The Deep & Black Noir’s Sibling-Like Rivalry In The Boys Season 5 Explained By Chace Crawford

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The close friendship between Deep and Black Noir seems to be over, as their conflict came to a head in the fifth episode of The Boys’ fifth season.

The latest season of the popular Prime Video show started with a funny storyline involving a podcast about online male communities, where the character Noir pretended he couldn’t speak by only using buttons to communicate. However, episode 3 dramatically changed things. The Deep unexpectedly took credit for capturing Stan Edgar, impressing Homelander and overshadowing Noir, who was left feeling unimportant.

When Noir felt betrayed by Deep, he responded with minor acts of defiance, like arguing on their podcast and publicly confronting Deep in front of their mutual friend. However, things escalated dramatically when, by the end of the storyline, Deep had Noir’s director killed. This destroyed their previously playful friendship. In a recent interview with ScreenRant, actor Crawford explained the reasons behind Deep’s growing hostility.

Homelander Is At The Root Of The Deep’s Noir Insecurities

Deep and Noir have a competitive relationship that Crawford compares to siblings, with Homelander acting as a dominant, father-like figure to both of them.

Chace Crawford believes his character, Deep, struggles with close friendships. He explains that whenever Deep gets close to someone, it turns into a competitive, almost sibling-like dynamic, leading to conflict and ultimately hurting those he cares about.

He’s really annoyed by Black Noir! They’ve developed a close, almost sibling-like relationship working together on the podcast, but it seems like he can’t even tolerate being around him. They’re both subtly trying to get under each other’s skin, and I think it’s building up to a major confrontation.

The conflict between Deep and Noir feels like a typical sibling rivalry, as Crawford points out, with Homelander acting as a father figure to both of them. Despite being more powerful than ever in season 5 of The Boys – believing himself to be a god – Homelander is increasingly isolated from his team and desperately seeks approval.

He doesn’t need Deep’s approval, seeing him as inferior and leaving Deep to compete for whatever attention Homelander might spare. Crawford then elaborated on this dynamic with enthusiasm.

Deep is really trying to stay in the good graces of the Seven, and he’s been doing so for the last three seasons. He’s basically trying to please Homelander and get on his good side, all to maintain his comfortable lifestyle and avoid losing it.

Homelander’s difficult relationship with his father is a surprisingly painful issue, and it’s left Deep feeling isolated as the season goes on. As Crawford noted, watching them together must be unsettling for those who constantly try to please Homelander. It’s not necessarily right or clear, but Homelander seems to treat his followers the way he was treated by his own father – like family.

Okay, so watching Homelander practically fawn over Soldier Boy was just… unsettling. It really threw me, because you get the sense Homelander had this whole image of Soldier Boy in his head, and seeing him reduced to basically a fanboy was a huge crack in his perfect facade. Honestly, it was a little frightening to see that vulnerability, and how easily his carefully constructed persona could be shaken.

Even though Noir seems badly beaten after the fifth episode of The Boys season 5, the conflict between him and the Deep is probably not over. There’s still time for them to either make peace or escalate their fighting in the last three episodes, and a lot more of their story could still unfold.

Check out our other The Boys season 5 coverage here:

  • Antony Starr & Jessie T. Usher
  • Jack Quaid & Karl Urban
  • Eric Kripke, Karen Fukuhara & Erin Moriarty
  • Valorie Curry

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2026-05-02 21:29