It may be hard to believe, butThe Boys,Supernatural, and evenPreacherall take place in the same universe. Sure, it may seem like Eric Kripke’s hit live-action series is cut from a different cloth than two ofGarth Ennis most well-known comic books, but a bit of digging reveals how all three are actually connected.
And no, it’s not just because Kripke went from working onSupernaturalto developingThe Boys’adaptation for Amazon. Nor does it have anything to do with Dean Winchester actor Jensen Ackles portrayingSoldier Boy inThe Boys’third season. It actually goes all the way back to aSupernaturalepisode where it revealed the contacts in Sam’s phone, which revealed he knows bothThe Boys’Billy Butcher, andPreacher’sProinsias Cassidy. Though it seems like an Easter egg, it’s something that looks a lot more odd when one discoversPreacherandThe Boysshare a universe.
Sam Winchester Has Billy Butcher and Cassidy’s Contact Info
And Yes, Cassidy Does Exist in The Boys' Universe
The idea of these three franchises seems complex. After all,The BoysandPreacherwere comics co-created by Garth Ennis, butSupernaturalis a live-action series separate from the two.PreacherandSupernaturalboth deal with vampires, demons, and the like, butThe Boys’prime focus is the powerful Supes that Butcher and his crew take care of. So what are the ties that bind all three together? The first element comes fromthe third episode ofSupernatural’sfifth season, “Free to Be You and Me”.
The episode in question follows shows the iconic pair of brothers after they decide to take a break from their usual team dynamic. However, Sam can’t avoid the life for long and when he gets wind of some Apocalypse-level events, he passes on his information to his confidante, Bobby Singer. A brief shot shows Sam’s phone contacts, and just a few names below Bobby’s are Butcher and Cassidy’s info, one after another. Not suspicious in and of itself, but thislittle Easter egg becomes more entertaining when one realizes howPreacherandThe Boysare connected.
…the bartender joins Butcher for the drink, and Butcher calls the bartender ‘Proinsias’, Cassidy’s first name.
InThe Boys #27, Butcher has a drink in a bar in New York City where the bartender ejects a rowdy group celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. After taking care of the crowd, the bartender joins Butcher for the drink, and Butcher calls the bartender ‘Proinsias’, Cassidy’s first name. While the bartender is older and has a few more pounds than the Cassidy fans remember,Preacherended with Cassidy becoming human. Not to mention, Cassidy always dreamed about opening a bar, which he finally did by the timeThe Boysbegan.
The bar is also called The Grassy Knoll, which was Cassidy’s dream name for a bar.
BridgingThe Boys,Preacher, andSupernatural’sEaster Eggs Together Make a Bigger (and Wilder) Universe
The Boysis Stranger Than Most Fans Realize
It’s easy to look atSupernatural’sbrief shot of Sam’s contacts as a nod to Garth Ennis (Kripke is obviously a huge fan given his work onThe Boys). And as far asThe Boys’Cassidy cameo goes, that could just be Ennis giving a fan-favorite character a happy epilogue. But it’s fun to consider the idea thatThe Boys,SupernaturalandPreacher, each of them a beast unto themselves, are all just one small part of a much wilder universe.
While the logistics might be rough (Supernaturalnever makes mention of Supes whileThe Boyslargely stays away from magic), it’s a fun thought exercise. Just imagine how cool it would have been to see the Winchesters take on a low-level Supe, or the Boys encountering some honest-to-goodness paranormal activity. While nothing is done with the shared connections betweenSupernatural,The Boys, andPreacher, it’s still quite cool to see the loose connections shared between these three amazing stories.
