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 inThe BoysSeason 1’s finale and is the son who resulted fromHomelander‘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 intoa megalomaniac like himself, andBilly 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 Clipssharedthe revelation, which has caught fans by surprise.
“Dude, he was never in the show,” one fansaid. “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 fansaid.
“I’m more confused why they got rid of the blonde hair for Ryan,” anothersaid, 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 aninterviewwith 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.'”
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New episodes of The Boys Season 4 are released on Thursdays. While you wait, check out our ranking ofThe Boys seasonsandThe Boys Season 3’s most shocking moments. You can also learn aboutnew TV shows streamingthis year, likeThe Penguin TV show, or look ahead toInvincible Season 3.
Christopher Baggett was a TV & Movies Writer on Dexerto’s US team and a comics expert, across DC Comics and Marvel. He also has bylines at ComicsBeat, Comic Book Resources, and The HomeWorld.