If there’s one thing Prime Video’s The Boys proves, it’s that it’s good to be suspicious of the powerful. While the near-invincible Homelander is the most terrifying sociopath currently on our screens, none of the Compound-V-augmented characters in this show are good people. Heck, even the characters without superpowers are pretty gross.

But that’s part of the charm, and the reason why The Boys is such subversive fun. If you’ve binged the final episodes and are looking for more laser-eyed, 'Herogasm'-style entertainment—and you’ve already burned through all the other TV shows in the same vein—don’t fret: There are also a bunch of movies, novels, podcasts, and video games that will scratch that itch.

The best books like The Boys

Superheroes behaving badly has been a literary theme for a very long time, and there are some excellent books about folks with superpowers (and super problems) waiting to be discovered.

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The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1

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Steelheart (The Reckoners)

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Vicious (Villains, 1)

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We Could Be Heroes: a novel – A Gripping Sci-Fi Fantasy Adventure of Superheroes and Lost Memories

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Soon I Will Be Invincible (07) by Grossman, Austin [Paperback (2008)]

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The Umbrella Academy, by Gerard Way

If you’re looking for superhero messiness, this comic book series (also adapted into a terrific Netflix show) is perfect. When dozens of super-powered children are mysteriously born around the world, an alien in disguise adopts seven of them, forms them into the Umbrella Academy, and trains them to save the world from a future apocalypse. Familial dysfunction, heel turns, and messy personal lives afflict the kids, and when they reform as adults, their lingering resentments (and mental health issues) make saving the world as messy as you’d hope.

Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson

It’s tuned to a younger audience than The Boys (no Herogasms here), but the story will appeal to the show’s fans. When a mysterious alien artifact begins orbiting Earth, some people become “Epics” gifted with uncanny superpowers. The Epics naturally let their absolute power corrupt them absolutely almost immediately, and the world swirls into chaos. Just like The Boys, in Steelheart, a group of scrappy, angry regular folks band together, determined to kill Epics—and things get pretty epic indeed.

Vicious, by V.E. Schwab

Schwab’s take on less-than-heroic superheroes is a bit more personal than The Boys, but no less entertaining. Victor Vale and Eli Cardale meet as college roommates and discover a way to gain superpowers, turning people into what they call Extraordinaries. A disastrous experiment lands Victor in jail and prompts Eli to dedicate himself to hunting down Extraordinaries and eliminating them. When Victor escapes his cell, the two former friends are suddenly on a terrifying collision course.

We Could Be Heroes, by Mike Chen

Flawed people misusing their special abilities? Look no further than We Could Be Heroes. Jamie and Zoe have both lost much of their memories, their pasts a total mystery. Both also have extraordinary abilities they use in selfish, stupid ways: Jamie can read minds and erase memories, and uses his power to scam his way through life. Zoe is incredibly fast and strong, and uses those advantages to scratch out a living and occasionally beat down some bullies. When they meet and partner to seek out their missing memories, they find themselves forced to grow up and step up—if they can.

Soon I Will be Invincible, by Austin Grossman

Grossman’s 2007 novel follows two super-powered characters: Dr. Impossible, possessing super strength and intellect, and Fatale, a cyborg recently recruited into a group of superheroes called the New Champions. As Fatale helps the team investigate the disappearance of a super called CoreFire, she becomes disillusioned—superheroes, it turns out, are as petty and selfish as anyone else. And when Dr. Impossible breaks out of prison to launch his thirteenth attempt to take over the world, he’s haunted by his constant failures. Witnessing the mess these two make is perfect entertainment for fans of The Boys.

The best movies like The Boys

There is no shortage of feature-length interrogations of the superhero myth. If you want more flawed, all-too-normal heroes failing upward, these movies are among the best.

Watchmen (2009)

Adapted from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s all-time classic graphic novel, the film shows us an alternate tim

The Best Books, Movies, Video Games, and Podcasts to Check Out After Watching ‘The Boys’