He’s the guy everyone loves to hate. Or maybe just pity? Honestly, it’s usually a mix of both, seasoned with a healthy dose of pure, unadulterated cringe. Kevin Moskowitz—better known to the world as The Deep from The Boys—is a masterclass in how to write a pathetic antagonist. While Homelander represents the terrifying, unchecked power of a sociopath, The Deep represents something much more common and arguably more pathetic: the desperate need for validation from people who clearly despise you.
Chace Crawford plays him with this weird, glassy-eyed sincerity that makes you forget, just for a second, that his character is a predator and a narcissist. Then he does something like talk to a lobster or get a literal "blowgill" job, and you're right back to being disgusted. It’s a wild ride.
Why The Deep from The Boys is the Show’s Moral Compass (In Reverse)
The Deep started as the show’s first real villain. Remember the pilot? His assault on Starlight was the catalyst for her realizing that the Seven wasn't a league of heroes—it was a corporate marketing machine designed to protect monsters. But then the show did something interesting. Instead of making him a recurring "big bad," they turned him into a punching bag.
He’s been exiled to Sandusky, Ohio. He’s been forced to eat his "best friend" Timothy the octopus in one of the most traumatizing scenes in modern television history. Eric Kripke, the showrunner, has often mentioned in interviews that the writers’ room treats The Deep as a way to explore how people try (and fail) to "rehabilitate" their image without actually changing their soul. He joins the Church of the Collective not because he believes in their theology, but because he wants back into the Seven. He writes a memoir, Greater Depths, which is basically just a ghostwritten pile of nonsense designed to make him look like a victim.
It’s satire. It’s a direct jab at celebrity "redemption tours." You’ve seen it in real life—a public figure does something horrific, disappears for six months, and then returns with a documentary about their "healing journey." That is The Deep’s entire DNA.
The Biology of a Supe Who Can Talk to Fish
Let’s talk about the gills. It’s a grotesque bit of character design that serves a very specific narrative purpose. In a world of super strength and flight, The Deep has a power that makes him feel like a freak even among his peers. The show uses his body horror to highlight his vulnerability. When he’s being touched or shamed for his gills, the audience is momentarily tricked into feeling bad for him.
But then you remember he’s a guy who used his status to manipulate women. The writers are playing a game with us. They want to see how much abuse a character can take before we start to forgive them, even if they haven't earned it.
The Timothy Scene and the Psychology of Submission
If you ask any fan about the most memorable moment for The Deep from The Boys, they’ll mention the octopus. Poor Timothy. That scene wasn't just about the "gross-out" factor. It was about Homelander exerting absolute dominance. By forcing The Deep to consume something he claimed to love, Homelander effectively erased whatever remained of The Deep’s spine.
Since then, he’s been a lapdog. He’s the guy who does the dirty work—the assassinations, the literal deep-sea diving for evidence—just to stay in the air conditioning of Vought Tower. He is the ultimate "middle manager" of evil. He doesn't have the conviction to be a revolutionary, and he doesn't have the conscience to be a hero. He just wants to be liked.
Is He Based on Aquaman? (The Short Answer: Yes, But Worse)
Obviously, the character is a parody of DC's Arthur Curry. But while Aquaman is the King of Atlantis, The Deep is essentially a guy who gets bullied by dolphins. The show flips the "ruler of the seas" trope on its head by making the ocean a place of trauma for him rather than a kingdom. Every time he tries to rescue a sea creature—like the dolphin in Season 1 or the whale (Lucy) in Season 2—it ends in a bloody, hilarious disaster.
The message is clear: even nature doesn't want anything to do with this guy.
The Deep's Role in Season 4 and Beyond
As the political landscape in the show shifts toward a more overt parody of modern American populism, The Deep has found a new niche. He’s no longer just the "fish guy." He’s a mouthpiece. He’s the guy who will say whatever the Vought PR team puts on the teleprompter. He has completely abandoned his "Save the Ocean" brand to become a foot soldier for Homelander’s new world order.
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There’s a specific kind of danger in someone who has no core beliefs. If you look at the way Chace Crawford portrays him in the later seasons, there's a growing darkness. He’s becoming more willing to kill humans, not just accidentally run over sea life. He’s desperate to prove he’s a "top-tier" Supe, which makes him incredibly dangerous to anyone who isn't Homelander.
Breaking Down the "Greater Depths" Persona
The Deep’s attempts at "wokeness" are some of the funniest bits of writing in the series.
- The fake apologies.
- The performative environmentalism.
- The weird, culty marriage to Cassandra.
- The constant use of therapy-speak to justify being a jerk.
He uses the language of self-help to avoid actually helping himself. It's a brilliant commentary on how narcissists weaponize mental health terminology to deflect accountability.
What We Can Learn From the Deepest Supe
Look, we aren't supposed to "root" for him. But we are supposed to recognize him. He’s the person who does the wrong thing because the right thing is too hard. He’s the guy who follows the bully because he’s afraid of being the target.
If you’re watching The Boys and trying to figure out where the story is going, keep an eye on The Deep. Characters like him usually have one of two endings: a moment of genuine, sacrificial redemption that probably fails, or a pathetic, lonely demise that nobody notices. Given the tone of the show, I'd bet on the latter.
How to spot "The Deep" in real life media cycles:
- The Pivot: Watch for when a disgraced figure suddenly adopts a "niche" cause (like The Deep’s ocean conservation) to distract from personal scandals.
- The Victim Play: Notice when someone in power claims they were "manipulated" or "traumatized" into doing something harmful to others.
- The Lack of Agency: Pay attention to the "I was just following orders" defense. The Deep is the king of this.
To really understand the impact of The Deep from The Boys, you have to look at the fan reaction. People don't make "team Deep" shirts the way they do for Starlight or Billy Butcher. Instead, they make memes about his failures. He is the ultimate cautionary tale of what happens when you trade your dignity for a seat at a table where nobody wants you.
If you're looking to catch up before the next season, pay close attention to his eyes in the background of the Seven's meetings. He’s rarely the focus of the scene, but his facial expressions—ranging from terror to pathetic longing—tell the real story of Vought’s decline. He is the cracks in the foundation.
Actionable Insight for Fans: If you're analyzing the show for a film study or just arguing with friends, don't categorize The Deep as a "funny" character. He is a "pathetic" character. There’s a difference. One is for laughs; the other is a mirror. Use his arc to discuss the concept of the "Banality of Evil"—the idea that great harm isn't always done by monsters, but by insecure people who just want to belong.