Amazon’s The Boys finale sees showdown in Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, Oshawa and Toronto
Published July 8, 2022 at 9:44 pm
Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers up to the end of The Boys season three.
Amazon Prime’s brutally irrelevant superhero satire, The Boys, has wrapped its cacophonous third season featuring beatdowns and blow-ups throughout Mississauga, Hamilton and Toronto.
The series features a world of superheroes, but not of super-heroism. The so-called “Supes” of The Boys are narcissistic, hedonists more concerned with public image than saving lives.
The most absolutely powerful and absolutely corrupt super-team The Seven (a vicious takedown of the Justice League), are operated by the monopolistic Vought International. Vought controls the Supes, the food, the media and much of the government.
Meanwhile, a group of clandestine operatives, the titular Boys, work to root out this corruption by any means necessary.
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The streaming series is based on the Eisner (think the Oscars of comicdom) nominated comic series of the same name. This series ran 72 issues between 2006 and 2012.
It was created by writer Garth Ennis (renowned for seminal runs on the Punisher, John Constantine and Preacher) and artist Darick Robertson (Punisher, Transmetropolitan and Wolverine).
Amazon’s show was developed by Supernatural creator Eric Kripke. It stars Karl Urban (Dredd, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek) as The Boys leader Billy Butcher; Jack Quaid (The Hunger Games, Vinyl) as the Boys newest member “Wee” Hughie Campbell; Anthony Starr (Banshee) as leader of the Seven and Superman pastiche Homelander; and Erin Moriarty (Jessica Jones) as the Seven’s latest addition Annie January/Starlight, leading a large ensemble cast.
Production of The Boys has taken place throughout the Greater Toronto Area over the past few years with numerous city landmarks contributing to series.
Mississauga
Early in season one, The Boys discover an unaffiliated supe known as Kimiko, aka the Woman, played by Karen Fukuhara (Suicide Squad). They end up chasing Kimiko though Central Parkway Mall (you can see the washrooms and the theatre box office in the background).
Later in the series The Deep, is attacked at Streetsville Gas station. 
A scene in season 2, episode 2 is filmed in the underground parking of the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga.
In season 2, episode 1, the scene of the fictional Tony Cicero’s restaurant is filmed at East Side Mario’s at Heartland Town Centre in Mississauga.
Central to the third season is the quest to add to new names to the Seven in the fallout of season two. Vought decides (natch) that the best way to find a new Supe is through reality TV. As such they host American Hero at 2275 Doulton Dr, a $37 million mansion in Mississauga.
Most recently while searching for Soldier Boy’s old traitors (though justifiably so) team, the Boys and Homelander crash a superpowered orgy dubbed Herogasm. This frankly bonkers event, both sickening and hilarious, is likely not the first such event at this more-than-humble Mississauga abode. Though it may be the first to end quite so explosively.
Herogasm is hosted at another Doulton Dr home frequently used by the Rolling Stones as a crash pad in the 1970s.
Brampton
Butcher and his long-believed dead wife, Becca played by Shantel VanSanten (The Flash) have a discussion away from Vought’s prying eyes at Wiley Bridge, a nearly 100 year old structure in Claireville Conservation Area.
Hamilton
The Seven’s resident speedster A-Train, played by Jessie T. Usher, races a rival for the title of the fastest man alive at Tim Hortons Field. While the show used extras in close up shots, the stadium was filled with CGI.
The Boy’s CIA handler Grace Mallory played by Laila Robins (The Walking Dead) lives in the Fallsview Residence on the Niagara Escarpment in the second season.
After he’s ousted from the Seven in season 2, the group’s Aquaman stand-in The Deep played by Chase Crawford (Gossip Girl) get sucked into the cult Church of the Collective headquartered at the iconic Scottish Rite Club. This massive manor has been a frequent filming location appearing in Handmaid’s Tale, Crimson Peak, and It Chapter Two.
A stone’s throw from Hamilton is the town of Brantford. The Town City hall stood in for a Russian Military base the Boys storm in pursuit of Soldier Boy, played by Jensen Ackles (Supernatural).
Oshawa
Oshawa’s historic Parkwood Estate, once home to GM founder Sam McLaughlin, is a prolific filming location. It was the first home of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters in 2000’s X-Men, and can be seen in the penultimate episode of the latest Star Trek series Strange New Worlds.
In The Boys the estate is the home of Homelanders “vater” Dr. Jonah Vogelbaum played by John Doman (The Wire).
Toronto
One of the most prominent locales in the show is Vought’s corporate headquarters. While most of the tower itself is CGI, it is imposed over Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall. The concert venue forms the base of the show’s skyscraper which serves as The Seven’s hq.
Many of the interior shots of the Vought Tower lobby are also filmed in Roy Thomson.
Several Toronto businesses also appear in the first such as Hugie’s store in East York and a fake Tony Cicero’s restaurant in Etobicoke. The Boys also discover a Triad hideout in Chinatown’s Kai Wei Supermarket on Spadina.
A major sniper set piece was filmed at Wellington St’s Royal Bank Plaza and the abovementioned Kimiko chase winds up in the Lower Bay subway station, also featured on The Handmaid’s Tale.
Part way through season one there is a major plane crash. A funeral for the victims is held at the Sherbourne Common waterfront park.
There are many other locations used throughout the Boys three season, now all streaming on Amazon Prime. The series has been renewed for a fourth, but no date has yet been set.
However, the Vought Cinematic Universe is set to expand with Varsity, about young Supes in training, coming soon. They’re filming at the University of Toronto until October.
All images courtesy of Amazon Prime Video
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