Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Boys season 4, episode 6. If you've yet to tune in, and don't want to know anything that happens, turn back now!
With two new recruits joining The Seven, Victoria Neuman's kid showcasing her tentacle powers, and cameos from a few of the Gen V lot, there are more Supes in The Boys than ever. The most recent episode, season 4, episode 6, introduced another, too: the Spider-Man-esque Webweaver.
But who is he? If you've yet to watch the aforementioned spin-off and just assumed he first made an appearance in that, you'd be wrong. Unfortunately for him, Webweaver isn't around long enough for us to really learn who he is in 'Dirty Business' either, though he does have a bigger presence in Garth Ennis' and Darick Robertson's graphic novels, which gives us some more insight. In fact, he's kind of responsible for the creation of The Boys themselves...
We delve into that below, as well as the differences between the comic book and small screen counterparts. So, keep scrolling to find out more about Webweaver.
Who is Webweaver?
In the show, MM (Laz Alonso), Annie (Erin Moriarty), and Hughie (Jack Quaid) pay a visit to Webweaver (Dan Mousseau), whose real name is Patrick Whitehall, after they learn he's been invited to Tek Knight's super-exclusive Federalist Society party. Turns out, Webweaver is a drug addict, who has a penchant for heroin-laced enemas, so to subdue him, MM, who'd been striking up somewhat of an alliance with him, winds up dosing the guy in ways he'd rather not talk about. (In short, hand sanitizer was required).
With Webweaver knocked out, Hughie dons his costume and makes his way to the Knight's swanky mansion, but he and the rest of the team get way more than they bargained for when they arrive. Tek IS a truth-sensing Supe, after all...
While episode 6 marks his first on-screen appearance, the character was namedropped in season 4's opener, when a television report announced that he'd been released from Vought's Global Wellness Center. He's also teased again in episode 3, with his likeness being used for one of Ryan's action figures, before being mentioned one more time in the follow-up episode, when MM says he bribed him to find out dirt on Firecracker (Valorie Curry).
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Much like in the comics, Webweaver's powers include the ability to generate webs – though his webs seem to come out of a hole at the bottom of his spine, as opposed to his wrists (like they do in the source material). He also has superhuman hearing, and feels pain whenever he's exposed to high frequencies.
It's been confirmed that Webweaver will show up again in season 4.
Webweaver's comic history
Interestingly, Webweaver is already dead in issue one of The Boys comics, having been killed by Billy Butcher and Greg Mallory (who's interpreted as former CIA director Grace Mallory in the show).
Unlike in the show, his true identity was unknown, as he tended to keep himself to himself, never joining any superhero team. He had a brief run-in with Vought, though, when the organization tried to plot a crossover between Payback, the group that the likes of Soldier, Crimson Countess, and Black Noir were a part of, and a bunch of Soviet Supes, who went by the name of Glorious Five Year Plan.
Webweaver was sent to talk to the latter team by Vought, and wound up getting close to Vasilii Vorishikin AKA Love Sausage.
In an effort to prove the CIA could operate a secret taskforce that could take down unruly Supes, Butcher and Mallory came for lone-wolf Webweaver with the help of anti-Supe ally The Legend. Webweaver's death leads to the government awarding Butcher the funds he needs to create The Boys.
To double down on the Spider-Man parody, he has a relative named Uncle Ben.
It's worth noting that he was only mentioned by name in the comics until fans got their first glimpse of him on the Comics Elite variant cover of 'The Boys: Dear Becky'. In the illustration, the character is seen being taken down by Hughie.
The Boys season 4 is streaming now on Prime Video right now. For more, check out The Boys season 4 release schedule, the best shows on Prime Video, or the rest of our deep-dive coverage:
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- The Boys' anti-Supe virus, explained
- Do I need to watch Gen V before The Boys season 4?
- Homelander's dark past, explained
- Who voices Ambrosius in The Boys season 4? The surprise big-name cameo, explained
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- Black Noir's surprise return, explained
- Is this surprise A-list appearance in The Boys season 4 the show's best cameo yet?
I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.