‘X-Men’ Alum Shawn Ashmore Supes Up With ‘The Boys’ for Season 2

Sometimes Going Rogue Pays Off

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One of our favorites is joining one of our favorites. Don’t you love when that happens?!

Big-screen X-Men alum Shawn Ashmore (who we adored in The Following) will be firing up his inner superhero again for The Boys, but unlike his chilly Marvel alter ego of Iceman, Ashmore will be playing with fire as Lamplighter. Described in a release as “a former superstar” member of the Seven who was replaced by Starlight (Erin Moriarity) after leaving under mysterious circumstances, Lamplighter is directly tied to the Boys’ tragic history — he’s actually the reason they broke up 8 years ago. “So when he enters their lives again, he dredges up painful memories, pokes at their raw nerves, and changes everything.” And we can confirm, having been on set during Ashmore’s filming, he’s not done creating trouble.

“We were thrilled that Shawn — who is, let’s be honest, an OG superhero — wanted to play the crucial part of Lamplighter,” offers showrunner Eric Kripke. “He brings so much depth, menace and world-weary humanity to this former member of the Seven. And Shawn is a really good guy. We’re grateful to have him join our bloody little family.”

A self-confessed fan of The Boys already, Ashmore adds that “I watched the show before I was cast, so I sort of knew [Lamplighter] and I was wondering about this character. What was fun for me stepping in is that a lot of the mythology and the backstories are already built, and I was asking myself ‘Who is this character? What is this character?’ There’s going to be a preconceived notion of who this character is based on his actions, based on how people talk about him. What the show does well with everybody including Lamplighter is peel some of those layers back.”

Amazon Prime Video’s deliciously irreverent, violent and hilarious superhero satire is set to premiere its wildly anticipated second season next month. There will also be an aftershow titled Prime Rewind: Inside The Boys hosted by Aisha Tyler that will debut on August 28 with a look back at Season 1.

The Boys, Season 2 Premiere, Friday, September 4, Amazon Prime Video