The Big Question The Boys Fans Have About Stormfront's Hometown
"The Boys" fans have noticed a small detail about Stormfront in Season 2, and they have some big questions about it. Early on in the second season, it's mentioned offhand that Stormfront (Aya Cash) comes from Portland, Oregon. Though this detail might seem minor at first glance, some fans actually believe that it hints at her sinister nature.
According to PewTrusts, this part of the country is actually home to a number of white supremacist organizations, meaning this small detail could be a signal to fans familiar with Stormfront's true goals on "The Boys." Of course, Stormfront is later revealed to be a hero from a previous era known as Liberty, who is actually a Nazi from the Third Reich. In fact, Stormfront's Nazi origins eventually reveal her to be the first Supe in history.
Obviously, this shocking revelation contradicts her woke, feminist image subtly signaled to viewers by her shave undercut hairdo and, more deliberately, by her stark social media presence. Notably, this sort of soft infiltration technique is one commonly used by far-right extremists to gain a foothold within younger audiences (via JustSecurity).
So, was this choice of hometown intentional?
It's not entirely clear, but these fans think so
Stormfront's city of origin didn't go unnoticed by the people of the r/TheBoys subreddit, but it's not entirely clear if this choice was intentional. Interestingly, a number of Redditors pointed to the city's history in making their point. U/KSTwolfe shared a link to the Wikipedia page for Oregon's history of racist laws, writing, "Well, Oregon does have a long history of problematic treatment of racial minorities." Similarly, u/ContrarionesMerchant wrote, "Portland has an extremely long history of white nationalist movements."
Notably, even Aya Cash, the actress who plays the supervillain, was taken aback by her character's plot twist. "I had to sort of step away from the conversation because I couldn't talk about what was happening and what was going to happen," Cash said in an interview with Collider. "I mean, let's be honest, 2020 was an incredibly intense year for many, many reasons with the pandemic but also with a racial reckoning in America, and I'm playing a white supremacist."
Still, despite the controversial nature of Stormfront and her direction as a character, Cash may be returning for the third season of Amazon Prime's superhero satire in a supporting role (via Entertainment Weekly). Of course, what this return will look like is hard to imagine, as the end of Season 2 sees Stormfront lose an eye and several limbs. However, rumors abound of a new group that supports her evil cause in the third season: the Stormchasers (via Vought International).
Whether Stormfront will return as a primary villain or simply pop in for a few more flashbacks remains to be seen.