‘The Boys’ Star Nathan Mitchell Says Goodbye to Black Noir in Emotional Post
Nathan Mitchell’s Black Noir is dead, killed by The Deep in Season 5 Episode 6 titled “Though the Heavens Fall” as tensions inside The Seven reach a breaking point. The death marks a bittersweet ending for one of the show’s longest-running characters, as Mitchell has portrayed both the original Black Noir and his more verbose replacement throughout ‘The Boys’ entire run.
Mitchell notes that this marks the second time Black Noir has died in the series, after his earlier fate at the hands of Homelander in Season 3, and the actor has finally opened up about what it was like to say farewell to the role.
Mitchell received a personal call from showrunner Eric Kripke before receiving his script, with Kripke telling him, “Hey, man, it’s been a hell of a ride. Loved having you. It’s been wonderful.
But it’s time for Noir to go.” The actor understood the creative decision, even if he would have preferred a farewell in the series finale. Mitchell acknowledged that while actors typically want to stay until the final episode, “we have a lot of story to tell, a lot of characters to service, a lot to wrap up, and it made sense for Noir’s journey to end here”.
The circumstances of Noir’s death carry significant thematic weight. Mitchell explained that his character’s death was fitting because Noir’s primary relationship in Seasons 4 and 5 is with The Deep, built on a story of mentorship and brotherhood where Deep teaches him that violence is power. When the feud between them escalates, Noir gets revenge by sabotaging The Deep’s cherished sea life through a pipeline incident, leading The Deep to snap and murder his protégé in cold blood.
Mitchell described the physical demands of filming the scene, noting it “was intense” and “full of logistical things, like all these cords wrapped around the neck”. Working alongside Chace Crawford, who plays The Deep, added emotional resonance to the final confrontation. Mitchell expressed satisfaction with the narrative outcome, saying he was “happy that it ended at the hands of The Deep because that’s who his arc has been with this entire time.”
The character’s exit represents another major casualty in ‘The Boys’ increasingly brutal final season, where few characters feel safe from sudden death. Mitchell reflects on the deeper meaning of Black Noir’s arc, noting a thematic thread of “thwarted ambition in the suit,” since the second Noir wanted to pursue Broadway dreams that were ultimately crushed by his partnership with The Deep. With the series finale approaching, fans will see how ‘The Boys’ wraps up its remaining storylines without one of its most distinctive characters.
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