The Boys Episode 6: What happens at Herogasm?

Dread it, run from it, Herogasm arrives all the same in The Boys Episode 6, as an event “not suitable for any audience.” 

The Boys hasn’t shied away with super-powered sexual proclivities: we watched a man’s head get squashed like a watermelon from a woman sitting on his face; Homelander lasered Stormfront’s breasts, and later masturbated over the New York skyline; and at the beginning of Season 3, the show’s version of Ant-Man crawled inside his boyfriend’s penis, sneezed, and left him disemboweled. 

Yet, there’s still been a fair amount of hype and trepidation around the so-called Herogasm episode. To those unfamiliar with the comics, it just appears as a play on words; to those who’ve read the miniseries it’s based on, expectations are through the roof for an hour of explicit, fluid-filled debauchery.

We can say this much: it lives up to the hype, with showrunner Eric Kripke putting his own spin on the infamous event. But what is Herogasm, and what happens in the new episode?

Spoilers for Herogasm to follow… 

The Boys: What is Herogasm?

The Boys: Herogasm was the first of four tie-in miniseries released during Ennis’ run. It follows the Boys as they sneak into a party for Vought-sponsored superheroes to allow them all to kick back and relax for a week. There’s just one small detail: it’s actually a massive orgy.

• Read More: The Boys Season 3: Herogasm in the comics explained

While the general public think all the supes are teaming up to discuss global affairs or take on a major threat together, they’re actually on a remote tropical island doing whatever they want, whether that’s having as much sex as they please with other supes and sex workers, taking drugs, or other taboo acts of debauchery and violence.

In an interview with TVLine ahead of the episode’s release, Kripke said it would be “one of the more graphic hours of mainstream television that I think anyone will have seen,” and he was surprised at how much he could get away with. Just don’t expect a sex scene with Homelander and Soldier Boy.

The Boys: Where does Herogasm take place in Episode 6?

While some suspected Ashley’s earlier mention of a “Global Wellness Retreat in Malibu” to be the location of the show’s Herogasm, it actually takes place somewhere else entirely, and it’s even more discreet than in the comics.

Episode 6 sees all of the characters converge at the home of the TNT Twins in Vermont, former superheroes who served alongside Soldier Boy in his Payback team. We later find out it was founded by Soldier Boy and Liberty  (the earlier name of Stormfront) in 1952.

The Deep goes there to find Black Noir, who cuts open his wrist and rips out his tracker upon learning about Soldier Boy being alive. Starlight goes there with MM, who’s on the trail of vengeance against Soldier Boy for “hurling a car” through his house and killing his grandpa as a child.

Butcher and Hughie – souped-up on temporary Compound V, of course – head there with Soldier Boy, who wants answers – and probably blood – from his ex-teammates, with the agreement that he’ll kill Homelander once the job is done.

The Boys: What happens at Herogasm?

Herogasm is teased before it’s fully unleashed to the audience. At first, we only see The Deep’s reaction to the carnal chaos; and then Starlight and MM arrive, at which point Love Sausage welcomes them in, curling his huge, ghastly appendage around them.

You could pause each frame of Herogasm and spot something different. Naturally, lots of people are in the buff and having every form of sex you can possibly imagine – it is ultimately an orgy, after all – but this is a place for superheroes to get off with one another, so there’s quite a lot of power being used for pleasure.

This includes, but isn’t limited to: a superhero with mind-control abilities giving multiple women orgasms simultaneously; vibrators floating around the house; a woman hog-tying a man with her luminous lasso; flaming genitals; icicle dildos being shoved into ordinary sex workers, “getting banged up… but not in a good way”; and enough jizz for someone to drown.

• Read More: The Boys: Who is Soldier Boy, and is he more powerful than Homelander?

Notably, we see the return of Termite, the shrinking supe from the first episode’s grotesque opening, who re-appears covered in some sort of bodily fluid.

Starlight also finds The Deep receiving a suck-job from an octopus, takes a photo, and threatens to send it to Homelander.

Hughie confronts A-Train, and Soldier Boy explodes

Outside the sexual stuff, Hughie bumps into A-Train at the party, and demands he apologizes for obliterating Robin in the very first episode. While A-Train doesn’t seem to react well initially, he actually says sorry and acknowledges how horrible it must have been to lose someone like that, given the events of Episode 5.

Hughie can’t accept it, and with the safety net of Compound V running through his veins, he punches A-Train in the face. “How did you do that?” he asks, clearly baffled by Hughie’s sudden strength, but Starlight advises him to get out of there before things get worse.

Meanwhile, Soldier Boy confronts the TNT Twins, who allege that the plot against him was conceived by Black Noir. They feebly try to use their powers, only for Soldier Boy to let off one of his catastrophic energy blasts.

The twins are killed instantly, along with many others at Herogasm, with others left crippled and bleeding. Love Sausage even runs out with his penis charred and hanging around his neck.

Termite is then seen lying outside, shrunken and desperately shouting for help in his high-pitched voice. However, as Homelander arrives to fight Soldier Boy, he stomps on him like a bug, causing a small burst of blood under his shoe.

Episode 7 of The Boys will arrive on Prime Video next Friday, July 1.