#deepnoir

I think there is much more going on with Noir II than we realise. Noir II is no longer talkative and now reserved and distancing himself from people he once considered a friend like The Deep. He has fully gotten into character out of fear of Homelander so he thinks he needs to act submissive and obedient like the old Noir so he doesn't get killed like his predecessor was. Noir II started off in season 4 as an actor who wasn't getting the proper direction for the role and didn't understand him, it wasn't until The Deep gave him the idea that violence was power he got a taste of it and now gets off from the thrill of inflicting suffering and pain on others. He has fully embraced this violent side of Noir now and is willing to go to brutal methods just to get fully into character.

The Deep and Firecracker talk about how Noir isn't present during the meeting as he keeps disappearing in the afternoons and I think having him be absent when Soldier Boy is introduced to The Seven is a deliberate choice. I think Noir II goes to the places that Earving used to go such as Buster Beavers to gain a better understanding on his origins and why it was so important to him and over time he will learn more about the old Noir and fully step in to taking on his persona while going on contract killing missions just to feel the ecstasy that comes with murder boners. I feel like he will keep close tabs on Earving's family in order to learn more about him. Eventually he will soon uncover what Soldier Boy did to Earving back at Niguarga and this could lead to Noir II wanting to fully avenge his memory by having a proper confrontation with SB to pay off it not happening in season 3.

Earving died at the hands of Homelander because he kept the secret that Soldier Boy was his father and that secret haunted him forever. We saw that deleted scene where Homelander sought comfort in Noir II and opened to him like he did to his predecessor whom he once considered a friend. I feel like this really opened Noir II's eyes to the relationship Noir I and Homelander once had and he is scared that he will meet the same fate as his predecessor so he decides to stay silent and be as loyal as Earving was so Homelander doesn't figure out any of his secrets and kills him.

Noir II's silence and complicity to serving Homelander parallels the previous Noir's blind loyalty to Homelander before his death because he was traumatised by the abuse Soldier Boy put him through during his days in Payback and stayed loyal as a way so history doesn't repeat itself. Noir was the only person he could trust before he betrayed him. Even despite all of the abuse and fear Homelander puts his teammates through, he still carries that sick ideation that everyone in The Seven is family to him and he cries if one of them dies or goes away because his validation for love is deeply wired within him by the scientists to make him so easy to control. We see it when he cries disemboweling Noir I, crying over A-Train's coffin considering him a brother and his meltdown when he thought his father SB was dead. He seeks validation from his own team and just wants people to stay and love him. It makes him look pathetic. Noir II takes part in a silent role on a manosphere podcast with The Deep that promotes toxic masculinity while Earving was constantly emasculated by Soldier Boy as a result of his endless abuse and humiliation which we will see him break out of as the episodes go on.

Noir II desires to impress Homelander so he doesn't make those mistakes again and in his efforts to fully embrace this role, his final test is to follow Homelander's orders by killing someone in The Seven, someone that poses a traitorous risk to the team - The Deep, someone he has grown to consider a friend, someone he will need to kill in order to fully emulate this role. A step in his journey that results in him never going back. The Deep is on thin ice already with Homelander so it feels inevitable and being killed by his best friend would hurt a lot. A-Train warned him about his fate and knew how scared he was. His incompetencey and his slim efforts to try and do good and give The Boys insider information will lead to The Deep getting killed and a betrayal by his own friend would be the nail on the coffin he deserves. I think the way Noir II acts around The Deep by not talking to him and remaining silent proves this as well as a still from a recent promo for episode 3 where Noir II acts suspicious around The Deep where he talks about Soldier Boy. Noir II could possibly get a fate that darkly echoes Noir I's and he would die at the hands of his best friend for lying to him. Either way it is not looking good for both of them.