'The Boys' Fans Have Some Interesting Theories as to Why Black Noir Can't Talk Again

Black Noir has been a fan favorite since he was first introduced in The Boys. As one of the most formidable of superheroes, Noir is mysterious, powerful, and oddly lovable once you get to know him. That's why fans were so devastated when Homelander killed Noir in Season 3. Of course, he was replaced in Season 4 by Black Noir 2 (aka Fake Noir) so the public wouldn't know that The Seven were down a number. However, viewers certainly felt the difference.

The main distinction between the real Noir and the Noir from Season 4 is that the original Black Noir couldn't speak. Instead, he communicated via body language and writing things down. New Noir, though, can speak perfectly fine, although he doesn't do so when in public so as to keep the image of him being the same Noir. So far, in Season 5, Noir hasn't uttered a word, even though he was quite chatty last season. Naturally, fans are asking why he suddenly can't talk again.

According to Noir's closest friend from The Seven, The Deep, Noir has gone silent due to method acting in order to better portray the real Noir to the public. However, we're not too convinced of that. Given how big a deal the show is making of stressing that Noir has gone silent again, the real reason is likely much deeper than Deep's explanation.

It's also implied that he's been scared silent, as everyone's stress levels are up as Homelander descends further into madness. Again, if that were the case, the script wouldn't be focusing so heavily on Noir's silence over anyone else's. It's also worth noting that we haven't seen Noir without his mask this season at all. Furthermore, he seems to be absent from the rest of the Seven quite often. It definitely seems that the show is hinting at something bigger than just some fear here.

One popular fan theory is that Noir truly can't speak anymore because Homelander ripped out his tongue. It certainly sounds like something the Supe would do, and Homelander had previously mentioned that he preferred Original Noir over the new one, because the first one didn't speak. The only problem with that theory is that The Boys has never shied away from graphic violence, so why would that one gory scene happen off-screen?

Another theory is that this is actually a third Black Noir who killed Fake Noir and took his place. This seems to be far more likely. A lot of people would love to get close to The Seven, especially to Homelander, and act as a spy/assassin. We know that some Supes' powers are only temporary and require a recharge of sorts on a regular basis. Perhaps that's why Noir keeps leaving — whoever is impersonating him needs to refresh their ability to do so.

It's also worth noting that, so far, in Season 5, Noir has not flown nor has he fallen asleep — both of which were major elements of Noir 2's character in Season 4. This further adds to the theory that we may be dealing with another Noir altogether, and this isn't the same Black Noir from last season.

An additional popular fan theory, which piggybacks off the latter one, is that Noir 2 is actually the original Black Noir. Maybe he isn't really dead, and he replaced Fake Noir and is now waiting for an opportunity to get revenge on Homelander.

Another belief around this being a potential Third Noir is that he's a Homelander clone set in place to kill him, which is Noir's purpose in the original The Boys comics. The idea being that only Homelander can kill Homelander, so Vought made a clone as a fail-safe.

The only problem with all versions of the Third Noir theory is that Homelander has X-ray vision and would be able to see through the mask. Perhaps the villain is in on it, and he had Noir replaced for his own — unknown —purposes? We're not really sure, but given that this is the final season of The Boys, we'll most certainly find out soon!