The Boys: Diabolical, Amazon Prime Video's animated anthology spin-off series, has an official release date, and that's risky, considering what else is releasing on the same day.
As part of Amazon's Fanimation Week, a celebration of Prime Video's anime deals that runs through January 21, it was announced that The Boys: Diabolical will be released on Friday, March 4.
To coincide with the release date reveal, a short first-look trailer has also been unveiled, showing that spinoff show The Boys will feature just as much R-rated content as the main series:
The Boys: Diabolical release date means it will land on Amazon's streaming service ahead of The Boys season 3, which is expected to arrive in early June. But, while that means we'll get more content in the boys' universe sooner than expected, Diabolical's release puts it in direct competition with another superhero property, and that's one battle Diabolical won't win.
Why? Because The Boys: Diabolical's March 4 release date will pit the series against none other than one of the greatest superheroes of all time: Batman.
The latest reboot of DC Comics' beloved vigilante film, The Batman, hits theaters exclusively on March 4. And, considering it's one of the most anticipated movies of 2022, that spells bad news for The Boys: Diabolical.
As much as superhero and comic book fans enjoy Amazon's adaptation of The Boys, let's be clear here: whether it's live-action or animated, it doesn't hold a candle to The Dark Knight.
Batman is regularly in the top five positions whenever a new "greatest superheroes of all time" list is produced. And for good reason: he's a tragic character, but with extremely cool gadgets and vehicles and unlimited cash reserves, operating in the gray area between good and evil.
He has a gallery of rogue enemies that are the envy of most other superheroes. And The Caped Crusader contains some of the most beloved comic book and graphic novel stories ever written, including The Long Halloween, The Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke, Batman: Year One, and Hush.
So the popularity and illustrious history of Batman will always prevail in a battle against many other superhero properties, and we're including the boys here.
Of course, The Boys: Diabolical has some advantages. For one thing, it's a TV show that will be available on a streaming service. Therefore, fans will be able to watch it at their leisure, knowing full well that it will be available at any time and on any device. Another factor in Diabolical's favor is the ability to watch the episodes as they are released on a weekly basis, or wait for the final entry to be released and consume them all at once.
Compare that to The Batman, which won't land on HBO Max, WarnerMedia's streaming platform, until 45 days after its theatrical release. That means Batman fans will have to see it in theaters if they don't want to wait until they can stream it at home.
The Boys: Diabolical's Restricted (R) rating means fans of mature content will get their fix of blood/gore, foul language, and references to sex and drugs. Meanwhile, The Batman received a PG-13 rating. Yes, we're hoping the Robert Pattinson-starring movie pushes the limits of its PG-13 rating (it seems raw and pretty violent, all things considered), but we won't see any Ben Affleck Batman-esque deaths in The Batman, unlike in The Batman. what appeared in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
But releasing Diabolical on the same day as The Batman is a big gamble. In keeping with the boys' underdog status when Billy, Hughie and company take on the villainous Supes in Prime Video's main series, Amazon Studios faces quite a match for Batman. Clearly, he has a lot of faith in Diabolical, and the Prime Video management team won't back down from a fight, even if it means taking on one of the most popular superheroes of all time.
Still, we suspect The Boys: Diabolical will play a supporting role after The Batman on March 4. Despite the ongoing pandemic, Spider-Man: No Way Home has shown that moviegoers will continue to flock to theaters to see the biggest movies as soon as they are released.
Here's hoping the next DCEU movie looks the same as its comic book rival, especially during opening weekend. If so, The Boys: Diabolical might struggle to get views in the first week after release. Yes, it will draw viewers throughout its episodic run, but we can't see Diabolical topple The Batman and be declared the winner on March 4. In fact, we're so sure if he wins the day, we'll eat Batman's cowl.