Who Is Supersonic? The Boys' New Supe Explained

Warning: spoilers ahead for season 3 of "The Boys."

Season 3 of "The Boys," like much of its previous run, is definitely not for the faint of heart, as it features an extremely bonkers storyline and scenes that are bound to be etched on your brain for quite some time. This particular season deals with a lot, including the return of Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), Homelander (Antony Starr) being Homelander but on metaphorical steroids, and the titular boys having to deal with the same old supe stuff in markedly different ways.

There are a bunch of new supes who have been introduced, of course, which was inevitable as there are several vacancies in The Seven after Stormfront and The Deep's departure. Among them is Supersonic (Miles Gaston Villanueva), known as Drummer Boy in the comics, who is seen competing in the reality TV show, "American Hero," the winner of which becomes a part of The Seven. Considering this is Vought, and that most reality shows are scripted, the whole process of winning "American Hero" is pretty rigged too.

The introduction of Supersonic raises the questions of how he ties into the central plot and what kind of relationship he shares with former flame Starlight (Erin Moriarty).

In the promotional material for "The Boys" season 3, Supersonic's character was teased in the Tucker Carlson parody, "Seven on 7" by Cameron Coleman. This news segment highlights what members of the Seven, along with the other Vought-controlled supes, are up to, and one such segment touches on Supersonic, who is described as making a major comeback. Past drug abuse is hinted at, with Supersonic taking advantage of Vought's Global Wellness Center to get better and forge a clean, revamped image, which helps him shoot up through the popularity charts.

Season 3 does not explicitly delve too much into Supersonic's past, but it is hinted that he has shed his former image of a teen heartthrob, and is working hard to prove his mettle on "American Hero." He might have struggled with Compound V abuse in the past, which draws subtle parallels to A-Train (Jessie Usher), who went berserk while on V, kickstarting the entire narrative of the show after he ran right through Robin in season 1.

Supersonic is based on Garth Ennis' comics character Drummer Boy, who used to date Starlight when they were together in the teenage superhero group, The Young Americans. Much is not known about Drummer Boy except the fact that he cheated on Starlight with fellow supe Holy Mary, who was also a member of the group. After Starlight had walked in on them having sex, the couple had broken up. These aspects of the relationship (the cheating part) are not addressed in "The Boys," at least not in the first three episodes.

In terms of powers, Drummer Boy in the comics was known to possess the standard abilities granted by V, including super stamina, strength, and speed. In "The Boys," Supersonic is not known to possess any special abilities at all, except that he can perform ... dance numbers and sing tracks that were hits when he was in a boyband named Super Sweet. We see him performing "Got Your License to Drive (Me Crazy)" during Homelander's birthday; and while he does have some sick moves, it is not something a competent human performer cannot do.

Supersonic is chosen as the finalist for the show, meaning he will eventually be given a spot in the Seven (the Vought employees see it as a chance to win over the Latino community, so that they can widen their influence across this demographic). Starlight understands that this would mean Supersonic would be constantly at the mercy of Homelander, who is especially unhinged this season, exercising his privilege as an almost-invincible supe and an entitled white man. Supersonic and Starlight's bond is mostly sweet, as the two care about each other as close friends do.

Hughie (Jack Quaid) is obviously nervous about Supersonic being around, as he is insecure and scared of losing Annie. There's nothing to worry about of course, and while Vought tries to concoct a love triangle for the sake of public ratings, an even worse ploy is executed by Homelander, who publicly decides to push the idea that he and Starlight are in love. Apart from bringing back The Deep into the Seven to further traumatize Starlight, he forces her to put up with his cruelty, both on and off camera.

Honestly, there are far better contenders for the Seven than Supersonic, but if a scumbag like The Deep can make a comeback, a sweet ex-boyband performer can definitely be a part of the group. However, Supersonic better watch his back, as he has no idea how dangerous it is to be so close to Homelander, who can snap at any moment, for frankly, any reason.

The first three episodes of "The Boys" are currently streaming on Prime Video.