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Season 4 of The Boys has begun (with a bang!) on Amazon Prime, but a notable absentee is Giancarlo Esposito’s Stanford Edgar. So, where is he?
Edgar was the show’s main villain for the first two seasons and a significant one in the third. His role as the CEO of Vought International — the company responsible for producing Compound V, managing the worldwide population of superpowered individuals, and founding The Seven — saw him craft a ruthless, apathetic, bossy, no-nonsense, and imposing, but impressively practical, personality and methodology.
His most intriguing and complex relationship in The Boys was with Homelander. Despite considering the homicidal “Supe” to be a friend, he’s one of the few characters willing to call him out — and one of an even smaller minority who shows no fear of The Seven’s leader when he’s angry. In fact, Edgar’s willingness to insult Homelander by calling him an “arrogant man-child” is up there with the show’s boldest moves.
Esposito told GQ in 2023 that his character isn’t afraid of Homelander because he “realizes that Homelander’s just a big kid and that he never got the validation that he needed from his father.” He explained that Homelander “needs to be validated by another man who says, yeah, you’re powerful and good and all that. In return for that, Stan also feels like he’s holding onto his power. He’s able to control this loose cannon where no one else can.” It’s such a fascinating dynamic.
But why isn’t Edgar part of season 4? Esposito’s typically tremendous performance as the character was one of the primary reasons to watch it, so it’s sad he’s no longer appearing.
Where did Stan Edgar go in The Boys?
During season 3 of The Boys, Stan Edgar recognized that Homelander’s behavior was damaging The Seven’s image and reputation. He made the more wholesome Starlight the team’s co-captain and issued Homelander with several fines to teach him a lesson.
The final part of his plan involved conspiring with Victoria Neuman — a congresswoman, the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs’ founding director, and his adoptive daughter — to hold a press conference denouncing Homelander’s behavior and telling the world he could no longer do whatever he pleased.
However, having done some colluding of her own with Homelander, Neuman betrayed Edgar by announcing that The Seven’s leader had come forward as a whistleblower about crimes committed by her adoptive father.
A shocked Edgar was forced to take a leave of absence from Vought before the company officially announced they were severing ties with him. He is now considered retired.
Whether the character returns to the show remains to be seen. However, in a 2004 chat with GQ UK, Esposito said of The Boys, “This is a show I never want to leave because I just love the swagger of Stan Edgar. He’s a company man, but he’s not a company man like you’ve seen before. He is the company.” He even said he wants his character to get some superpowers, saying, “I want Stan Edgar to get some V, man. Give me some temporary V so I can be a badass and f*** ’em all up. Come on, I want that temporary V, baby. I wanna get in the action.”
It’s good to know Esposito is open to a return — and seeing his character with superpowers would undoubtedly be awesome. For now, however, he’s nowhere to be seen.
Season 4 of The Boys is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.