| For alternate versions of Payback, see Payback's Organization Hub |
| “ | They'd been renamed, and I could tell from the picture that they weren't the same people under the masks.
―Greg Mallory on seeing Payback in the newspapers
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” |
Payback are supporting antagonists in the Dynamite Entertainment adult comic book series The Boys. They were a somewhat minor superhero team owned by defective arms dealer turned entertainment conglomerate Vought-American, who were considered second only to The Seven in terms of popularity and actual capability.
History[]
Team origin and initial roster[]
It was originally created as The Avenging Squad by Vought as a field trial for Supes in defense during the second world war, where the original team had been deployed to help out the Western front offensive campaign in the Ardennes region of Germany in 1944. This original team, alongside Greg Mallory's battalion, was wiped out in the initial moments of the Battle of the Bulge. Years later in 1950, they were reformed as Crimefighters Incorporated, with replacements bearing the same names and revealed to the public as crime fighters, making them the first of the celebrity Supes which would define Vought's business model going forward.
Decades later, the team had undergone at some another reboot, now known as Payback. At an unspecified juncture, new members have stepped into the roles with the same (or at least similar) codenames costumes, and powersets as their predecessors: Crimson Countess, Eagle the Archer, Laddio, and Soldier Boy. Simultaneously, Buzzer, ManBot, and Steel Knight have been repurposed into Swatto, Mind-Droid, and Tek Knight, respectively. Joining their ranks is additional superhero, Stormfront. Leadership of the team is contested between Soldier Boy and Stormfront, who often argue over it.
Team changes[]
Prior to the occurrences depicted in the comics, Payback had already gone through changes in its initial roster: the initial Laddio departed from the team and underwent a rebranding into SwingWing; Eagle the Archer died before the events of The Boys: Herogasm; and Tek Knight faced suspension from the team due to an attempted sexual assault on Mind-Droid. It seems that his current sidekick, the second Laddio, has also distanced himself from the team.
Clash with The Boys and demise[]
It is revealed in Herogasm that every remaining member of Payback has secretly been trying to join The Seven behind each other's backs. Exploiting this ambition, a Vought-American representative asks them to attack The Boys. The ensuing clash ends disastrously for Payback, with every member either fatally injured or severely harmed, mainly by Butcher.
Trivia[]
- Its members also mirror those of the Avengers, with Soldier Boy as Captain America, Tek Knight as Iron Man, Stormfront as Thor, Crimson Countess as Scarlet Witch, Mind-Droid as Vision, Swatto as Ant-Man, and Eagle the Archer parodying Hawkeye.