heroes, with The Deep being The Seven’s Aquaman.
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Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic, The Boys, to which the hit TV show is adapted, has a rather different version of The Deep from the show. What is consistent between the two iterations is that The Deep is often treated as a joke.
Spoiler warning for Amazon Prime Video's The Boys and the comics.
10 He Didn't Assault Starlight
Homelander, A-Train, And Black Noir Did
When Starlight joins the Seven, she is immediately assaulted by the team's leader, Homelander, who basically demands sexual pleasure from her if she wants to join the Seven. This evil abuse of power over Annie players is the same in the Amazon Prime show, but the perpetrator in the comic is not the Deep. Instead, Starlight is abused by A-Train, Black Noir, and Homelander.
it's interesting to see the difference here, as this event impacted Starlight's perception of heroes and didn't do much to derail the lives of anyone by Starlight. In the show, this act caused the Deep to lose his position on the Seven for a while.
9 The Deep Couldn't Care Less About Homelander
There Is No Loyalty Or Fear From The Deep
Out of all of the Seven, the Deep is the only one of them who survives past the end. Each of them goes out in a grizzly, diabolical way, but the Deep manages to survive all of it, simply by not getting involved. Considering the show's version of the Deep is infatuated by Homelander, desperate for his approval and friendship to the point where he would do anything asked of him, it would be surprising to see him cower out of a war on Homelander's side.
In the comic, the Deep sticks to himself, and uses his maturity and personal interest to avoid his team members. The Deep doesn't care about politics or whatever Homelander is up to, so when it comes to looking after himself, he decides to avoid Homelander altogether when it comes to an insurrection over the United States.
8 Responsible For The Transoceanic Flight Crash
The Deep's Rash Actions Cost The Lives Of Hundreds
The Seven are tasked with stopping a terrorist attack on board a plane, but their lack of actual training and their pure incompetence causes things to go south, fast. In the show, this plane was a result of Homelander and Queen Maeve, whereas the comic has all of the Seven involved. The man who is responsible for most of the damage is the Deep, who punches the windshield of the plane's cockpit out.
In doing this, everyone on the flight, including Homelander and Queen Maeve, has jetstream blasted right in their faces, disorientating them and causing Homelander to shout racial abuse and spit bile hatred, causing them to lose control of the plane. Thus, making the Deep pretty responsible for the loss of life as a result.
7 Completely Different Costume
Attire Inspired By Sea Divers Rather Than Aquaman
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Out of all the superheroes in The Boys, no one has a costume quite as colorful or ridiculous as The Deep. Whereas Chance Crawford’s live-action portrayal of The Deep pays more homage to Aquaman’s costume, with the scales and finned gauntlets, the comic’s version of the character does not.
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In the comics, The Deep wears a green cape, along with bulky green gloves and, most jarring, a large and outdated sea diving helmet. There’s a glass window for The Deep to see out of, and open to drink and eat from. His costume is more on the play of Aquaman’s ridiculousness rather than through his powers.
6 Not Respected By Anyone
The Boys And The Seven Do Not Respect The Deep
The Deep is often treated with little respect by both members of his team, The Seven, and members of their rivals, The Boys. The Deep is the subject of other characters’ racism, disregard, and contempt. This is something Ennis and Robertson do well, in showing that behind closed doors from the public, The Seven are even worse than first realized.
The Deep receives the brunt of most verbal abuse and receives little respect from The Seven. One event had him arriving at the Flatiron building to confront The Boys directly at their HQ. Butcher responded by slamming the door in his face and telling him to leave, showing how no one takes him seriously, despite how powerful he is.
5 Unable To Talk To Fish
The Deep's Persona Is For Marketing Purposes
Although The Deep was given a backstory in the comics by Vought-American to be involved with ancient Atlantean curses and the oceans, it could not be further from the truth. The Deep has no connections to the water, and he cannot talk to fish or control the tides.
The Deep is merely a member of The Seven to provide the group with more gimmicks. Much like The Justice League has a speedster, a brooder, and a Superman, The Seven parodies this with The Deep, who is more of an actor with superpowers than Aquaman himself.
4 Power Of Flight
The Deep Has Generic Powers, Not Aquaman Powers
Since this character is more of a parody of a random and generic superhero who has been forced to embrace the title of an Aquaman-esque character, it is no surprise that The Deep holds to one of the most basic powers of them all. The comic Deep, unlike the TV version, can fly.
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The fact that this character can fly and doesn't have any of the powers associated with Aquaman is just another one of the many jokes Ennis and Robertson portray in their superhero parody.
3 Most Mature Hero
A Smarter Version Of The Deep Exists In The Comics
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Out of the members of The Seven, The Deep and Queen Maeve are probably the most mature. Whereas Maeve spends her time in the headquarters, sleeping with bodybuilders and getting drunk, she isn’t directly involved in The Seven’s business. The Deep is more active out of the two, and it's safe to say he won't have an obsession with Fresca.
The Deep does not speak much in the comic, but that is only because the comic does not focus on the character enough. When The Deep does speak, he is very mature and embarrassed by his colleagues. His dialogue is sophisticated and selfish toward his wants, like how much money he gets compared to Maeve, Noir, and Homelander.
2 Refused To Help Homelander’s Coup
The Deep Refuses To Fight Someone Else's War
As the issues continued to mount in The Boys, Homelander began his secret scheme: a coup. The Supe would secretly meet with other heroes and tell them of his great and gory plan to take over the United States and then the world. One character who was not involved in the plan was The Deep.
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Whether this was because The Deep could not be bothered, had morals against it, or was not asked is unclear. Based on the comic, Homelander cared not for The Deep and barely even spoke to him. At the same time, The Deep warned A-Train that they should perhaps leave The Seven as the war continued to mount against Butcher.
1 Part Of A New Superhero Team
The Deep Surives As A Member Of Truth
At the end of The Boys comic, Butcher had won, in a sense. As Hughie remained, he had taken the lessons of his messed-up mentor and created a safer world for normal people, one that did not involve the damaged brand of the Seven and its members.
American Consolidated attempted to create a new superhero team after the brand of The Seven was impossible to fix. Their new team, True, consisted of an all-white outfit for each member. The Deep was obviously a member, as he sported the same window hole for his diver costume, except this time he wore a cone-shaped hood that resembled that of a Klan member.
