It looks as if the sophomore season of Amazon Prime's THE BOYS is in for a spot on inclement weather, as a new hero by the name of Stormfront is set to create some turbulant times for members of the sociopathic superheo team, the Seven, when the show makes its triumphant return.
Today Entertainment Weekly debuted a set of First Look pics of Stormfront, played by Aya Cash of YOU'RE THE WORST fame. Alongside the new images, EW also shared a number of details about the show's newest addition, courtesy of Homelander actor Antony Starr, as well as the perfect storm herself, Aya Cash.
“She’s the grenade that gets thrown into Homelander’s world and the world of the Seven,” says Starr, who throughout the events of THE BOYS season 1 used his extra-normal abilities to torture those he deems are beneath him. "She really causes me so many problems."
In the comics, Stormfront arrives on the scene as a male character, and is presented as a play on such iconic superheroes as Thor and Shazam, with a little bit of facism thrown in for good measure. While that last bit is bound to introduce some uncomfortable moments for viewers, Cash maintains that her character is defined by more than her hatred, and will have her own agenda once she becomes a member of the Seven. “I think Stormfront is like a nuclear bomb that goes off in the Seven," Cash said while filming on the show's Toronto set. "Maybe nuclear bomb isn’t the right word. We’re in Chernobyl. There you go. It’s a Chernobyl thing.”
"I think she’s here to blow up Vought," Cash continues. "She’s here to try to get Vought back to the original idea behind creating superheroes… And she can be quite the feminist. There’s a lot of, I wouldn’t say misdirect, but she also is a very empowered woman."
The way Cash decribes her character, Stormfront is "all about destabilization." What that means for the other members of the Seven remains to be seen, though much like Erin Moriarty's Starlight, Stormfront isn't all that interested in the "celebrity fanfare" that comes with joining the world's most prominent superhero group. “She’s really social-media-savvy, where Homelander doesn’t really have anything to do with that. Someone else is always running his accounts. He’s almost like a Don Draper-era character and she’s very young and new and fresh, and that’s a massive challenge for him.”
When it comes to powers, Cash says that Stormfront is very much Homelander's equal, and that she's more than capable of clapping back when the star-spangled hero steps out of line. Unlike other members of the Seven, Stormfront remains unimpressed by Homelander's vibrato. “That’s not to say she doesn’t understand his power and tiptoe around it sometimes, but she’s also willing to challenge him. Ultimately, I think the dynamic between the two is terrifying and will change who Homelander is,” Cash says about Stormfront never being so foolish as to underestimate her teammates abilities and temper.
Cash also says that Stormfront's arc throughout the season will surprise fans of the show, and that some might find themselves identifying with her at times. I think that in and of itself is a frightening prospect, don't you?
“There are quite a few times where you’ll identify with her as an audience member or agree with what she says. I think [those] are the most dangerous people,” Cash remarked to EW about her bold, new character.
You'll be able to catch Aya Cash as Stormfront, alongside the rest of THE BOYS cast, when season 2 of THE BOYS debuts on Amazon Prime later this year.