The characters, who have actually become the show’s brightest stars, are one of the many reasons why The Boys has become such a great program. There are generally one or more characters who turn out to be a joy to watch, whether it is The Boys, The Seven, or anything in between, and Mother’s Milk is no exception. He is a fantastic character that always brings something new to every situation he is in.
However, there are a number of unanswered questions about this figure that must be addressed. Marvin T. Milk, created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, is known as Mother’s Milk for a dark, frightening cause. While the program pays respect to the source content, it alters the text-to-screen representation in numerous ways.
While the comics provide solid evidence for this, the show departs from the source material when it comes to Marvin’s origin tale. Because the comic book is so dark, unpleasant, and frequently too unsettling for television, the program can not simply adapt the text. Despite this, the series maintains true to Ennis’ work’s heart and soul and gets fairly close to the comics. The stories and character interactions are both surprising, complex, and terrifying.
The Becoming of Mother’s Milk
Mother’s Milk was one of The Boys’ founding members. He was a close buddy of Billy Butcher’s, and he earned the respect and affection of Wee Hughie. He quit the squad to care for his daughter, whose mother was a drug addict, but he returned later. The man who became known as Mother’s Milk was born into an impoverished Harlem household. Because he was born with the super-chemical Compound V in his blood, he was a one-of-a-kind baby.
His mother worked at a Vought-American facility that had previously been utilized as a laboratory for testing the chemical, which had had a severe impact on all female employees who came into contact with it. Mother’s Milk’s sibling was born intellectually impaired as a result of these difficulties and eventually died of Compound V-related complications. Mother’s Milk’s father fought Vought American in the courts for years, and although winning one case, he died while working on a follow-up lawsuit.
Mother’s Milk chose to join the army and joined the Army boxing squad. His Compound V-derived abilities awakened unexpectedly during the Army heavyweight championship, and he accidentally punched off his opponent’s head. He was confronted by Billy Butcher and Mallory with an opportunity to join the Boys while being held captive by the military, which he accepted. Butcher’s second-in-command, Mother’s Milk, was named the “glue” that had the squad together by Butcher.
The mysterious moniker Mother’s Milk was given to him because the Compound V in his body compelled him to continue nursing his mother at an unusually advanced age, potentially even until now. His mother tried to wean him several times as a youngster, but he became worse and weaker each time until his heart stopped the final time she tried.
Mother’s Milk, according to his father’s lessons, is an outstanding investigator, and it is via this expertise that he mostly supports the Boys. He also has trouble maintaining a relationship with his daughter Janine, but at the conclusion of the comic, the two are able to restore their bond. Unfortunately, the Boys quickly learn that Butcher intends to kill everyone who has ever been exposed to Compound V, and they set out to stop him.
Mother’s Milk has an essential dialogue, that is, “Yeah. An’ look, we were into some bad shit even before what happened with Mallory, an’ I gotta tell you: I am about a million times happier with all that behind me. I think if I am gonna make a difference, I’m more comfortable doin’ it on a smaller scale.”
Mother’s Milk requires his mother’s breast milk to survive – and, as you can see, it’s played for laughs at first. Still, as Mother’s story progresses, we see that this is essentially an exploration of just how messed up Vought American (the company that is the main villain of The Boys and the company that is behind almost all of the world’s superpowered people) is, and just how complex the world can be, especially on a man like Mother’s Milk’father, who devotes his life to making Vought American pay for what they did to his kids.
Meanwhile, darkly humorous moments appear out of nowhere (though Ennis does a wonderful job of not making these unexpected happenings seem completely random – he carefully leads the tale in the appropriate direction, so there’s always a foundation before the disclosures).
Ennis brilliantly captures the situation of The Boys’ world in a courtroom scene in one line, given by a team of attorneys who had just technically lost. It perfectly encapsulates the reason for The Boys’ existence: there is a group of individuals who believe they control the world, and in many respects, they do; therefore, having a group of people they do not control is critical, and that is where The Boys come in. It’s always wonderful when Ennis illustrates that these characters have a purpose other than “hitting up superheroes.”
While Robertson’s artwork is excellent, I’m surprised he returned for this second installment. This one seemed to be more suited for a fill-in artist, but I assume he wanted to be present for the genesis of the characters he developed with Ennis.
What Makes other’s Milk so Powerful
Mothers Milk, unlike the other members of the Boys, was born with Compound V already present in his biological system.
Mother’s Milk is a brilliant woman, according to Butcher, who also claims to be a multi-talented individual. As an impromptu audience, he contacted the fire department to report a bogus gas leak so Black Noir couldn’t approach Butcher while they planned traps for the assassin.
Mother’s Milk is a good investigator, and he tracked down A-cache Train’s of Compound V after discovering that Popclaw also used it. Billy Butcher tasked him with tracking out the source of the V that A-Train was running undercover. He used his contacts to assist The Boys in finding The Female.
When he was in the Marine Corps, Mother’s Milk was trained as a combat field medic, as evidenced by his removal of a bullet from a man. He demonstrated to Kimiko how to break Hughie’s arm neatly without inflicting serious injury. Mesmer’s broken wrist and Hughie’s gash wound were treated, and epinephrine was readied for use against A-Train.
Mother’s Milk is multilingual, speaking Tagalog well and utilizing it to interact with a salon worker while on the lookout for the Female.
Mother’s Milk is a trained hand-to-hand combatant and a former Marine. He was willing to fight Frenchie, who was brandishing a knife at the moment and afterward battled him in the mall. He was powerful enough to punch Hughie’s retainer out and threatened to break Mesmer’s other wrist. Later, he stopped Hughie from attacking Butcher, confronted Butcher, and stopped Frenchie from hitting Lamplighter. During a phone conversation with Monique, he noted that one of his responsibilities as a counselor in a juvenile detention center is to break up yard fights.
Mother’s Milk has experience with guns as a former Marine. With a pistol, he was able to shoot Black Noir many times, but it wasn’t enough to stop him. He also tried to kill Stormfront with a shotgun, but he couldn’t because of her superhuman strength. Mother’s Milk is well-liked by his fellow convicts. He rapidly resolved a ping pong argument and halted a brawl by threatening to leave his office.
Mother’s Milk was able to penetrate the building where The Female was being held silently.
Mother’s Milk is the one member of the Boys with a vengeance who has preserved his compassion the longest. Milk is kind, supportive, and protective of his family and friends, even though his father pushed himself to death trying to sue Vought and Milk wants to avenge him. Milk, like Frenchie, watches after the ones he loves. Even though he can’t visit his daughter and wife once The Boys become wanted fugitives, Milk still exhibits enormous concern for them. Butcher decides to leave Hughie behind after ramming through a whale, leaving him paralyzed in disbelief. Milk claims that Butcher requires his “Canary” and that he is the only one who will return to Hughie and remain with him until he heals.
On the other hand, Milk may be as vengeful as the rest of The Boys. He constantly accuses Frenchie of releasing Kimiko and holds him responsible for all of the individuals she killed once she fled her confinement. When The Boys are reunited, Milk brings up the incident of Mallory’s grandkids being burnt, accusing Frenchie of being the lone perpetrator. Milk feels it was Frenchie’s responsibility to keep an eye on Lamplighter, but Mallory’s grandkids were burnt by allowing Lamplighter to flee. On the other hand, Milk demonstrates his ability to grow and change when he apologizes to Frenchie after learning the truth about why Lamplighter escaped.
When Butcher shows up at the detention facility where Milk works in Get Some, Milk tries to convey that he’s moved on and does not seek vengeance as Butcher and Hughie want. He also compares his wrath to a disease that his father handed on to him and that if he isn’t cautious, he will pass it down to his daughter. Milk still has that “sickness” inside of him, even if he doesn’t want to accept it, and he knows the only treatment is triumph or death.
Things About Mother’s Milk The Show Did Not Explain But Should Have
Mother’s Milk is a somewhat grounded figure in comparison to many of the other characters. He is a family man who is concerned about his friends and the pursuit of justice. But when the program delves more into his character, there are a few aspects of Mother’s Milk that don’t fit up.
Even among the heroic identities, Mother’s Milk strikes out as a unique moniker. Mother’s Milk humorously informs Hughie it was the name his mother gave him when he was born when they first met. Marvin Milk is eventually revealed to be his true name.
The comics on which the series is based, on the other hand, disclose a lot more meaning behind the term. Mother’s Milk was found to have compound-V in his blood when he was born. Due to his odd condition, he was obliged to nurse until he was far into adulthood.
Music has always played an essential role in the series, and it is apparent that Mother’s Milk has a distinct musical taste. He is shown sporting t-shirts with Run DMC, Public Enemy, and Wu-Tang Clan on them throughout the series.
This demonstrates his obvious fondness for rap from the 1980s and 1990s. However, when viewers first hear his ringtone in the show, it is Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.” This appears to be in direct opposition to his other musical preferences.
Butcher pays a visit to Mother’s Milk after enlisting Hughie and Frenchie to his squad, hoping to persuade him to return to his previous position. Mother’s Milk declines since he is content in his new position as a correctional officer at a juvenile detention institution.
He is so opposed to the concept that he refuses to even speak to Butcher about it. He appears to be the one who has managed to get on with his life the best of all the others. Despite having an excellent career, a secure family life, and having removed himself from the dangers of his previous work, a two-minute talk with Butcher has him discarding all of that and altering his mind.
If Mother’s Milk wants to return to the squad, one of the conditions he must meet is that Frenchie must not be a part of it. Butcher assures him he hasn’t talked to Frenchie, only for Mother’s Milk to discover he’s lying when he rejoins the squad.
The hatred between Mother’s Milk and Frenchie is so intense that they fight right away and appear to want to murder one other. Butcher comes to a halt and informs them that they have a duty to complete. For some reason, it was all these two needed to hear, and they were instantly ready to collaborate.
Mother’s Milk enlists the services of Mesmer, a washed-up supe who can read people’s minds to learn more about Kimiko and where she comes from. Not only is Mother’s it a little stupid of Mother’s Milk to disclose himself to a supe, but what he has to give appears unattainable.
Mother’s Milk gives Mesmer visitation privileges with his estranged daughter in exchange for his assistance. How did Mother’s Milk pull it off when they weren’t working for any government then?
Unlike his comrades, Mother’s Milk has a family to defend, and his wife naturally disapproves of his previous employment with Butcher. As a result, Mother’s Milk deceives her, telling her that he is still working at his former position.
To begin with, it seems doubtful that his wife will be unaware that he has gone from a reasonably routine career to one that requires him to travel for days at a time. It also raises the question of how he will support himself if he quits his other employment.
Butcher’s easy pep talk eventually wears off, and Mother’s Milk continues to squabble with Frenchie. It revolves around the murder of their former employer, Mallory’s grandchildren, by the superhero Lamplighter.
Mother’s Milk holds Frenchie responsible for what occurred because he was supposed to be babysitting Lamplighter. However, he confronts him about it as they are looking for Kimiko in the middle of a crowded metro station. He seemed to understand what a poor moment it was to bring up that subject.
While most of the supes in the show are selfish or even murderous, Starlight is one of the few who is actually kind. Mother’s Milk, like the rest of the squad, has reservations about trusting any supe.
There is a lot of tension in the air as Hughie takes Starlight on a road trip with Mother’s Milk. Mother’s Milk chooses to open up to Starlight about his father when they stop for donuts along the route, revealing her things he didn’t even tell his friends. What was the source of that newfound trust?
Mother’s Milk stays with the crew for just long enough after his identity is revealed in the program’s first season so he may safely return to his family. Throughout Season 2, he laments to Butcher about how important it is for him to be with his family and how it is all he cares about.
In season 2, however, Mallory gives Mother’s Milk the chance to start a new life with his family. He claims, however, that he will join them after the task is over. All that mattered a few episodes ago was reuniting with his family, and today, when offered the opportunity, he ignores it without hesitation.
Mother’s Milk’s apparent OCD, which other characters noted, is one of the unique features that makes him such an entertaining character. This appears to be the case towards the start of Season 2 when he is seen to be obsessed with hand sanitizer and takes wet wipes with him everywhere.
Not only does this appear out of nowhere, but it also appears to be inconsistent. Mother’s Milk is careful to wash his hands after going to a coffee shop, but being covered in blood and sitting inside a whale doesn’t bother him.
In the comics, Mother’s Milk pledges to fight Vought since his disabled brother died as a result of an accidental Compound V dosage, and his father died later as a result of his grief.
Meanwhile, Mother’s Milk is a member of The Boys in the show because his father stood for justice? It just sounds so feeble in comparison to his counterpart in the comics. That said, his father worked himself to death over a Vought dispute, so there’s that at the very least.
Mother’s Milk has conspired to assassinate a number of Supes and has been assisting a man whose face was shown on national television, thereby making him America’s most wanted man.
Would it indeed be that simple for these folks to start over and forget about their previous mistakes? Because that’s a little too perfect for a lot of folks.
Milk has mentioned his history as a Marine or a Medic several times during the series. This would indicate that he performs a hybrid duty similar to that of a Marine Medic, which would be fantastic if it weren’t impossible.
Milk should have been either a Marine or a Medic, yet it’s still unknown which duty he played.
While Butcher is the official leader of The Boys, Mother’s Milk acts as the voice of reason and plots out the majority of what the group sets out to do, even acting as Butcher’s voice of reason at times.
So, would The Boys be utterly dysfunctional if this one man wasn’t there to reason with them?
Mother’s Milk plays a crucial part in the investigation of Supe-terrorist Kenji Miyashiro by detecting his physical attributes and strange apparel in blurry surveillance footage.
While this is an amusing moment for the character, it is surprising how he was able to figure out anything from such a poor film, especially because he couldn’t see the person’s face clearly!
While this may seem like a minor thing, it’s unusual that Mother’s Milk has a default ringtone for everyone, saved like a specific ringtone for his wife (Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”) and, unexpectedly, for Butcher (Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner).
While the ringtone for his wife is comprehensible, it’s tough to comprehend why Butcher is so unique that he deserves his own ringtone.
For the longest time, Mother’s Milk has been attempting to persuade his wife that he is doing something absolutely legal and not blowing things up with The Boys, but it’s not like he succeeds.
It was only a matter of time until she discovered the truth, which she did. However, it took her a long time, and someone who knew her husband so well should have known exactly what this person was up to.
The Dark And Twisted Mother’s Milk
Milk had a cause for leaving Butcher and The Boys. Now he has terrific work where he can make a difference in the lives of troubled children, and he has a lovely home with Monique, the joy of his life. Butcher maintains that he can’t win the battle on Supes without Milk’s systematic, detail-oriented intellect. And if Milk is being honest, he misses the action; but he is concerned that Butcher’s win-at-all-costs pursuit of Homelander would endanger lives, particularly those of Milk’s loved ones.