How does each episode of The Boys Presents: Diabolical stack up against the others? Here's our ranking, from worst to best. With two seasons of successful super-powered shenanigans in the bag, Amazon is diversifying The Boys' brand in a manner Vought would surely be proud of, producing a roster of spinoffs to run alongside The Boys season 3, which releases June 3, 2022. Up first comes The Boys: Diabolical - an animated anthology containing eight episodes, all entirely standalone but connected to The Boys' wider mythology.
Each story has been crafted by a different creative team and, given the names involved, it comes as no surprise that every The Boys: Diabolical episode offers something of value, ensuring there are no real stinkers (figuratively speaking, at least). Given how The Boys: Diabolical's eight episodes look and feel so diverse, ranking them feels even more subjective than it would be for a conventional series. The point of The Boys: Diabolical is providing something for everyone - whether that be talking poop or comic book homages - and such variety is arguably why the spinoff has attracted largely positive reviews.
Nevertheless, taking into account story quality, animation, performances, characters, and how the episode expands upon The Boys' existing world, here's every episode of The Boys: Diabolical ranked from worst (or "least strongest" in this instance) to best.
Few The Boys: Diabolical episodes wear the "love it or hate it" tag quite as proudly as Awkwafina's "BFFs." Bright, fun and gross, "BFFs" makes precisely zero attempt to be something it isn't, and features a hilarious cameo from Chace Crawford as The Deep. The youthful anime-inspired visuals contrast nicely with the mature source material, and there's a lesson to be learned about the true meaning of friendship, or something... Voicing Sky, Awkwafina makes for an endearing lead protagonist, but the episode's humor is perhaps best described as "poop-reliant." No one is above a good fecal gag, but "BFFs" takes the personal challenge to cram as many into 13-ish minutes as possible. For some, that's no bad thing, and The Boys: Diabolical succeeds as a whole by not taking itself too seriously. Even so, "BFFs" visits that comedic well (bowl?) until there's nothing but porcelain, placing one too many turdles in the way of enjoyment.
Justin Roiland brings Rick & Morty's sitcom stylings to The Boys, with "An Animated Short Where Pissed-Off Supes Kill Their Parents" - an episode few would deny introduces the most compellingly hilarious bunch of fresh, boob-covered faces to the franchise. Boasting a story as straightforward as its title, disgruntled young Compound-V subjects find increasingly gory and inventive ways to kill their parents in revenge for abandonment. As a string of cartoon executions, "An Animated Short..." scratches that gory itch we've been feeling ever since The Boys season 2 ended, while The Narrator provides a laugh-out-loud moment unmatched across the entire spinoff. Though Roiland serves up an entertaining blend of blood and giggles, the murder spree suffers from the same one-note limitation as The Boys: Diabolical's "BFFs." It's a good note, but other episodes squeeze more into their minutes.
Despite carrying by far the flimsiest link to The Boys, "Boyd In 3D" proves exactly why hitting an eclectic range of visual styles was such as good idea. The beautiful European animation helps wring every drop of emotion from this tale of two lovers whose social media insecurities drive a wedge between them, propelling Boyd and Cherry toward a genuinely emotional and touching endeavor that drops a classic The Boys twist at the very end. The anti-vanity message, as astute as it may be, won't necessarily resonate with everyone - "Boyd In 3D" occasionally comes across patronizing rather than insightful, and Vought's face-changing moisturizer could exist in any number of fictional universes without a drop of Compound-V in sight. An explosive cameo from Colby Minifie's Ashley and an unashamedly dark tone keep "Boyd In 3D" on the right side of The Boys: Diabolical's tonal track.
Pure, good-time Looney Tunes fun, "Laser Baby's Day Out" is the perfect palette-cleanser for superhero fatigue. The Merrie Melodies cartoon creations are lovingly, authentically recreated, then relying on facial expressions, noises and music for narrative context amplifies the nostalgia for Bugs Bunny and co. Of course, "Laser Baby's Day Out" doesn't toe the Looney line completely, delivering beheadings aplenty and gore galore, all wrapped in a sweet and heartfelt relationship (which feels surprisingly well-established considering the tot-sized episode length) between a Vought researcher and his young test subject. Superbrain is the villain The Boys season 3 could've had, and a few cunningly-inserted Easter eggs ensure this largely unrelated episode never strays far from The Boys' spirit.
And speaking of not straying far from The Boys, "One Plus One Equals Two" tells the story of Homelander's very first mission, representing the one Diabolical contribution tied directly to the main narrative. Without any distinctive brand of animation, genre or humor, "One Plus One Equals Two" relies on connections to Amazon's larger narrative for its punch - but that proves more than enough. Witnessing Homelander as a hero trying to do good but failing spectacularly by being woefully incompetent stands in stark contrast to the evil, corrupt Homelander audiences are used to. Arguably even better is the extra helping of Black Noir - a character The Boys has played close to its chest in live-action. Watching the shadowy supe cover for Homelander explains a lot about their onscreen relationship. Throw impressive, anime-esque action and a few "jaw-dropping" surprises into the pot, and "One Plus One Equals Two" is a must-watch for The Boys fans.
Aisha Tyler's "Nubian Vs Nubian" takes a background character from The Boys season 1 (Nubian Prince) and a minor figure from the original comics (Nubia) and crafts a grounded, funny short containing the best action The Boys: Diabolical has to offer, perfectly complimenting the tone of the main series. Flying anime-style battle moves and marital misery are just the tip of the "Nubian Vs Nubian" appeal, thanks to an inspired The Boys debut from Wolverine parody, Ground Hawk, who steals the episode if not the entire spinoff. Arguably, the whole purpose of The Boys: Diabolical was taking small moments from Amazon's established universe and growing them into fully fleshed-out stories. "Nubian Vs Nubian" achieves that and then some, fueled by two excellently effortless performances from Don Cheadle and Tyler herself.
There's an unashamed joy in seeing Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's The Boys comic panels spring to life in glorious animation; "I'm Your Pusher" will have longtime fans reaching for their comic collections, and TV-only viewers heading to their local store. Bringing original versions of Billy Butcher and Wee Hughie to life, rapidly followed by Homelander, Queen Maeve and abandoned Seven hero, Jack From Jupiter, the tale (written by Ennis himself) brings The Boys back to its roots by adapting the kind of supe-spanking misadventure Butcher's TV gang don't often indulge in. As a dip into the murky world of Vought parties, drug-addled supes, and Seven corruption, "I'm Your Pusher" is a true love letter to The Boys' past, whilst also teasing its Herogasm-shaped future in The Boys season 3.
When Andy Samberg was confirmed among The Boys: Diabolical's writing roster, many suspected his contribution would be an irreverent, slightly juvenile comedy, rather than a devastating tale of an aging janitor whose wife is enduring terminal cancer. John's desperate efforts to cure Sun-Hee with Compound-V end in predictably tragic fashion, conjuring emotions The Boys' audience won't necessarily be used to feeling from the franchise's live-action fare. Gorgeous two-tone animation combines Korean horror with influences from Akira and a dash of Studio Ghibli, while the bond between husband and wife plucks the heartstrings as keenly as anything in The Boys canon. Whereas most episodes of The Boys Presents: Diabolical either compliment the main show or use it as a base for something entirely new, "John & Sun-Hee" transcends the superhero genre entirely.
