The Boys' Subtlest Comic Reference Exposes Compound V's Surprising Inspiration

Screen Rant

With 1 subtle reference buried within the origin story of the Boys' most brutal member, the true inspiration behind Compound V is seemingly revealed.

Compound V in The Boys is seemingly inspired by Asterix the Gaul, a French comic from the '60s, where a character gains superhuman strength from a potion.
The origin story of The Boys' Female mirrors that of Asterix, with her accidentally consuming a synthetic version of Compound V.
The connection is further solidified by the fact that the scientist who created the synthetic Compound V shares a name with the co-creator of Asterix, Albert Uderzo.