The Boys Season 4: What does Make America Super Again mean?
Prime VideoThe Boys has always had a political undertone to it, but Season 4 is putting it front and center. Here’s what we know about its Make America Super Again slogan.
The slogan has appeared only a handful of times, but is a notable part of the marketing for The Boys Season 4. It was even featured in one of the earliest posters for the new season.
Season 4 has had some of The Boys’ most shocking moments to date, including one particularly gruesome Human Centipede homage. However, it’s the political parody that’s getting the most attention right now.
Before you dive deeper into The Boys Season 4, here’s a look at the show’s Make America Super Again movement and what it means.
What does Make America Super Again mean?
The Boys’ Make America Super Again phrase is a parody campaign slogan poking fun at the MAGA movement. The slogan is the latest of many riffs on the current American political landscape, specifically the Right Wing’s Make America Great Again movement.
The slogan first showed up in the description for Gen V Season 1 Episode 7. It reads: “Calling all God U #Hometeamers! Today we’re protesting Socialist Victoria Neuman’s town hall on campus! Let’s show Neuman and her Supe-hating woke mob that we won’t put up with their anti-Superhero agenda! THEY WILL NOT CONTROL US! #MakeAmericaSuperAgain #SupeLivesMatter”
Since then, the tagline appeared on a poster shared by the “official” Vought International account, attached to a photo of Homelander. This was released in conjunction with the American political day, Super Tuesday.
Who came up with the slogan?
The Make America Super Again slogan was created by protestors who were against Robert Singer, Victoria Neuman, and their political platforms.
It’s since been co-opted after Singer and Neuman received the support of Vought and Homelander, with the slogan now used to promote their political agendas.
Prime VideoOf course, this is all while Robert Singer is secretly working with The Boys to kill Neuman. Singer doesn’t intend to allow a Supe to get that close to the Presidency.
In the context of the show, the slogan is meant to support the Singer/Neuman campaign’s pro-superhero platform and their plans to make Supes a prominent part of their plans if they are elected.
MAGA links explained
The whole thing is a riff on Make America Great Again, a right-wing American political movement emerging from the 2016 election. Season 4 has doubled down on this, not just with its ideology, but with characters like the Marjorie Taylor Greene-inspired Firecracker.
The comparison is no accident, with showrunner Eric Kripke telling Variety that while the last few seasons have satirized events, this wasn’t necessarily the original plan.
“When Seth [Rogen] and Evan [Goldberg] and I took it out to pitch, it was 2016. We just wanted to do a very realistic version of a superhero show, one where superheroes are celebrities behaving badly. Trump was the, ‘He’s not really getting the nomination, is he?’ guy.” Kripke told Hollywood Reporter.
“When he got elected, we had a metaphor that said more about the current world. Suddenly, we were telling a story about the intersection of celebrity and authoritarianism and how social media and entertainment are used to sell fascism. We’re right in the eye of the storm. And once we realized that, I just felt an obligation to run in that direction as far as we could.”
The Boys Season 4 has, in fact, suffered a bit because of this. MAGA supporters who were fans of the show suddenly realized the show had been mocking them. The result was a review bomb effort, though it doesn’t seem to have actually impacted the show’s lasting power.
New episodes of The Boys Season 4 premiere on Thursday on Prime Video. Or check out our The Boys Season 4 theories and read up on all the new Supes in The Boys. Or read about the best new movies on streaming and the best new shows on streaming this month.