A new character just made his debut in season 4 of Prime Video’s R-rated superhero satire, The Boys. And chances are, you recognize his actor from a very different corner of the TV landscape: Star Wars.
Look, it’s not exactly a secret that showrunner Eric Kripke has steadily collected actors from his long-running CW series, Supernatural, throughout all seasons of The Boys. From Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy to Jim Beaver’s Robert Singer (yes, that’s an in-joke for us Bobby Singer girlies out there) to rumors of Jared Padalecki joining the cast for season 5, it’s obvious that Kripke likes working with the same crew, and for a good reason. Now, it seems like he’s (perhaps, inadvertently) reuniting the cast of a different mega-successful series from Disney for season 4 … or should I say, the galaxy far, far away?
Spoilers ahead for The Boys season 4!
The Mandalorian alum Omid Abtahi joins The Boys
The Boys season 4, episode 5, titled “Beware The Jabberwock, My Son,” just premiered on Prime Video, and this baby’s got it all. Gen V callbacks, man-eating chickens, a dash of familial trauma…the story perfectly demonstrates what The Boys does best: teeter-tottering between silly action sequences and more grounded, dramatic moments, with our audience surrogate, Hughie (Jack Quaid), taking the brunt of it. RIP, Hugh Sr. (Simon Pegg)! Anyone else have some serious emotional whiplash?
In the episode, Butcher (Karl Urban), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), Frenchie (Tomer Capone), Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), and Starlight (Erin Moriarty) take a trip to the countryside after busting Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) out of prison. Why? To find V.P. Victoria Neuman’s (Claudia Doumit) secret stash of the Supe-killing virus. Being the way she is, Neuman tracks them down to her lab to stop them, but a gaggle of farm animals drugged up on Comp V get there first—and they’re feeling particularly ravenous for human flesh (the credits’ inclusion of Old MacDonald Had a Farm had me cackling).
However, one of the most important revelations comes to light halfway through the episode, when it’s revealed that Victoria Neuman’s S.O. (and the father of Zoey) is Vought R&D Department scientist Dr. Sameer Shah, played by Omid Abtahi—a.k.a. Dr. Penn Pershing from The Mandalorian. Although Dr. Shah plays innocent, the guy clearly knows too much about the Supe-killing virus, as he’s one of the only people who can replicate it. Thanks to his Supe wifey, he’s able to avoid getting eaten by a flying sheep—but not before Butcher kidnaps him and cuts off his leg. Oops! Gotta have a strong alibi, after all.
With Victoria now under the impression that Sameer is dead, Butcher has a huge advantage. If the scientist can successfully recreate the Supe-killing virus, he finally has a shot at killing Homelander (Antony Starr). The Boys: 1, Vought: zip. Of course, Sameer will have to enhance the bio-weapon to bring down a Supe as powerful as Homelander, but a little fear and desperation to escape and protect his family might just be the perfect ingredient to get him to do so.
It’s kind of hilarious that Dr. Penn Pershing and Dr. Sameer Shah are both sheepish (ha) scientists who work for shady corporate overlords—big, geeky glasses and all. It’s even more hilarious when you realize that in both The Mandalorian and The Boys, Abtahi’s characters, at one point, worked for Giancarlo Esposito, who plays Imperial warlord Moff Gideon in the Star Wars universe. That man is too good at playing villains, TBH. Dr. Pershing appeared in both seasons 1 and 3 of The Mandalorian, though he was ultimately betrayed by one of Gideon’s moles and was forcibly mind-frayed by the New Republic, who believed he was still loyal to the Imperial Remanent. Dare I say I feel … bad for the guy?
Despite his unsuspecting demeanor, Sameer could be the key to the whole thing—a secret force in The Boys’ fight against Homelander. Although he doesn’t quite have the muscle to take down Vought and Homelander himself, he does seem to know how to create a stronger strain of the virus. But Butcher and his (also shady) sidekick Joe (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) might find themselves with a couple of popped heads if Victoria discovers their plan first. Either way, it seems like Dr. Shah is heading towards an equally miserable fate as Dr. Pershing, who probably isn’t returning to The Mandalorian anytime soon. Still, I’m absolutely living for this Star Wars crossover.
As for The Boys … Pedro Pascal casting announcement, when?!
