I’m Sorry, Did Joe Biden Just Pull a Sister Sage?
The lines are blurring between reality and the world of The Boys, which saw a corrupt band of “supes” weaseling their way into the White House in its fourth season. And now, I can’t help but draw parallels between Sister Sage, played by Susan Heyward, and the current US President, played by Joseph R. Biden.
Earlier this week, my friend sent me a TikTok along with the text, “I don’t care about this video but I am dead at the idea that Biden is basically Sister Sage,” followed by three skull emojis. The video, uploaded by user @amys_emotional_glowup, reads, “What if I told you that 81 year old Joe Biden was the true mastermind,” flanked by the hashtags #droppingout and #conspiracytiktok.
Off the bat, I thought this was some sort of right-wing ragebait—another Gen X-er drinking the Kool Aid. But once I actually listened to what Amy had to say, I came to realize that she’s kind of got a point here.
“Trump dumps more money into saying that Biden’s too old, too senile,” Amy says at one point in the video. “Biden does a few interviews that don’t instill a lot of confidence, then he goes into hiding. How long? Just enough for the Republicans to get through the RNC, to spend more money, to spend that whole week bashing Biden for being too old.” We all know where this story goes—on July 21, Biden drops out of the race and endorses VP Kamala Harris. “Now everything that Trump spent all that money saying,” she adds, “can be said about Trump himself.” Mic-drop.
Amy’s certainly right here in saying that the timing of it all seems a bit strategic. One TikTok user commented, “That’s why you don’t campaign exclusively on trashing your opponent,” which I think just about sums it up. And now that all is said and done, I can’t help but think that my friend is also spot-on in her assessment: Is Biden pulling a Sister Sage?
Warning! Spoilers for The Boys season 4 ahead.
What is Sister Sage’s angle in The Boys season 4, and how does it mirror real-life events?
I’m sure we’ve all had enough of the nonstop sludge of The Boys discourse. The superhero satire’s critique of American society is “just getting too real,” so on and so forth. But in season 4, MAGA Republicans are on the menu, with many of these “patriots” failing to realize that showrunner Eric Kripke and Co. have been making fun of them all along—not the “woke left” as they’d once believed. So, apart from accidentally hitting a little too close to home with that season finale, “Assassination Run” (welp), what actually happens in The Boys, and why is it all sounding so gosh darn familiar in light of recent events?
Well, a key plot point of the season is Homelander’s (Antony Starr) rise to political power. Sick and tired of Vought and being the ringleader of a team of idiots, Homelander has bigger ambitions for himself. No more brand deals and Dawn of the Seven spinoffs—Homelander wants to ensure that Supes, regardless of whether or not it screams “dictatorship,” have federally sanctioned authority, and he thinks he’s the right man for the job—he just needs a little help to get there.
Enter Sister Sage, a.k.a. the smartest person on Earth. Together, she and Homelander are virtually unstoppable, as Sage will do anything in her power to make sure that “Caesar” takes “Rome.” We see her master plan unfold throughout the season, and she’s ultimately successful: President Robert Singer (Jim Beaver) is framed for the murder of VP-elect Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit), leading Speaker of the House Steven Calhoun (David Andrews) to take charge and declare martial law. In the final shot, we see Homelander assembling his new Supe Force, backed by the US Government—and this is only “phase 1.”
Was the timing of Joe Biden’s historic decision calculated?
Not to just baselessly pedal a conspiracy theory here, but can you see where I’m going with this? Biden’s decision to “pass the torch” doesn’t exactly need explaining (there’s his age, fleeing donors, allies turning against him, etc. etc.), but it is sort of funny to think that this was all part of a master plan to sabotage Republicans on the heels of the RNC. If true, Biden may have a “Sister Sage” on his staff who’s been playing the long game, carefully manipulating the situation to ensure a victory for Dems this fall … well, hopefully. Eek.
Obviously this comparison doesn’t really extend to the details because, in the context of The Boys, it would mean Biden (and/or his team of advisors) = Sage, and Harris = Homelander, which feels … incredibly wrong to say. Obviously, Harris and Homelander don’t exactly fall on the same side of the political spectrum, and Sage and Biden have completely different intentions. Still, it’s fun to think about and if the timing of Biden’s announcement and the official start of Harris’ campaign was on purpose, this is truly diabolical.
Don’t underestimate Kamala Harris
Ultimately, Trump’s whole “bash on Biden” strategy is a setback but probably won’t backfire too hard, as his voters will just log onto the neo-Nazi safehaven known as Twitter to bash on Harris instead. Even so, things aren’t looking too good for the Trump camp. Despite an overwhelming amount of renewed support for Trump following his assassination attempt earlier this month, Harris’ campaign is off to a strong start, with donations topping $100 million in just a handful of days—a historic first.
With fundraising for Harris’ campaign generating some big-time cash, Republicans need to start taking her seriously. Plus, millennials and Gen-Zers seem to be rallying behind Harris in droves—ironically? Who knows. All I can say is that I’ve seen far too many Kamala edits synced to to Chappell Roan’s “Femininomenon” while doom-scrolling TikTok, and even some absolutely cursed “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” EDM remixes. I love my generation.
So, to answer the question, is Joe Biden some sort of Taylor Swift-caliber mastermind? Likely not. But he is a career politician with decades of experience under his belt—and he most definitely wants to see Donald Trump lose when November rolls around. For now, only time will tell if he can use the rest of his time in office to help propel Harris to victory. Here’s hoping she can’t explode heads or anything.
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
