The Deep is, ironically, shallow on The Boys, but the disgraced former member of The Seven may be "deeper" than even he realizes — and could even have psychic powers. The Boys is Amazon Prime's hit superhero TV series based on the Garth Ennis comic by the same name. Played by Chase Crawford, The Deep was one of the first superpowered humans, or "Supes," introduced in this world, and quickly, The Boys series premiere established him as a problematic hero. In the past, The Deep has been characterized as a vapid and vain figure who is constantly being dismissed and demeaned by those around him — but there have been hints throughout the series that there is more to his aquatic powers than his peers realize.
The Deep is one of the comics' several parodic characters that reference a pop culture icon; Homelander is a clear Superman analog, while The Deep is The Boys' version of Aquaman (or possibly Black Manta). The TV series leans into the comparison, making The Deep the butt of several jokes and pranks, just as Aquaman is in popular culture. Season 1 saw the aquatic-based Super spiral downwards as news of him sexually-assaulting fellow teammate Starlight caused his reputation to tank. His season 2 arc saw the disgraced hero struggling to repair his public image, helped by The Church of the Collective — a Scientology-like religion that targets superheroes.
The Boys season 2 finale set The Deep up for a completely different arc in season 3, which could finally reveal the true nature of the Supe's power: he is psychic. It would be a fitting humorous turn for The Deep to discover that his affinity for fish and other aquatic creatures is rooted in an innate telepathy that only works on the relatively simple minds of such wildlife. The reveal would also explain the Church's interest in keeping him around — while setting him up as a formidable adversary in the show going forward.
On The Boys, The Deep's powers revolve around water: he can breathe underwater, is an expert swimmer, and, most importantly, can communicate with sea creatures. The Deep appears to be able to command aquatic lifeforms, as season 2 shows him riding a whale into what turns out to be a suicidal attempt (for the whale) to stop on oncoming boat. The Deep also has a set of gills that appear to function similarly to fish gills — but are also a weak spot for the Supe, as demonstrated in a infamous moment from The Boys season 1 (the filming of the scene reportedly made Crawford sick, although for different reasons). Season 2 saw the character come to terms with his body in ways that suggest he has yet to fully explore himself and his powers.
The Deep has an odd relationship with sea creatures, seeming to hold dolphins in particular on the same level as humans — perhaps even higher. The only times he shows genuine empathy for other living being in The Boys are out of concern for aquatic wildlife. Not only does he risk his reputation and endorsement deals by breaking a dolphin out of a marine theme park in season 1, but in the ensuing escape, may have agreed to touch the creature's genitals in a sexual manner (dolphins are notoriously frisky). The exchange is played for comedy, but it does reveal one interesting aspect of The Deep's powerset: he is unable to control the dolphin, suggesting that when he does get such creatures to do his bidding, it requires (at least some) persuasion rather than some sort of mind control.
It remains unclear how The Deep is able to communicate with sea creatures in The Boys. The dolphin scene shows The Deep talking with the animal, seeming to understand the dolphin's clicks. In season 2, he holds a goldfish up to his ear — a token of an apology from A-Train to The Deep — and says it knows his name. In both scenes The Deep is in close proximity with the animal, and his behavior suggests he hears the creature speaking. However, in the latter scene, it's highly unlikely he was able to decipher an audible message from the fish. There is also the question of how he is able to summon these animals in the oceans. In season 1 in particular The Deep references getting information from aquatic wildlife and suggests he's able to get them to run errands for him (like locating Translucent's remains).
Given the available information, it's much more likely that The Deep has a psychic connection with aquatic wildlife, rather than the basic ability to understand and speak their "language." This would explain how he is able to locate and summon aquatic wildlife, as well as how he can "talk" and "hear" his goldfish. The Deep does not understand the nature of his powers, however, so he uses the language of human communication to describe how he interacts with sea creatures. As The Boys season 2 demonstrated, The Deep has a surprising lack of self-awareness, so it's not beyond the realm of plausibility that he would have telepathic abilities but not recognize them for what they are.
The Church of the Collective effectively rescued The Deep in The Boys season 2, but why they did remains a bit of a mystery. Initially, it appeared that the Church was interested in using the Supe by getting him back into The Seven and then having him as their man on the inside — however, A-Train was instead reinstated, and The Deep was told he'd need to wait. Given the events of the finale, it looks like The Deep will take over the Church in The Boys season 3; this could reveal why he was sought out by the church in the first place: because of his latent psychic abilities.
If The Deep has a telepathic connection with aquatic wildlife, then it's possible he could learn to develop those abilities, and possibly even apply these powers to human targets. So far, the Church of the Collective's endgame is unclear, but the cult-like characterization of this "religion" suggests nefarious intentions. If The Deep could use the same kind of control he has over sea creatures on human targets, he would be an invaluable resource to the Church, which already uses some brainwashing tactics on its devotees.
How The Deep's story will play out in The Boys season 3 remains unclear at this point, but there are a number of storylines that can be expected to continue in the next installment. The TV series is a proven hit for Amazon Prime, which has put its own spin on the property. The storyline with The Deep and the Church are not in the comics, which means The Boys can continue to develop this plot however the writers chose — including completely reinventing The Deep.
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