Sterling K. Brown turned down a villain role on The Boys: ‘It was very tempting’

By Joe Allen Published January 25, 2025

Sterling K. Brown has only dipped his toes into the world of superhero-dom, but in a recent interview with Variety, the actor said that he turned down a role on one of the biggest superhero shows on TV. Brown explained that he turned down what would have been a season-long villain role on The Boys, a role which he was very tempted to take.

“I think it was a bad guy [role], because it was very tempting,” Brown explained. “But a full-season arc, they are in Toronto — it’s tough. Listen, these are champagne problems I’m talking about here! But because I’m blessed enough to already have certain things in place, I get a chance to be a bit more choosy [about what projects I do].”

Brown didn’t offer any more details about which villainous role he may have been offered, and The Boys is not the kind of show with a short list of villains. Thus far, Brown’s only exposure to superhero projects was his small but hugely impactful role as N’Jobu in Black Panther. Brown plays the father of Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger and the man who inspires his son’s radical philosophy. When asked if he would ever consider returning to Marvel, Brown didn’t hesitate.

“I feel like Marvel should be like Law & Order — after a certain number of years, you gotta reset, you get to come back,” Brown said. “I would love to come back to the Marvel universe, absolutely. Please have me back. Please, please. Thank you.”

He might not have wanted to do The Boys, but it’s clear that Brown isn’t opposed to superhero projects more generally.