For the first iteration of the character, see Black Noir.
“
You know what's funny? I hate sake. But I'm supposed to follow some stupid Black ninja bullshit, which makes no goddamn sense, by the way. You ever meet a Black ninja?
Black Noir II was born around 1989-1990. Shortly after his birth, his parents accepted Vought's offer to inject him with Compound V, subsequently transforming him into a Supe and granting him superhuman powers and abilities.
He also attended the Crimson Countess School of Performing Arts at Godolkin University, where he graduated at the top of his class and performed with Cirque de Vought in Montreal.
Later, Vought International tasked him with replacing Black Noir, who had been killed by Homelander. Initially uninterested in the role, he quickly accepted upon seeing the lucrative pay. Donning Black Noir's costume, he was instructed to mimic the original's behavior to convince the public that Black Noir was still alive and well.
To the public's ignorance, Black Noir II acts similar to the predecessor, where he is seen without any verbal and physical communication. His role as a different person is revealed after brutally murdering three Homelander supporters.
On the set of Training A-Train, Black Noir II asks A-Train for help, but is harshly declined. During training for the scripted rescue, Black Noir II is told to reduce his energetic move set, and during the rescue, is shocked to see the murder of Koy.
Homelander calls The Deep, A-Train, and Black Noir to the stage as the protectors of true Americans. Black Noir eagerly introduces himself, which A-Train responds to by telling him to tone it down because he is doing too much. Black Noir agrees, standing impassively while Firecracker and Sister Sage are introduced as the newest members of The Seven.
At Seven Tower, Black Noir takes photos with The Deep and A-Train. Homelander then insists that Sister Sage take photos with the three of them. Later on, Black Noir confronts Ashley, displeased with his lack of direction and seeking a reason for his role. Homelander commands Black Noir to remain silent as they begin their meeting; however, Black Noir quickly nods off, much to Homelander's dismay, and is immediately awakened by The Deep. Black Noir apologizes for being narcoleptic and remains awake for the remainder of the meeting.
Black Noir II sits in Homelander's chair with his mask off, drinking. The Deep hastily warns him against it, but Noir II ignores him, complaining again about his difficulty portraying Black Noir, that everyone treats him like an idiot who isn't allowed to speak, and that the only info he could find on portraying Black Noir was some random Buster Beaver drawings, which no one can shed light on. Noir II reveals he plans on quitting The Seven and going to Missouri's new show, where he'll be allowed to perform properly and showcase his ability to fly . The Deep tells Black Noir II about a time when Noir I killed an entire Indonesian fishing village for Vought Fresh Farms to stop protesters trying to stop their expansion. The Deep claims that Noir I loved this mission and loved killing people, but Noir II states he dislikes violence. The Deep explains the fact that violence is power and that people who may laugh at him cannot laugh when they're dead. The Deep and Noir II seem to think on this ideology.
Black Noir II assists The Deep in ambushing Annie and Butcher at the Flatiron Building. While The Deep fights Annie, Noir II attacks Butcher and briefly falls asleep due to his narcolepsy. When A-Train appears to help the Boys, Noir II is shocked to learn that he was the leak, to Annie's confusion believing Noir to be incapable of speech. Noir II then prepares to engage Butcher once again by confirming his ability to fly, however, before he can make a direct attack, Mother's Milk shoots Noir II out of the window, and they escape before he can return.
Black Noir II and The Deep later return to Vought Tower, both battered and limping. They run into Sister Sage. After admitting she was fired, Noir II is distraught, revealing that Sage had an affair with him in addition to The Deep.
In preparation for the coup, Homelander tasked The Seven with assassinating Vought employees who might have dirt on them. During this purge, Noir killed various employees, including Also Ashley, who he pinned to the wall with a sword. After killing her, Noir II seems turned on by the violence.
Personality[]
The individual who has taken over the Black Noir role is very excitable, talkative, and nervous - constantly chatting with his teammates when away from the public and overdoing his physicality, having to be told several times to tone down his excitement. Most of his conversations are filled with questions or complaints about the lack of direction he is given for his "character." He is enthusiastic and bombastic, and due to his passion for acting, he seems very eager to play Noir truthfully, which proves difficult as no one can offer him any insight into Noir as a person, other than he was an emotionless mute who did what he was told. And due to his over enthusiasm to play Noir, he has given subtle hints to The Boys and the public that he may not be the OG Noir; such as talking in front of them, and displaying abilities Noir l didn’t have. He is willing to kill without remorse, although he seems inexperienced, evident when he asks A-Train if Homelander makes them do that often.
Noir II eventually becomes fed up of being treated unfairly by Vought, as well as not being able to find anything that can inform his portrayal of Noir I, and plans to quit. After The Deep told him about the original Noir's "boner for murder", he decides to stay, and seems to have found it easier to play his part.
Black Noir II possesses the ability to levitate and propel himself through the air at rapid speeds. While in the air, he can briefly withstand tremendous forces, such as rapid gunshots. However, Black Noir II is not allowed to fly in public for the sake of maintaining character.
Superhuman Strength: Black Noir II possesses superhuman strength, which makes him stronger than humans and most Supes. While the full extent of his strength is unknown, he can kill humans with minimal effort. This is evident when he kills two Hometeamers with a baseball bat in a single strike.[1] He was also one of the Supes who beat Cameron Coleman to death with just a few blows.[2] During a fight against Billy Butcher, Noir was able to throw Butcher through several pieces of furniture, destroying them.[3]
Superhuman Durability:
Noir being shot
Black Noir II boasts superhuman durability, exceeding that of humans and most Supes. He is completely impervious to bullets, as demonstrated by his ability to withstand shots from Butcher's shotgun without sustaining any damage. However, a larger caliber weapon such as MM's M134 Minigun, despite not dealing significant damage, managed to push him out of a window, potentially sending him crashing to the ground, although it's unclear if he fell asleep again. Additionally, Butcher's fierce rifle swing to Black Noir II's helmeted head, with all his might, failed to budge him, showcasing his extraordinary resilience.[3] Ironically, Noir II appears to be more durable than the original Noir, as his skin appears to be completely bulletproof, whereas the original Noir, although possessing a healing factor and extreme durability, had his skin penetrated by firearms, as shown when Hughie shot a hole through his hand when attacking him with a handgun.
Superhuman Hearing: Black Noir II possesses superhuman hearing, allowing him to hear better than humans. Like all Supes, he can hear higher frequencies that humans cannot.[4]
Abilities[]
Acting: Black Noir II is an experienced actor, more aligned with the entertainment side of the supe industry than his teammates. He often complains about the lack of direction he is given, as if he were on a film set and not fully connecting with his character. Though he usually forgets he must be silent all times since real Black Noir was mute from his wounds.
Weaknesses[]
Biological[]
Narcolepsy: Black Noir II is narcoleptic, which often causes him to fall asleep unpredictably. He momentarily falls asleep in the midst of a fight with Butcher.
Brute Force/Limited Durability: Despite being more durable than humans, Black Noir II can still be stunned, knocked unconscious, and killed by extreme force. He is briefly stunned by repeated gunfire from Butcher and Mother's Milk.
High Frequencies: Due to being a Supe, Black Noir II is susceptible to high frequencies. When a high frequency is playing, it can induce immense pain and temporarily neutralize him.
Equipment[]
Noir's costume riddled with bulllet holes.
Super Suit: Black Noir II wears a suit almost identical to Black Noir's, though it lacks the integrated camera. His durable armor, resembling traditional ninja attire, allows him to move effortlessly while being fully protected against fire, explosions, and shrapnel, however, the suit is apparently not bulletproof.
Suit Knives: Black Noir II possesses a vast array of knives on his suit, including throwing knives, folding knives, and two dual combat knives, just like the first Black Noir. However, unlike the original, he is not trained in in their proper use.
Sword: Black Noir II wields a sword seemingly styled after a Japanese katana, with a modern tactical appearance. It is very similar to the sword that the original Black Noir used in preparation to fight Soldier Boy.
Black Noir II's talkative nature is a complete opposite of his previous incarnation. Some fans pointed out that his behavior in Season 4 is similar to Vigilante from Peacemaker and Deadpool who is known by a nickname "The Merc With A Mouth."
Despite a different personality, the character is portrayed by the same actor.
Black Noir II appears to be a parody of a professional actor's mindset and ego, as he often gets told to stop overthinking and overplaying his role and complains that he isn’t getting enough direction despite everyone at Vought believing that he doesn’t need any due to the original Noir being a masked, emotionless mute (whilst it’s true that Noir did have genuine emotions and a backstory, what it consisted of was not known to anyone). Additionally, when asking others for advice, he often emphasizes character objective and motivation, things that actors are often taught as being the most important factors of a scene.
When asking Ashley for direction on playing his character, Noir II asks her if there’s a playlist that he can use to ‘get inside his head.’ This is an acting technique that some actors use when getting into character - listening to specific songs to put them into the mood needed for a scene or creating a playlist consisting of songs that they feel the character would listen to.
Furthermore, Noir II initially disapproves of violence and killing, but after The Deep tells him how much Noir I enjoyed killing people, Noir II seems much more comfortable with it, enjoying his fight against Billy Butcher and getting a 'murder boner' after pointlessly killing Also Ashley. This may be a satire of Method Acting, a system of acting that is often associated with actors doing rigorous and absurd preparations in order to play a character faithfully which can end up damaging their mental and physical health and inconveniencing others. In this instance, Noir II, who previously disliked violence, has attacked and killed real people in order to connect more with Noir I's character, and now actually enjoys doing it.
His narcolepsy is based upon the actor being diagnosed with narcolepsy, which would make him fall asleep on the set while portraying Black Noir.
