When Nathan Mitchell first signed on to portray the enigmatic Black Noir in The Boys, he was met with a stark condition: his character would remain completely faceless and voiceless.
“I embraced that challenge wholeheartedly,” Mitchell told Polygon. “My primary concern was maintaining an emotional connection with the audience. I wondered, could I convey a compelling narrative solely through physicality—the tilt of a head, a specific gait, or nuanced body language? As long as the creative team provided the latitude to explore that, I was fully on board.”
Since then, Mitchell has been a cornerstone of The Seven, the deeply compromised superhero collective driving the conflict in The Boys. With the Prime Video series reaching its conclusion, we sat down with Mitchell via Zoom to reflect on his transformative five-season journey.
[Editor’s Note: This piece contains spoilers for Season 5, Episode 6 of The Boys.]
Image: Darren Goldstein/Prime VideoFor the series’ first two installments, Mitchell’s performance was defined by silent obedience to Vought International and the volatile leader of The Seven, Homelander (Antony Starr). Ahead of season 3, showrunner Eric Kripke offered Mitchell a pivotal choice: unveil the character’s face—and meet his demise—or allow a new actor to step into the role for the third season, clearing the path for Mitchell to return as a new, vocalized version of the character for seasons 4 and 5.
“It was an agonizing decision,” Mitchell admits. “I was deeply invested in the original Black Noir. However, from an actor’s perspective, the opportunity to stretch my range and flesh out a new character made playing the second Noir a far more rewarding creative prospect.”
While Fritzy-Klevans Destine embodied the version of Noir dispatched by Homelander in season 3, Mitchell returned as Justin, the actor recruited by Vought to maintain the ruse of the hero’s survival.
“I was determined to establish a clear distinction between the two iterations,” Mitchell explains. “If the first Noir was an unflappable, stoic force of nature, the second version was decidedly less polished—a bit clumsy and insecure. You have to lean into those disparities to make a performance truly stand out when the costume remains identical.”
Image: Jasper Savage/Prime VideoThis less capable Noir naturally gravitated toward the Seven’s perpetual underdog, The Deep (Chace Crawford).
“I view Noir and the Deep as siblings,” Mitchell noted. “They share a camaraderie that blossoms in season 4, but they are constantly pitted against one another by the toxic environment Homelander has cultivated. Ultimately, they are just desperate to preserve their positions and stay alive.”
Their rivalry turns increasingly volatile in The Boys season 5. Desperate to gain Homelander’s favor, The Deep sabotages Noir to claim credit for capturing ex-CEO Stan Edgar. In turn, Noir attempts to win back Homelander’s approval by backing his messianic aspirations. This downward spiral of petty vengeance—including the fallout from a doomed Broadway production and environmental disaster—culminates in episode 6, where The Deep finally dispatches Noir.
“It felt inevitable—a dark reflection of brotherhood, violence, and insecurity,” Mitchell says. “It echoes the dynamic of siblings fighting, escalating until things go too far. It reaches that point where you’re thinking, ‘Don’t tell mom!’—only in this instance, he can’t say a word, because he’s no longer with us.”
The first six episodes of The Boys season 5 are currently available to stream on Prime Video.
Source: Polygon
