Queen Maeve

"The truth is, our weakness is the same as anyone's. It's people. The people we care about. So I say, cut them loose. For your good and for theirs. That way you're really bulletproof."

- Maeve

Queen Maeve is the major antagonist of the highly controversial adult comic-book series The Boys and the secondary antangonist in its 2019 Amazon Prime TV adaption.

As a warrior, a feminist, a humanitarian, and a member of The Seven, Queen Maeve is the ultimate role model for little girls all over the world. But to reach such astonishing heights, she’s had to make sacrifices along the way. Embracing the image that Vought demanded she accept meant abandoning the truths – and even some of the people – she held dear. Disillusioned and cynical, she’s now a shell of the determined idealist she once was.

In the Amazon series of the same name, she was portrayed by Dominique McElligott.

In the Comics
Queen Maeve is one of the most powerful and most important members of The Seven, only behind Homelander and Black Noir in terms of strength. Like the other members of The Seven, she was experimented on with "Compound V" in the womb and therefore developed abilities such as flight, invulnerability, super strength, and advanced combat. After the Seven's botched rescue of a passenger plane on 9/11, Maeve turned a nihilistic alcoholic.

She does not seem to show any interest in real-world events, instead spending her time gazing out the window, sipping martinis, and occasionally having sex with several bodybuilders at a time.

While mostly cold towards the new recruit, she does show some sympathy for Starlight. Maeve has been in a relationship with several prominent heroes such as Stormfront (although she cheated on him with another hero and produced a black child), and was even in a relationship with The Legend (the chief editor of Victory Comics), producing a child with him that would go on to become a hero known as Blarney Cock. Most notably, however, Maeve was in a relationship with Homelander, but broke up with him when he tricked her into having sex with Black Noir.

It was this that prompted her to work with the Boys and help them by installing several bugs in The Seven's headquarters. Maeve is eventually killed while protecting Starlight from Homelander and Black Noir. Although Homelander easily overpowered her, Maeve's sacrifice bought enough time for Starlight to escape.

Relationship with Homelander
Queen Maeve plays a conservative role within The Seven. She is always portrayed at Homelander's side and the two have past relationships. This relationship, however, becomes strained throughout season one. Queen Maeve first uses the relationship to sway Homelander in The Female of the Species, pleading with him to help save the hijacked flight, however she is unsuccessful in her efforts. The relationship is tested again, as Maeve tells Homelander to back off Starlight, with him remarking that he will because she asked.

Relationship with Starlight
Queen Maeve is the only member of The Seven that Starlight has a pseudo-positive relationship with. After Starlight is sexually assaulted in The Name of the Game by the Deep, Maeve advises her to forget about it.

Maeve further advises Starlight to be authentic later in the season after Starlight questions her membership with The Seven and Vought's morals. Maeve admits that she was once the same, however her time at Vought has changed her. She tells Starlight that she does not want to see the same thing happen with her.