The Boys recast one of its most important characters and nobody noticed

Longtime fans of The Boys on social media are only just now realizing that one of the show’s most important characters, Ryan, was recast after Season 1.

Ryan first appears briefly in The Boys Season 1’s finale and is the son who resulted from Homelander‘s sexual assault of Becca Butcher.

Since then, Ryan has been a central figure in the series, as much of the show’s storyline has focused on the struggle between Homelander, who wants to turn Ryan into a megalomaniac like himself, and Billy Butcher, who promised Becca he’d protect Ryan.

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But fans didn’t immediately realize that between Ryan’s Season 1 debut and his next appearance in Season 2 Episode 2, Ryan was recast, with actor Cameron Crovetti replacing Parker Corno.

The X/Twitter account for The Boys Out Of Context Clips shared the revelation, which has caught fans by surprise.

“Dude, he was never in the show,” one fan said. “That’s not Ryan I saw from season 1.”

“I recently watched the series for the first time, and I was thrown off bc I was so used to seeing the new Ryan in the promo,” another fan said.

“I’m more confused why they got rid of the blonde hair for Ryan,” another said, pointing out the visual difference between Crovetti and Corno.

Crovetti has earned praise for his role as Ryan, with even showrunner Eric Kripke praising him while making the rounds for The Boys Season 4.

In an interview with Variety, Kripke said “I mean casting kids is obviously super, super hard. Cameron was just so good. He just kept crushing it and could break your heart. We all looked at each other and were like, ‘We’d be crazy not to write more for him.'”

New episodes of The Boys Season 4 are released on Thursdays. While you wait, check out our ranking of The Boys seasons and The Boys Season 3’s most shocking moments. You can also learn about new TV shows streaming this year, like The Penguin TV show, or look ahead to Invincible Season 3.