Warning: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for The Boys season 5, episode 1.
At its best, The Boys is able to blend its intense action and drama with some hilarious comedy, hence why it is one of the best superhero shows on TV. Many of its most effective jokes poke fun at common pop culture alongside politics, but the series also feels like a superhero parody at times, with Marvel and DC being frequent targets.
Not only does it feature various supes who are clearly comedic takes on some beloved heroes, but the hit project hasn’t been afraid to make fun of these large cinematic universes and their never-ending stories, despite The Boys becoming a big franchise with its own spinoffs.
Ultimately, being able to laugh at itself while still calling out its competitors and teasing them for numerous different tropes is what has made The Boys stand out so much. However, it has also taken inspiration from other projects within this subgenre over the years, with season 5’s premiere being no different.
While A-Train’s death has been The Boys season 5’s biggest shock so far, the OG supe was given an epic sendoff, as he successfully saved Hughie and MM from certain death. Interestingly though, this scene may be familiar to fans of X-Men: Days of Future Past, as the slow-motion sequence was a direct nod to this movie.
As The Boys‘ fastest character, A-Train was able to move MM and tackle Homelander before anyone else could react, but he did so in almost exactly the same way Quicksilver saved Magneto, Wolverine, and Professor X in Days of Future Past, suggesting that this scene was a sign of respect, rather than a parody.
The Boys Season 5, Episode 1 Is Loving X-Men: Days Of Future Past
In among all the chaos, The Boys season 5’s premiere found time to pay homage to X-Men: Days of Future Past, suggesting the film was a big influence. The A-Train scene is by far the most obvious nod to the Sony movie, as despite the settings being different, the supe’s slo-mo sequence is practically identical to Quicksilver’s in the 2014 X-Men hit.
Both speedsters manipulate what is happening to their friends and enemies, while finding time for moments of comedy. In Quicksilver’s case, he is much more nonchalant, moving bullets away from his fellow mutants while teasing several guards by stealing one’s hat and making another punch himself in the face, but not before getting a quick taste of pasta.
A-Train’s rescue scene is a little more serious and much shorter, but he does still take a rather comedic glance at Butcher’s powers since it’s the first time he’s seen them in action, while disarming a guard, pulling the pins on his grenades, and tackling Hughie away from Homelander’s laser, taking a graze himself.
Even if all of these similarities just seemed like a coincidence, the way A-Train puts on his glasses before saving his allies perfectly parallels Quicksilver’s same action in Days of Future Past. This isn’t the only reference from season 5’s premiere though, as Homelander’s opening speech also drops a not-so-subtle reference to the X-Men film.
During his address to the public, The Boys‘ central villain mentions that G-Men: Days Past from the Future grossed over $2 billion at the box office. The near-identical title is clearly a sarcastic shout-out to Days of Future Past, which couldn’t quite compete financially with Vought’s fictional film, despite grossing an impressive $746 million.
Considering Sheline acts as a Catwoman parody in The Boys season 5, it’s obvious that Prime Video’s hit superhero show is back to its hilarious best when it comes to teasing other superhero franchises, but while Homelander’s speech may have been a joking reference, A-Train’s save was clearly honoring Days of Future Past, serving as a rare display of respect.
Days Of Future Past Was Sony’s Last Great X-Men Movie
X-Men‘s history on the big screen has been pretty up and down over the years, but Days of Future Past was definitely Sony’s last great entry in the franchise. Its fascinating concept allowed both the modern and previous stars to come together in a narrative that actually made sense, all while providing some great iterations of these characters.
Merging these eras could have gone terribly wrong, yet Days of Future Past wound up being one of the highest-stakes X-Men films ever made, with the Sentinels being portrayed as a massive threat. Likewise, some new characters were brought into the spotlight, and the film featured plenty of innovation, such as the Quicksilver scene mentioned earlier.
Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix simply failed to live up to these standards in comparison, with the superhero movie essentially feeling like the end of an era. Whether the MCU can manage to replicate this success now that the X-Men are returning in Avengers: Doomsday is yet to be seen, but it’ll be hard to compete with Days of Future Past‘s quality.
X-Men: Days of Future Past is the highest-grossing X-Men movie of all time, although all three Deadpool movies did make more at the box office.
As a result, it feels like the perfect project for The Boys to pay respect to, since many may have forgotten about this gem that brought us so many iconic moments and character interactions, hence why it deserves this recognition over a decade later.
