Spoiler warning for anyone who hasn't yet finished The Boys Season 2.
For a character that doesn't ever say anything to anyone, choosing to voice his feelings through his brutality, Black Noir made some very important and troublesome noises in Episode 7 after Maeve took him down with an Almond Joy. The stealthiest member of The Seven suffered a serious allergic reaction, as inspired by actor Nathan Mitchell's real-world hypersensitivity to tree nuts, and he was left to suffer. Viewers have been wondering whether or not the character actually died, and that's the first thing I asked when CinemaBlend recently spoke with Mitchell.
Though Black Noir did get name-checked a time or two in the Season 2 finale, he was nowhere to be seen, adding to the quasi-worry that he might be out of the picture for good. Nathan Mitchell did confirm that Noir is still alive at this point, but it doesn't sound like he'll be back to ripping people's faces off anytime soon. In the actor's words:
You know, having an allergic reaction that severe is pretty dangerous, and it can be fatal. So what I would say is Black Noir is knocked out pretty good. Anaphylaxis is really dangerous, and it pretty much took him up to the edge. When we hear about him in Episode 8, he's referred to as kind of being like a vegetable. You know, he's not that far gone, but like, he's incapacitated. He came very close to death, and so that's a very real, real threat for him.
As noted, Nathan Mitchell stressed certain words in a most noteworthy fashion, making it sound like Black Noir may still be in the land of the living for now, but that his current fate isn't necessarily guaranteed for the long haul. It's quite possible that Noir's breathing became so shallow during the initial phases of anaphylactic shock that it seriously affected his brain activity on a permanent basis. (Knowing how graphic this show gets, I'm almost surprised we didn't get to see Noir vomiting into his own mask during that scene.)
So if Black Noir is still out of commission when new episodes arrive for Season 3, what does that mean for the character? Is it possible Black Noir will take on a remixed version of Lamplighter's comic book story now that Shawn Ashmore's live-action supe burned himself to a crisp? After Lamplighter died in Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's source material, he was brought back to life due to all the Compound V in his bloodstream, though his resurrection wasn't exactly a success, as he suffered major mental malfunctions and was basically like a walking zombie.
It would be interesting, and possibly even highly amusing, to see a far more subdued version of Black Noir in Season 3. It's easy to believe that no one else in The Seven would even realize that he was any different, considering his lack of vocals. Of course, things could play out in a completely different way, which I'm sure would be great for Nathan Mitchell. But considering we probably won't get to see any kind of a big backstory arc for Noir, I kind of hope things veer in weird directions when The Boys returns next year.
The Boys Season 2 is now complete, and both seasons can be streamed in their entirety on Amazon Prime Video. Season 3 is officially on the way, with Jensen Ackles set to portray Soldier Boy, so fans can already take heed in knowing there's more to come. While waiting for more updates, stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more exclusive coverage, and head to our Fall TV 2020 premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way.
