The Boys has previously taken some not-so-subtle swipes at the MCU (specifically the "girls get it done" scene from Avengers: Endgame) and Warner Bros. DCEU (there have been several digs at the "SnyderVerse"), so it's about time Sony Pictures had a turn!
When Homelander (Antony Starr) and Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) pay Mr. Marathon (Ackles' Supernatural castmate Jared Padalecki) a visit in LA to find out what he knows about V-One during this week's episode, the speedster brags about one of his movies grossing $35 million... on a $200 million budget.
Homelander explains to Soldier Boy that Marathon's films are not Vought productions, and were made "where washed-up Supes go to die... Sony Pictures TV." Marathon then tells the others that "we're not part of the VCU," revealing that they can't mention Vought or any licensed Vought hero.
Just in case it wasn't already abundantly clear that Sony's "SPUMC" (or SUMC as it was later known) is what's being parodied here, posters for "Madame Marathon, Let There Be Rampage," and "Mr. Marathon: Around the Speedy-Verse" can be seen on the wall as the Supes walk past.
Though the Venom movies performed well enough at the box office, Sony's attempt to create an interconnected universe of Spider-Man characters (without the wall-crawler himself) did not pan out after the likes of Morbius, Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter tanked. Reports indicate that the studio hasn't completely given up on the idea, but the SUMC as we knew it is no more.
In the fifth and final season of The Boys, it's Homelander’s world, completely subject to his erratic, egomaniacal whims. Hughie, Mother's Milk, and Frenchie are imprisoned in a "Freedom Camp." Annie struggles to mount a resistance against the overwhelming Supe force. Kimiko is nowhere to be found. But when Butcher reappears, ready and willing to use a virus that will wipe all Supes off the map, he sets in motion a chain of events that will forever change the world and everyone in it. It's the climax, people. Big stuff's gonna happen.
The Boys stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Cameron Crovetti, Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jensen Ackles, and Daveed Diggs.
Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Phil Sgriccia, Michaela Starr, Paul Grellong, David Reed, Judalina Neira, Jessica Chou, Gabriel Garcia, Ori Marmur, Ken F. Levin and Jason Netter serve as executive producers.