The Boys is a sharper satire than anyone could have expected. Its source material was a mean-spirited attack on superhero stories, but the adaptation packages more intelligent take-downs with piercing social commentary. The Boys makes its supes the disgusting symptoms of an all-consuming problem across governments and industry. Few moments in the series have demonstrated that point better than Payback's involvement in Operation Charly.
The Boys' history diverts from reality in the 30s. Nazi scientist Frederick Vought created the first supe, his wife Karla, before immigrating to America and founding Vought International. This creates unique circumstances involving historical events influenced by superhero culture. Operation Charly brings Vought into a lesser-known series of events and adds to some of America's worst moments.
What was Operation Charly?
In 1976, the Argentine military deposed ineffectual centrist leader Isabel Perón and established a right-wing junta. Isabel was the wife of Juan Perón, the democratically elected president who died of a heart attack two years earlier. The junta began a brutal campaign of kidnapping, torture, murder, and widespread violence against their political enemies. The United States, through the recently deceased Henry Kissinger, gave the junta the green light to kill and brutalize leftists in droves. The US also provided hundreds of millions in direct support, training, and used military equipment. The Argentine military launched Operation Charly the following year to root out and "disappear" leftists in Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Professor and activist Noam Chomsky famously alleged that the junta acted with the US government's support or as a proxy to disguise their intentions.
Nicaragua has a long, shameful history of American intervention. The US-backed regime change in 1912 placed the Somoza family in control of the nation. The Somoza regime remained enduringly popular outside the country by opposing any political change in Latin America that would hurt US profits. By the late '70s, the family owned more than a third of the nation's wealth. The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) ousted the Somoza dictatorship in 1979, invoking the wrath of the US. With a leftist party in charge, the American intelligence infrastructure set to work facilitating the murder and torture of anyone who posed a threat to international capital. Reagan's CIA supported the Contras, right-wing counterrevolutionaries who carried out terrorism and human rights violations across the country. The Soviets backed the Sandinistas while the US backed the Contras, even as the Sandinista president won an election in 1984. The Contra War ended in the 90s after the US sent $2 million to the National Opposition Union and almost $50 million to the Contras, putting the ostensible coalition party in charge through an alleged campaign of death threats.
The Members of Payback
Latin American-US relations aside, The Boys borrows Operation Charly and the larger Contra War to contribute to supe history. Payback was the dominant superhero team in the 80s, long before the Seven was formed. The members represented many fascinating elements:
- Soldier Boy, Homelander's biological father, led the group.
- Soldier Boy's lover and gifted pyromancer, Crimson Countess, was on the squad.
- Soldier Boy's sidekick, Gunpowder, joined as a teenager.
- Black Noir began his career in Payback before moving on to the Seven.
- Finally, Payback featured Mindstorm, the TNT Twins, and Swatto, all of whom were forgotten after Operation Charly.
What happened during Operation Charly?
One of Vought's most consistent corporate goals has been using supes in the military. Government contracts would guarantee the company a chunk of the US's ever-inflating defense budget. Vought sought to make Payback the first arm of that partnership by sending them to Nicaragua to kill Sandinistas. In collaboration with the CIA, represented by Grace Mallory, Operation Charly fell apart. USSR and Sandinista forces attack, quickly killing Swatto. Using the strike as cover, Payback betrays Soldier Boy, sick of his constant abuse and sabotage. Soldier Boy mutilates Black Noir, but the team knocks him out with nerve gas. Payback delivers Soldier Boy to the Russians, leaving him to be subjected to constant experimentation for decades. Vought sanctioned the betrayal and cover-up, electing to replace Soldier Boy with his lab-grown son, Homelander. Charly remained one of Vought's best-kept secrets for 40 years until Billy Butcher tracked Soldier Boy down as a weapon against Homelander.
Operation Charly and the broader Latin American events surrounding it are among the most unpleasant chapters in American history. The Boys adapted a piece of the grim story to make a point, running the risk of tastelessness. However, The Boys' take on Charly is a fascinating examination of a major company's role in the conflict that claimed countless lives. Profit was always the motivator for these events, so it stands to reason that the worst corporation in the world would get involved. Many modern genre stories have found brilliant ways to tell stories through historical shorthand. Laying part of the blame for Operation Charly at Vought's feet says everything anyone needs to know about them.
