Unlike many other “smartest person in the world” characters, Sister Sage is not a high-profile supe and often finds herself being underestimated (assuming those around her even listen to her at all). As Kripke explained, a member of the show’s creative team came up with the idea to “make her an African American woman who nobody listens to.” That decision gives Sister Sage a complexity different from every other antagonistic character on “The Boys,” as it makes her someone capable of either saving or destroying all of humanity, yet also someone that might as well be invisible to everyone else. “I thought was a super interesting social commentary on top of that character,” Kripke continued. “And then Susan brings it to life, and is just so smart.”
Indeed, Sister Sage may be the smartest person in the world, but having her working with Homerlander makes her the most dangerous one, too. That’s because the moment she meets him, she immediately suggests that he lead a coup on the American government and install himself as a dictator. As if we had to spell it out for anyone, this would be terrible, no good, very bad news for everyone, including Sister Sage herself. After all, why wouldn’t Homelander kill her once he takes control? She is the only person who could potentially find a way to take him down, just as she found a way to put him in power.
It’s unlikely that Sister Sage doesn’t know that’s a possibility, so what else does she have up her sleeve? She must have alternate plans, right? So, if Sister Sage has a countermeasure for Homelander trying to kill her, it’s possible she might already be planning his death, whether by teaming up with The Boys or with someone else to do her bidding.
New episodes of “The Boys” season 4 drop Thursdays on Prime Video.