Public Outcry Forced The Boys Creators To Cut Controversial Scene

Summary

• The Boys is renowned for its graphic depiction of violence.
• While each new R-rated scene pushes boundaries, one from Season 2 had to be cut.
• Residents of Toronto demanded its cancellation because of the painful memories it evoked.

The Boys Season 4 is gearing up for its Prime Video debut, set to hit screens on June 13, 2024. Pretty soon, we'll reunite with Homelander's revamped Seven and Butcher's bruised Boys after a nearly two-year hiatus.

The jaw-dropping Season 3 finale with Homelander committing murder in the open raised the stakes for the beloved characters to an all-time high. So fans are eagerly anticipating the next wave of mind-bending, action-packed scenes that Eric Kripke and his team undoubtedly have up their sleeves. After all, pushing the envelope and delivering shocking thrills is what they do best.

Violence Is The Boys' Cup Of Tea

Since the announcement of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic book adaptation into a live-action series, fans have been buzzing with anticipation to witness the most gruesome moments unfold on screen. And boy, have the showmakers delivered!

Take Herogasm, for example. The Season 3 episode, which depicts a Supe sex extravaganza turned deadly bloodbath, has quickly become a fan favorite, boasting an impressive IMDb rating of 9.6/10.

However, it seems that not every gory scene made it into the final cut of the show. In fact, at least one was axed from The Boys following concerns raised by Toronto locals.

Gory Scene

You probably know that while The Boys is set in New York, it is actually filmed up north in Canada, mostly in Toronto. The city's streets provide the perfect backdrop for the gritty supernatural action.

Season 2 was slated to include a particularly chilling crowd scene, one that would have easily ranked among the series' most gruesome. It was reportedly about an unnamed Supe launching a full-blown attack on some 450 humans, with chaos reigning supreme. Screams, frantic running and a lot of bloodshed were guaranteed.

However, the filming of the scene had to get canceled when Toronto residents intervened. Surprisingly, it wasn't so much the content of the scene that ruffled feathers, but rather the choice of location that didn't sit well with the locals.

Gruesome Memory

The scene was set to be filmed at Mel Lastman Square, but for many in Toronto, this location turned out to hold haunting memories. It was on April 23, 2018, that a horrific van attack carried out by a domestic terrorist shook the city to its core. Tragically, 11 pedestrians lost their lives, and 15 others were left with severe injuries.

Of course, with this uncanny resemblance between the fictional scene and the real-life tragedy etched deep into the city's collective memory, filming couldn't continue.

'There are people who work in this building, who went out onto Yonge St. to try to help the van attack victims — many of them are still traumatized. And think about the families and loved ones of those victims,' Toronto city councillor John Filion, who intervened to have the scene cut, told the Toronto Sun. 'It's about people literally re-living those events. It's disrespectful to even think of it.'

In a commendable move, Eric Kripke agreed to axe the scene. Even in the gritty realm of shows like The Boys, there's a line between fiction and reality - one that should never be crossed.

Source: Toronto Sun.