The Boys’ startling spoof of Stan Lee, The Legend, has always been there, but a recent statement from co-creator Garth Ennis shows how much worse their homage is.

The Boys, a superhero satire television series, gained notoriety for its lewd spoof of comic book legend Stan Lee. The Legend, Billy Butcher’s informant, caused a stir when he ridiculed Lee’s corporate approach. However, a recent declaration from a co-creator of the comic has just increased the offensiveness of this extravagant caricature.

Writer and co-creator of The Boys Garth Ennis spoke with CBR about his upcoming Marvel MAX book, Get Fury. In the conversation, Ennis talks about creating the original Nick Fury and the creative flexibility Marvel Comics granted him with the Fury persona.

I do recall that old Fury series with some affection- at Marvel at that time there was a feeling that the lunatics had taken over the asylum, a real sense of “anything goes”. I just took the character to what I saw as his logical place in the world, ie. a complete lunatic in love with war. I know that among others Stan Lee didn’t like it, but never having read any of his comics that doesn’t mean as much to me as it might to some.

Reflecting on his last project, Born, Ennis says he believed he brought Nick Fury to a point that fit his persona. However, Ennis pointed out that Stan Lee wasn’t a fan of his story, among other things. However, Ennis was unfazed by the criticism because he had never read any of Stan Lee’s writing.

The Boys’ Stan Lee’s Parody Was A Huge Insult

The Boys parodied a wide range of topics in several dozen issues, including comic book events, famous heroes, and even specific moments in the Big Two’s past. However, the Legend was among the most well-known and scathing pieces of satire in the series. In the fictional reality, the Legend served as Editor-in-Chief and former writer for Victory Comics, the publishing division of Vought-American that made the legends of many Super Heroes in The Boys’ universe more widely known. However, the Legend mostly functioned as an obscene, crude parody of Stan Lee, ridiculing his shady financial dealings and depicting him as anything but a family man.

The Legend was no worse than any other character in The Boys, despite the fact that he was always portrayed as a lecherous, despicable person. By creating a character based on Lee that behaved in ways that ran counter to Stan’s more wholesome public persona, it was supposed that Ennis was just amusing himself. Considering that Ennis has penned multiple well-known stories for Marvel Comics, it’s absurd that he says he’s never read any Stan Lee stories. However, this absurd and out-of-the-blue remark would indicate that Ennis’ parody was intended as an open insult to Stan Lee rather than as a friendly jibe.

Garth Ennis’ The Boys Wasn’t Afraid of Skewering Stan Lee

While Stan Lee was known by many as an affable creator who helped shape the comic book industry, there are plenty of stories about his time as a businessman that don’t reflect well on the Marvel icon. When Ennis designed the Legend for The Boys, he wasn’t so much concerned about creating a flawed, but loving tribute. He just created a character that embodied the unseen side of Stan Lee. Out of everything Garth Ennis included in his story, the Legend still stands out as one of the most direct and unapologetic insults in The Boys.