It’s been two years since season three of The Boys premiered on Prime Video, so when actor Laz Alonso made his first appearance in season four, fans wondered if the character of Mother’s Milk had been recast. Viewers took to social media to voice their confusion, with some even claiming he looked unrecognizable.
The Boys is a dark and satirical take on the superhero genre. It explores the idea of what would happen if superheroes, who are often idolized as virtuous and noble, were actually corrupt and morally flawed. These superheroes, or “Supes,” are managed by a powerful corporation called Vought International, and are often more concerned with their public image and personal gain than with genuinely helping people. Yay, capitalism.
Mother’s Milk, the leader of The Boys whose mission is to destroy Vought and the Supes, plays a crucial role in grounding the team with his practical skills, moral compass, and dedication to the cause. After his debut appearance in season four of The Boys and his seemingly refreshed appearance, Alonso responded to claims Mother’s Milk had been recast.
Was Mother’s Milk recast?
Nope, that’s the same Laz Alonso, he’s just been given a shave and dropped a few pounds. In response to a fan who commented on his apparent weight loss, Alonso said, “Had to trim it down fam! Got carried away [with] too much pizza.” Lol. He is also shown to be reading a Conquering OCD book in the season premiere, so you can deduce his weight loss has to do with the stress of being in The Boys.
In season three, we got an intimate look at MM’s background and the events that shaped his worldview. “This is probably the first season that I’ve had creative input put as to where Mother’s Milk’s arc could potentially go,” Alsonso told DiscussingFilm.
“During the George Floyd incident, Eric [Kripke] and I were talking a lot. And we weren’t just talking about that, we were talking about world events. That summer was the summer of lockdowns, so he and I were talking pretty much every day. I mean, we were sitting at home bored and talking about pretty much everything that was going on, the ridiculousness of a lot of the stuff that we were witnessing, and how to find a way to capture that in the show for the next season.”
He continued: “Then George Floyd happened, and it was devastating to say the least, just to view and to see it. I reached out to Eric and I was like, ‘Brother, this part of history has to be told. It has to be told on our show, our way, we can’t walk away from this. This is a point of not only African-American history but American history as a whole that we have an opportunity now to input our take, our interpretation. What is happening, what has happened, what should happen, our own way of finding peace and justice in that moment.’ So the first draft of Mother’s Milk’s arc, when I fight Todd, the cops come and they jump on me and beat the living mess out of me, and my daughter witnesses it—that was in the first draft.”
That look at his family life continues into season four. In the first three episodes that dropped on Prime Video on June 13, 2024, he can see MM dealing with his daughter who’s lashing out at injustice at school. How will the rest of the season play out? You’ll just have to watch and see.
