The Boys showrunner explains reason behind dark season 2 twist

However, the final scene of episode three reveals a horrifying secret to her personality that effectively sets her up to be one of the show's most "disturbing" characters (spoilers for The Boys season two, episode three).

The climactic sequence sees Stormfront go on a violent tirade, killing several innocent people before barbarically killing so-called super terrorist Kenji, uttering a racial slur as she does so.

In an interview with The Wrap, Kripke revealed why they chose to depict Stormfront favourably at first, before dropping such a massive bombshell on viewers in episode three.

"We sort of intentionally misdirected that in the beginning for the frankly disturbing reason that, if you look at a lot of nationalism and white supremacy these days, it’s online," he said.

"It couches itself in very savvy, friendly terms to attract young people. And we wanted to reflect that, because hate doesn’t come at you with a big neon sign that says, ‘Hey, we’re hate.’ They come at you in pretty insidious and attractive packages because they know how social media works.

"So we wanted a character that when you first met her you’d be like, ‘Oh, wow. What a free thinker. She’s so attractive and interesting.’ And then you sort of reveal that she’s peddling the same s**t that people having been peddling for a thousand years."

The Boys' Stormfront star Cash spoke to RadioTimes.com about her character's offensive dialogue, defending its inclusion as "in service to a bigger conversation".

She said: “Obviously, we’re going to deal with some very topical issues and some very sensitive issues, and walking that tightrope of not glorifying, but also expressing in a way that is real... So, not shying away from the language, not tiptoeing around that I think is important.

"It doesn’t mean it’s not uncomfortable as a human, but I also think unfortunately people who don’t look like me hear those things quite often. And for me not to say that when I’m playing someone who believes those things, would do a disservice to the trauma that people suffer hearing those things all the time.

"So hopefully it’s in service to a bigger conversation."

The Boys season two is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video, new episodes every Friday. Sign up for Amazon Prime for £7.99 a month with a 30-day free trial. Check out our list of the best movies on Amazon Prime and best Amazon Prime series, or visit our TV Guide for something else to watch.