Black Noir died, so how is he back for The Boys Season 4?

Black Noir died in The Boys Season 3 finale, so how is the stealthy ex-member of The Seven coming back in Season 4?

The Boys Season 4 release date is on the horizon, and the trailer showed off Black Noir’s surprising ‘return’. Our questions will be answered on-screen, but creator Eric Kripke commented on this twist in July 2022.

We have The Boys Season 4 theories about Butcher’s illness and the Gen V cast popping up, but there’s no need to speculate about this particular comeback.

Black Noir will be in the new episodes, just not in the ‘back from the grave’ manner some have suspected. Here’s the explanation.

How Black Noir is back for The Boys Season 4

The original Black Noir is still dead. Vought has replaced him with a “whole new” version in Season 4.

Eric Kripke confirmed actor Nathan Mitchell will be a “whole new” Black Noir in Season 4. He told EW, “We have Nathan playing a really interesting and hilarious character who wears the suit next season. We’ll explore it as the season goes on, but Nathan plays a whole new character.”

Mitchell appeared in The Boys Seasons 1 through 3 as Black Noir’s real-life stunt performer, with the unmasked Noir played by Fritzy-Klevans Destine.

This time, his role might take on new shades. Vought International is essentially replacing the original member of The Seven with Black Noir II.

This could mean Mitchell will play the next Black Noir, both masked and unmasked. Or, he’ll continue in a stunt performer capacity while in-universe the man behind the mask has changed.

Either way, Black Noir has been replaced by Vought following the original character’s death in The Boys Season 3.

Why is he back?

Vought probably decided to bring Black Noir back for publicity and marketing reasons.

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In the Season 4 trailer, he’s photographed next to The Deep and A-Train. This implies the reason for Vought reviving the mantle is the same reason they do pretty much everything: PR.

Black Noir was never the most popular member of The Seven, but he held his position for a long time as the member most loyal to Homelander. Vought wants to portray The Seven as a tight-knit group of dependable heroes, and the shadowy supe was a piece of that puzzle.

The public also doesn’t know about one of The Boys most shocking moments: Homelander murdering his old friend. So, replacing him could be a way to avoid any questions being asked about his absence, and to protect the star-spangled maniac from any (further) murder charges.

For more on Season 4, check out the new Supes in The Boys, how the Gen V timeline ties in, what you need to remember from the Gen V finale, and what Gen V cameos we expect. We’ve also got a list of the other best superhero TV shows.