For the first iteration of the character, see Black Noir.
“
You know what's funny? I hate sake. But I'm supposed to follow some stupid Black ninja bullshit, which makes no goddamn sense, by the way. You ever meet a Black ninja?
Black Noir II is a major antagonist in Season Four of the Amazon Series The Boys. He is an actor Supe who was recruited by Homelander to be the replacement for the late Black Noir and be part of The Seven, although he had difficulty understanding his role.
Black Noir II was born around 1989-1990. Shortly after his birth, his parents accepted Vought's offer to inject him with Compound V, subsequently transforming him into a Supe and granting him superhuman powers and abilities. He also studied in Crimson Countess School of Performing Arts at Godolkin University and was a performer at Cirque de Vought in Montreal.
At some point in his life, this Actor Supe would be entrusted by Vought International to replace Black Noir, who died at the hands of Homelander. In order to keep the public convinced that Black Noir was still alive and well, the Acting Supe donned his costume and was instructed to behave like the original Noir.
To the public's ignorance, Black Noir II acts similar to the predecessor, where he is seen without any verbal and physical communication. His role as a different person is revealed after brutally murdering three Homelander supporters.
During the set of "Training A-Train", Black Noir II asks A-Train for help, but is harshly declined. During training for the scripted rescue, Black Noir II is told to reduce his energetic moveset, and during the rescue, is shocked to see the murder of Koy.
Homelander calls The Deep, A-Train, and Black Noir to the stage as the protectors of true Americans. Black Noir eagerly introduces himself, which A-Train responds to by telling him to tone it down because he is doing too much. Black Noir agrees, standing impassively while Firecracker and Sister Sage are introduced as the newest members of The Seven.
At Seven Tower, Black Noir takes photos with The Deep and A-Train. Homelander then insists that Sister Sage take photos with the three of them. Later on, Black Noir confronts Ashley, displeased with his lack of direction and seeking a reason for his role. Homelander commands Black Noir to remain silent as they begin their meeting; however, Black Noir quickly nods off, much to Homelander's dismay, and is immediately awakened by The Deep. Black Noir apologizes for being narcoleptic and remains awake for the remainder of the meeting.
Black Noir II sits in Homelander's chair with his mask off and complaining again about his difficulty portraying Black Noir, mentioning trying to find things on his character in his closet and only finding drawings of Buster Beaver. Noir II reveals he plans on quitting The Seven and going to Missouri as well as proclaiming his ability to fly. The Deep tells Black Noir II about a time where Noir I killed an entire Indonesian Fishing Village for Vought Fresh Farms to stop protesters trying to stop their expansion and how turned on from the slaughter Noir I was from it. Noir II states he dislikes violence though The Deep explains the fact that violence is power and that people that may laugh at him cannot laugh when they're dead. The Deep and Noir II seem to think on this ideology.
Black Noir II assists The Deep in ambushing Annie and Butcher at the Flatiron Building. While The Deep fights Annie, Noir II comes at Butcher but falls asleep due to narcolepsy. He later awakens and resumes fighting Butcher. When A-Train appears to help the Boys, Noir II is shocked to learn that he was the leak, to Annie's confusion believing Noir to be uncapable of speech. Noir II then prepares to engage Butcher once again by confirming his ability to fly, however, before he can make a direct attack, Mother's Milk shoots Noir II out of the window, and they escape before he can return.
When Black Noir II and The Deep return to Vought Tower, they run into Sister Sage. After admitting she was fired, Noir II is distrought, revealing that Sage had an affair with him in addition to The Deep.
The individual who has taken over the Black Noir role is very excitable, talkative, and nervous - constantly chatting with his teammates when away from the public and overdoing his physicality, having to be told several times to tone down his excitement. Most of his conversations are filled with questions or complaints about the lack of direction he is given for his "character." He is enthusiastic and bombastic, and due to his passion for acting, he seems very eager to play Noir truthfully, which proves difficult as no one can offer him any insight into Noir as a person, other than he was a sly mute who did what he was told. He is willing to kill without remorse, although he seems inexperienced, evident when he asks A-Train if Homelander makes them do that often.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
Flight:
Noir flying
He is capable of flying, but is not allowed to do so for the sake of remaining in character.
Superhuman Strength: Black Noir II possesses superhuman strength, which makes him stronger than humans and some Supes. While the full extent of his strength is unknown, he can kill humans with minimal effort. This is evident when he kills two Hometeamers with a baseball bat in a single strike.[1] He was also one of the Supes who beat Cameron Coleman to death with just a few blows.[2]
Superhuman Durability:
Noir being shot
Black Noir II boasts superhuman durability, exceeding that of humans and most superheroes. He is completely impervious to bullets, as demonstrated by his ability to withstand shots from Butcher's shotgun and MM's minigun without sustaining any damage. However, a larger caliber weapon managed to push him out of a window, potentially sending him crashing to the ground, although it's unclear if he fell asleep again. Additionally, Butcher's fierce rifle swing to Black Noir II's helmeted head, with all his might, failed to budge him, showcasing his extraordinary resilience. .[3]
Superhuman Hearing: Black Noir II possesses superhuman hearing, allowing him to hear better than humans. Like all Supes, he can hear higher frequencies that humans cannot.[4]
Abilities[]
Acting: Black Noir II is an experienced actor, more aligned with the entertainment side of the supe industry than his teammates. He often complains about the lack of direction he is given, as if he were on a film set and not fully connecting with his character. Though he usually forgets he must be silent all times since real Black Noir was mute from his wounds.
Narcolepsy: Black Noir II is narcoleptic, which often causes him to fall asleep unpredictably.
High Frequencies: Due to being a Supe, Black Noir II is susceptible to high frequencies. When a high frequency is playing, it can induce immense pain and temporarily neutralize him.
Equipment[]
Hero Costume: Black Noir II wears a suit almost identical to Black Noir's, though it lacks the integrated camera. His durable armor, resembling traditional ninja attire, allows him to move effortlessly while being fully protected against fire, explosions, and shrapnel.
Suit Knives: Black Noir II possesses a vast array of knives on his suit, including throwing knives, folding knives, and two dual combat knives, all of which are useful in battle situations, just like the first Black Noir.
Black Noir II's talkative nature is a complete opposite of his previous incarnation. Some fans pointed out that his behavior in Season 4 is similar to Deadpool which is known by a nickname "The Merc With A Mouth."
Despite a different personality, the character is portrayed by the same actor.
Black Noir II appears to be a parody of professional actors and how they approach their work, as he often gets told to stop overacting and complains that he isn’t getting enough direction for his role despite everyone at Vought believing that he doesn’t need any due to the original Noir being a masked, emotionless mute (whilst it’s true that Noir did indeed have genuine emotions, backstory and trauma that shaped his character, what it consisted of was not known to anyone). Additionally, when asking others for advice, he often emphasizes character objective and motivation, things that actors are often taught as being the most important factors when playing a scene.
When asking Ashley for direction on playing his character, Noir II asks her if there’s a playlist that he can use to ‘get inside his head.’ This is an acting technique that some actors use when getting into character - listening to specific songs to put them into the mood needed for a scene or creating a playlist consisting of songs that they feel the character would listen to.
His narcolepsy is based upon the actor being diagnosed with narcolepsy, which would make him fall asleep on the set while portraying Black Noir.
