The Boys season 4, episode 6, “Dirty Business,” introduces a new character who is a live-action parody of a well-known DC sidekick.

Prime Video’s graphic superhero show is based on a comic book series written by Garth Ennis and published between 2006 and 2012. Both versions of the plot succeed by taking established superheroes from other franchises and bending them into new forms that are almost recognizable. “Dirty Business” gently treats another great character in the same way, but it’s easy to miss.

The inconspicuous addition to The Boys’ season 4 ensemble may be a variety of characters, but it’s easy to figure out given a few context clues and a quick look at the acting credits in “Dirty Business.” The actor who plays the character had relatively few acting assignments prior to his debut in The Boys, making it difficult to predict exactly what kind of performance he could deliver in the future. However, the actor who plays Laddio in “Dirty Business” appears so briefly that his entire persona remains unknown.

The Boys Season 4 Introduces Its Robin Parody, Laddio

Laddio is played by Reid Millar

Derek Wilson’s Tek Knight is quite clearly The Boys poking fun at Batman, and perhaps suggesting an alternate, tongue-in-cheek route that the character could have taken. While he debuted in Gen V season 1, episode 4, “The Whole Truth,” Wilson’s character wasn’t solidified as a Batman parody until he crossed over from the spinoff into the franchise’s flagship show. When Hughie heads into Tek Knight’s Tek Cave in “Dirty Business,” the comparison is unavoidable, and it’s cemented even further by the chained-up figure in the corner – who Prime Video’s information credits as “Laddio.”

Prime’s version of Laddio, played by Reid Millar, is not a direct translation of Tek Knight’s sidekick, as shown in the comic books. Instead, the writers decided to transform the show’s version of Batman’s Boy Wonder into an indentured 𝓈ℯ𝓍 slave. It looks to be some sort of punishment for Laddio breaching Tek Knight’s trust, as evidenced by Wilson’s character’s statement to Hughie: “That’s my last sidekick.” I do not like liars. “The entire culture down here is built on trust.” So, Laddio does not appear to be as loyal to Tek Knight as his DC counterpart is to Batman.

Laddio’s Powers & Comic Backstory Explained

Laddio was falsely marketed by Vought in the comics

While Laddio’s introduction in The Boys’ live-action adaptation reveals little about his character, he has a long and complex narrative in the book. Laddio served as Tek Knight’s sidekick, much like Robin did for Batman. Unlike Robin, Laddio’s status as a superhero in The Boys’ universe meant he possessed Compound V-induced superhuman s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s. The DC duo overcame their opponents by careful planning, extensive preparation, and training, whilst Tek Knight and Laddio had the added benefit of increased durability and other powers.

In the source material, Vought portrayed Laddio as an openly gay superhero. However, this was not the case, as the character was highly homophobic. As a result, Vought’s branding upset him. He later parted ways with Tek Knight after they both fell for the Talon, a female superhero/villain who frequently switched sides. The love triangle proved an overwhelming challenge for the team to overcome. He 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed following an encounter with Billy Butcher’s team.

How Laddio from The Boys Season 4 compares to the comics

Prime Video previews significant alterations made to Laddio’s character.

Laddio’s introduction demonstrates that the show either glossed over his past, recognized it briefly, or made significant alterations to the source material. There isn’t much to learn about Laddio in the Tek Knight cave episode, but certain contextual hints can be used to connect him to his comic-book counterpart. For starts, both versions of Laddio had a falling out with their previous companions. The reason for this in the comics was because both men fell for the Talon, and while that may transfer over into the show, Wilson’s Tek Knight’s reasoning for Laddio’s imprisonment does not quite add up.

Another hypothesis is that Amazon’s version of The Boys influenced Laddio’s 𝓈ℯ𝓍uality. When Hughie comes as The Boys’ Spider-Man parody, Webweaver, he discovers that Tek Knight is looking for a new “Sidekick.” When it is revealed what is expected of Hughie as a potential Laddio successor, it becomes clear that Tek Knight’s conception of the job is far more 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual than Hughie had anticipated. So, if Laddio was formerly Tek Knight’s sidekick, it shows the two were involved in comparable operations. This would deviate from Laddio’s homophobic origins in the comics.

“After Laddio’s supposed betrayal of Tek Knight, it would make sense that the Batman parody would strip his sidekick of the costume he once wore.”

There’s also the matter of Amazon’s Laddio only ever being shown in a red 𝓈ℯ𝓍 slave outfit, with his comic-accurate suit likely sitting somewhere in the character’s past. After Laddio’s supposed betrayal of Tek Knight, it would make sense that the Batman parody would strip his sidekick of the costume he once wore. As such, it’s unclear if Laddio ever made it to the next stage of his superhero career, which is covered extensively in the source material.

Who Is SwingWing In The Boys?

Laddio eventually steps out from Tek Knight’s shadow in the comics

Garth Ennis adopted Batman and Robin as strong templates for Tek Knight and Laddio, with the latter following a similar path to Robin as the story developed. Just as Robin split from Batman to become Nightwing, Laddio finally left his Tek Knight alliance to take on the mantle of Swingwing. SwingWing thus established himself as a “hero” in his own right, rather than being constantly shadowed by Tek Knight. Naturally, Tek Knight recruited a new youth to fill the vacated Laddio job, as Batman has done countless times with his various Robins.

In “Dirty Business,” Laddio eventually breaks free from his shackles thanks to his super-strength. In addition, he supports Hughie and the others in manipulating Tek Knight’s finances to obtain the information they seek. Interestingly, Laddio survives the events of his premiere episode in the adaptation, implying that Reid Millar could reprise his role as the character. If so, this could be Prime’s interpretation of SwingWing’s origin. Or The Boys might just choose to have Laddio resume his career as SwingWing, which was put on hold when Tek Knight imprisoned him.