Even though superheroes are people with idealised bodies that we’re supposed to ogle and wonder at, because of how seemingly impossible they are, it’s rare that you see male-bodied heroes objectified in a way that highlights their sex appeal. Every so often, you might get a glimpse of Nightwing’s arse or Batman’s wang, but those are always made out to be bigger deals than they need to be.
Sure, Namor and Star-Lord have been known to pull off their shirts to show off their abs, but that’s nothing compared to way characters like Power Girl, Captain Marvel (in her original costume), and Emma Frost consistently roll up wearing what’s essentially fetish gear that leaves their crotches and chests just out.
This doesn’t even get into how comic artists and filmmakers have traditionally gone about Wanda Maximoff’s MCU costume.)
It’s telling, for example, that Chris Evans’ arse is played for laughs in Avengers: Endgame whereas Black Widow’s body is explicitly framed as an object of desire in Iron Man 2.
Well, someone over at Amazon Studios’ marketing department seems to have been paying attention to this kind of injustice. They’ve taken it upon themselves to use The Boys‘ resident douchebag to remind everyone how incredibly easy it is to acknowledge that there’s nothing wrong with treating superdudes equally, in the form of a Chase Crawford-packed calendar. There’s nothing particularly deep about The Boys‘ cheesecake-y calendar featuring the Deep ” it’s just a bunch of pictures of Crawford dressed up as his Aquaman knock-off.
If one wanted to try and read into the calendar, you could imagine that in the world of The Boys, the calendar’s a Vought-sponsored product sold in stores across the world to capitalise on the Deep’s sex appeal and encourage people to keep flocking to the box office to see the company’s films about him. Or, you know, you could just look at the photos and think to yourself “Hmm, yes. Yes, more of this.” Your call.
The Boys is now streaming on Amazon Prime.