Warning: Spoilers ahead for “The Boys” Season 5, Episode 6 — “Though the Heavens Fall”
Fans of “The Boys” will recall the tantalizing hint at the end of Season 4 where Ashley Barrett, played by Colby Minifie, took Compound V, suggesting a transformation into something far more sinister. Season 5 finally unveils the nature of her superpower: a psychic tumor located on the back of her head. Episode 6, “Though the Heavens Fall,” explores the consequences when this tumor takes control, offering a nod to the modern horror masterpiece “Malignant.”
Earlier in the season, Ashley’s encounter with the astute Sister Sage, portrayed by Susan Heyward, sets the stage for this development. In Episode 5, “One-Shots,” Ashley learns of Sage’s apocalyptic vision—a world torn apart by a brutal human-supe war, granting her the peace to indulge in her reading. Ashley is understandably hesitant about Sage’s plan to tap into Soldier Boy’s mind, played by Jensen Ackles. However, Sage, undeterred, renders Ashley unconscious with chloroform, allowing the tumor to assume control.
With Ashley incapacitated, her body, directed by the tumor, collaborates with Sage. This transformation results in movements eerily reminiscent of the villain Gabriel from “Malignant.” In the horror film, Gabriel is a parasitic twin controlling Madison Mitchell’s body, portrayed by Annabelle Wallis, from his position at the back of her head, resulting in Madison’s unwitting involvement in a series of murders.
The climax of “Malignant” reveals Madison’s shocking reality: the murder visions she experiences are real, as Gabriel commandeers her body to commit these acts. Born as a deformed twin attached to her back, Gabriel shares her brain, rendering surgical separation impossible. Occasionally, he emerges from Madison’s head to exert his influence, mirroring Ashley’s tumor’s grip on her.
When Gabriel takes over, his unsettling visage emerges, controlling Madison’s body in a backwards, disjointed manner that mirrors the movements of Ashley’s tumor-driven actions in “The Boys.” This chilling parallel crafts a compelling horror narrative, blending elements of psychological and physical control with eerie precision.
The Boys pokes fun at the big twist in Malignant
Warner Bros.
As the ending of “Malignant” reveals, Madison has been suffering from murder visions throughout the movie for a reason: She’s actually been committing said murders herself. Well, her body has. She has a parasitic twin called Gabriel, born attached to the back of her body as a malformed, twisted thing. Since the two share a brain, not everything about Gabriel could be removed by surgery — and the malignant twin occasionally gains control of Madison’s body to commit atrocities.
When Gabriel is in charge, his malformed face emerges from the back of Madison’s head, creating an effect not unlike Ashley’s psychic tumor. Since he’s looking at the world from that particular angle, Gabriel gets around by operating Madison’s body in a reverse or back-to-front manner, just like Ashley’s tumor does on “The Boys.” This gives Gabriel his unnerving horror villain movements.
In true “The Boys” fashion, “Though the Heavens Fall” both pays tribute to and pokes fun at the “Malignant” villain reveal. While the psychic tumor does control Ashley’s body like Gabriel, her movements are considerably more awkward, and she finds it amusingly tricky to control the body. The “Malignant” reference is pretty obvious, and it’s fun to see “The Boys” nod at yet another genre work so soon after taking a hilarious shot at HBO’s “The Last of Us.”
“The Boys” Season 5 is streaming on Prime Video.
