Last night I was watching The Boys. A show with a more realistic take of what the world would be like if superheroes were real. Instead of the usual black-and-white — heroes as pure good, villains as pure evil — this world is painted in shades of gray. Most in the darker shades.

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

For a show that aims for realism, one detail stood out as unrealistic: no one sweats. Anyone, including athletes, would be exhausted after sprinting a short distance. A-Train however never looks out of breath.

Suspension of disbelief is the act of temporarily accepting something as true, even if it's not, in order to enjoy a piece of fiction. This suspension can only go so far. Ask me to suspend too much and I snap back to reality, pulled out of the story. I'm already suspending a lot by accepting a world full of superheroes, why push it further? It would be easier to accept if these powers were exaggerations of human ability rather than magic. Enhance A-Train's speed but don't erase the consequences that come with it — like exhaustion and dehydration.

Imagine if he collapsed from fatigue after a sprint or if Homelander could only fly the distance of a marathon before needing to rest. They'd be more vulnerable, forced to strategise how and when to use their powers. This would make superhero teams feel more necessary — they'd have to rely on each other. Fights would be more like the Oldboy (2003) corridor scene where everyone is so exhausted they can barely stay upright. More real and darkly comedic.

Counter-argument

You could argue The Boys is about the impact of superheroes on society rather than the mechanics of their powers. Diving into the details of how their abilities work might slow the pace and distract from the story. It could also undermine the most important character, Homelander. Someone with absolute power. Free to do whatever he wants without consequence. Even so, I still want to see someone in a cape sweat.

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