Samuel L. Jackson Joins The Boys With a Surprise Cameo, Supercharging His Superhero Legacy

If you caught the latest episode of ‘The Boys’ and your ears perked up at a certain cameo, you’re not alone. Samuel L. Jackson’s voice is basically impossible to mistake, and this week, he turned up as—you guessed it—a talking hammerhead shark. Yes, really. Welcome to the world of ‘The Boys,’ where the only thing stranger than the superpowers is the celebrity guest list.

Samuel L. Jackson Gets Fishy

Here’s the setup: it’s the penultimate episode of Season 5, and The Deep is really feeling sorry for himself. Homelander just gave him the boot (well, he actually disbanded The Seven and said Deep could stick around because he’s loyal, but that’s a cold comfort). No more fame, no more saving the world, not even any respect from his aquatic buddies. And that’s where Samuel L. Jackson comes in, voicing Xander the hammerhead shark—aka the most Samuel L. Jackson type of hammerhead you’re ever going to hear.

If you’ve been keeping track, earlier in the season The Deep went on TV to endorse Vought’s contested underwater pipeline. Never mind that it was an environmental disaster waiting to happen; he let it roll, which led to catastrophic fish deaths after a sabotage by Black Noir. The Deep got revenge, but the sea creatures weren’t exactly feeling forgiving.

Cue: Xander. Jackson’s shark lays into The Deep, letting him know, in language only Samuel L. Jackson could get away with, that he’s been banned from the underwater world for selling out his own kind.

'The water is f**king off limits, you b**tch ass.'

That’s basically the gist of it: Deep’s burned his last bridge, and Samuel L. Jackson has absolutely no time for his drama—even from a recording booth.

Another Superhero Franchise, Another Jackson Cameo

Look, at this point, Samuel L. Jackson basically collects comic book franchises like other actors collect free branded water bottles at press junkets. He’s Nick Fury in the MCU, Mr. Glass in ‘Unbreakable,’ and now he’s a crusty talking hammerhead shark. The man is everywhere.

‘The Boys’ has a bit of a thing for surprising celebrity voices, especially when it comes to Deep’s bizarre aquatic love life. You might remember Tilda Swinton voice-playing Ambrosius the octopus (Deep’s very close friend, if you recall), in Season 4—a storyline that was absolutely as weird as it sounds.

How the Cameo Happened

Apparently, series creator Eric Kripke is just having fun with this pattern. As he put it to Entertainment Weekly:

'Wouldn’t it be hilarious if every time we hear from an ocean animal, it’s just the biggest possible, classiest actor we can possibly find, like Tilda?'

Turns out it’s not all that hard to rope in A-listers—a few lines, an hour or so in a studio (they don’t even have to leave New York), and suddenly you’ve got another memorable cameo. In Jackson’s case, he was already a fan of the show and happy to get in the booth. Kripke admits this was a bit of a “bucket list” goal for him, and, honestly, who wouldn’t want Jackson cursing them out, even if it’s just as a hammerhead shark?

‘The Boys’ All-Star Cameos (So Far):

• Charlize Theron as Stormfront (sort of) in a Vought movie (Season 3)
• Tilda Swinton as Ambrosius the octopus (Season 4)
• Josh Gad & others, ‘Imagine’ spoof (Season 4)
• Seth Rogen, recurring (Seasons 4 & 5)
• Season 5’s poker game: ‘Supernatural’ reunion plus a handful of comedians
• And now, Samuel L. Jackson as Xander the hammerhead (Season 5)

Final Thoughts

The upshot? If any show deserves to get Samuel L. Jackson—decked out as, well, a fish in this case—it’s ‘The Boys.’ Nobody lays down an ocean ban quite like he does, and as far as Deep’s luck goes, it’s probably better for everyone (especially the aquatic crowd) that he stays high and dry for a while.