The Boys are almost back in town. The Amazon Prime series returns in the coming days, bringing back the Billy Butcher's gang of misfits as they go up against the factory-produced Supes of The Seven.
The Boys season 2 doesn't introduce a villain, but expands on one only briefly seen in season 1. Giancarlo Esposito plays Stan Edgar, the CEO of Vought who control The Seven. The character's presence has been felt throughout the show, but we only glimpsed him once during the whole first season.
For The Boys season 2, Edgar will make a much bigger appearance. Total Film and GamesRadar+ asked showrunner Erik Kripke about Esposito's role, and how he compares to Elisabeth Shue’s character Madelyn Stillwell.
"Giancarlo is such a brilliant actor, and he really classes my shit up," Kripke said. "His character, to me, represents the seriousness of Vought as a corporation; the capitalism of that corporation.
"Whereas, Madelyn Stillwell was a manager of talent, which means she has to coddle them, and be warm, and compliment them, and flatter them. Stan Edgar is the CEO of a weapons and pharmaceutical company. He finds superheroes to be mere entertainment, and children that have to be taken care of."
"We talked a lot about how Rupert Murdoch must feel about 20th Century Fox. He’s got a real company that’s making real money, and he has this little entertainment division that’s a loser for him. He probably wouldn’t take it very seriously.
"I think Stan Edgar sort of feels that way about the superheroes – which obviously knocks Homelander really aback, because Homelander is used to being the most important person in the world, because Stillwell made him feel that way. But once she is removed, he sees that he is actually only a small cog in a very large machine. And I think that really flips him out."
For more on The Boys season 2, pick up the latest issue of Total Film, which features our interview with Kripke, Karl Urban, Erin Moriarty, and Jack Quaid. Available on shelves both real and digital now. The Boys returns September 4 on Amazon Prime.
