The Boys: The Next Heroes

Vol.1 Unlocks: July 26, 2025 (In Honor Of The Show First Aired - July 26, 2019)

the Aegis Complex’s central core was a familiar lullaby to Ryan Butcher. Twenty years had passed since he’d hung up his own cape – or rather, since a particularly nasty incident had forced him to. Now, his battlefield was a high-tech command center, his weapons were meticulously crafted strategies, and his soldiers were teenagers with powers that made his old abilities feel quaint.

He ran the Young Guard, a hand-picked crew of super-powered prodigies. They were good, genuinely good. Spectra, who could manipulate light into solid constructs; Titan, with strength that could level a building and a heart of gold; Cypher, who could talk to any machine like it was an old friend; and then there was Blaze. Kira Thorne.

Kira was a living supernova, able to generate and control plasma with a terrifying, beautiful ease. She was also the problem.

Today’s debrief was going as expected: methodical, precise, and utterly infuriating to Kira.

“Team, exceptional work on the downtown bank heist,” Ryan said, his voice calm, betraying none of the internal weariness that often settled upon him. He gestured to a holographic replay projected onto the sleek meeting table. “Spectra’s containment field was textbook. Titan, your structural support prevented major collapse. Cypher, your data siphon from the vault was seamless. And Blaze…”

Ryan paused, his gaze, still sharp beneath the silvering temples, met Kira’s. “Your plasma burst to disable the getaway vehicle was effective, but it grazed the north-facing power lines. Minor city-wide blackout for five minutes. An unnecessary risk for a standard armed robbery.”

Kira’s knuckles were white as she gripped the edge of the table. “Unnecessary? Ryan, they were getting away! My burst was precise. Five minutes of darkness versus letting criminals escape? It’s a no-brainer!”

“It’s about control, Kira,” Ryan said, his tone softening slightly, a mentor attempting to reach a headstrong pupil. “It’s about minimizing collateral. We don’t just stop the bad guys; we prevent further harm. The public needs to trust us, not fear our immense power.”

“The public needs us to act!” she retorted, her voice rising, a faint, almost invisible shimmer of heat radiating from her. “They need heroes who aren’t afraid to push the limits, to make a real difference. We could’ve had those guys in cuffs within thirty seconds, but you had us wait for the precinct cars, for the specialized net deployment. It’s too slow! We’re like glorified police escorts with powers!”

Spectra shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Titan looked down at his massive hands. Cypher tapped nervously on his comm-link. They’d all heard this before.

Ryan leaned back, his expression unreadable. “Kira, I’ve seen what happens when heroes operate without restraint. When they make it about the thrill, about the grand gesture, instead of the mission. When they believe they know better than everyone else.” His voice was low, laced with an echo of old pain. “The wreckage, the fear, the lives lost… it’s not just about what you can do, it’s about what you should do.”

Kira pushed back from the table, a chair scraping loudly. “And I’ve seen what happens when we hold back. The villains that slip through the cracks, the people who suffer because we’re too busy following a manual! You treat us like children, Ryan, like we’re ticking time bombs you have to defuse, not earth-shattering forces for good!”

“We are earth-shattering forces, Kira,” Ryan said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “And that requires discipline. Accountability.”

“No,” Kira said, her chest heaving, a spark of literal heat flashing in her eyes. “It requires courage. And I’m done being told to stand down when I know I can end it. I’m done taking orders.”

The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the steady hum of the Aegis Complex. Spectra looked horrified. Titan frowned, worried. Cypher looked torn.

Ryan didn’t react immediately. He simply watched her, his gaze unwavering.

“Kira,” he finally said, his voice quiet, “you know the protocols. This isn’t a game.”

“No, it’s not,” she agreed, her voice thick with emotion. “And I’m tired of playing by rules that slow us down. I joined the Young Guard to make a difference, a real one. Not to be your glorified security detail. If this is all you want from me, then I’m out.”

Ryan’s jaw tightened. He knew this moment would come. He’d seen the fire in her eyes, the unchecked ambition that mirrored his own youthful recklessness. He also knew he couldn't back down. Not on this. Not when the safety of the world, and the very perception of heroes, hung in the balance.

“Then I’m afraid,” Ryan said, his voice tinged with regret, “that your time with the Young Guard is over, Kira.”

Kira stared at him, a flicker of surprise mixed with defiance. She’d expected an argument, a negotiation, not such an immediate, firm dismissal. But then her resolve hardened. This was what she wanted, wasn't it? Freedom.

She turned on her heel, her jumpsuit crackling faintly with residual energy. “Good,” she said, her voice sharp and clear, “because I’m done waiting for permission to save the world.”

The heavy sound of the meeting room door sliding shut echoed through the silence, leaving Ryan Butcher alone with the remaining members of the Young Guard and the lingering heat of a supernova’s fury. He looked at Spectra, Titan, and Cypher, their faces a mixture of confusion and fear.

He ran a hand over his face, a deep sigh escaping him. Twenty years. The threats were bigger, the stakes higher, but some battles, it seemed, never changed. They were just fought by younger, more powerful hands. And sometimes, those hands wanted to break free. The difficult part now was ensuring they didn't break the world in the process.

Ryan turned from the closed door, the metallic thud still resonating in the charged air. The silence that followed was heavy, almost suffocating. He met Spectra’s wide eyes, saw the conflict in Titan’s furrowed brow, and the nervous energy radiating from Cypher.

“I know that was… difficult to witness,” Ryan said, his voice softer now, devoid of the earlier tension, though the weariness was palpable. “But it was necessary.” He moved to the head of the table, his posture still straight, betraying none of the internal turmoil. “Kira’s power is immense.

Untamed, it’s a danger to herself, and to everyone around her. We are not here to be a demonstration of raw force.

We are here to protect. That means precision, discipline, and understanding the full scope of our actions. The five-minute blackout today? Next time, it could be a city block. Or worse.” He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. “There are rules for a reason. Not to slow us down, but to keep us, and the world, safe.”

Spectra, ever the empathetic one, finally spoke, her voice a quiet tremor. “But, sir… she just wants to help. She thinks you’re holding us back from doing more good.”

Titan nodded slowly, his massive frame shifting uncomfortably. “She’s fast, Chief. Sometimes, waiting feels… wrong.”

Cypher remained quiet, though his attention was fixed on Ryan, his usual tech-obsessed focus replaced by a rare, raw vulnerability.

Ryan looked at each of them, a flicker of his own youthful defiance momentarily reflected in his eyes before being swiftly extinguished. “Heroism isn’t about speed, Titan. It’s about responsibility. And Kira, at this moment, is unwilling to accept that full responsibility. My job is to train you, to make you the best you can be, and to make sure you don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.” He glanced briefly at his own hands, remembering the scars unseen. “The world out there, it needs heroes it can trust, not simply fear. And right now, Kira… she’s a potential liability operating without a compass.”

He pushed off the table, moving towards the holographic projection, sweeping away the crime scene data to reveal a strategic map of the city. “Our mission hasn't changed,” Ryan continued, his voice regaining its command. “Our commitment to the public hasn't wavered. We will continue. And yes, it will be harder without Blaze's raw power. But it will also be safer. For all of us.” He tapped a point on the map, a desolate patch of the city’s old industrial district. “Now. Intelligence has picked up unusual energy signatures in Sector Seven. Could be nothing. Could be something big. Spectra, ready your containment protocols. Titan, re-familiarize yourself with structural integrity schematics. Cypher, I need real-time grid diagnostics on that sector. We have work to do.”

He looked at them, his gaze firm, unwavering. They were shaken, yes, but not broken. Not yet. He had to ensure that. Because out there, the world continued to spin, oblivious to the supernova that had just walked out of their lives, and the new dangers that lurked in the shadows, waiting for any sign of weakness. Kira was a force of nature unbound, and Ryan knew, with a chilling certainty, that this wouldn't be the last he saw of her. The question was, would she be a solution, or a new, terrifying problem?