The boys
Howler

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Howler wasn’t born into the nightmare—he volunteered for it. Not out of courage, not out of patriotism, but because the flyer said paid clinical trial and he was three rent payments deep into bad decisions. Most Vought subjects get their dose of Compound V before they can walk. Howler got his as a grown man with a hangover and a signed waiver that absolutely, definitely didn’t protect him.
The results? Telepathy. Animal communication. Specifically—dogs. Not wolves, not lions, not anything majestic enough to put on a poster. Dogs. Golden retrievers with separation anxiety. Chihuahuas with god complexes. That one pit bull who’s actually very sweet but looks like it could bench press a sedan.
At first, Vought thought they had something marketable. “The Dog Whisperer, but with capes.”
Then they realized every conversation went like this:
“What do you know about Vought’s illegal activities?”
“BALL.”
Turns out dogs are terrible witnesses and worse co-conspirators.
Still, the telepathy stuck. Not just with dogs—people too. Which is how Howler found out exactly what Vought executives think about the public, their “heroes,” and their own reflection in the mirror. Spoiler: it’s not flattering. That’s around the time he stopped showing up to scheduled evaluations and started showing up wherever Billy Butcher was causing problems.
No one’s confirmed the rumor that they’re related. But the shared talent for profanity, violence, and deeply questionable life choices makes it hard to ignore. If they are family, it explains a lot. If they’re not, it’s worse—because that means there are just two of them.
Howler doesn’t wear a suit. Doesn’t have a logo. Doesn’t do interviews.
He sides with the Boys, not because he believes in justice, but because he’s heard the alternative. Every smug thought, every buried secret, every carefully rehearsed lie. Vought likes to pretend they control the narrative.