The Fresca The Boys gag is a bizarre ongoing joke in the superhero series that surrounds the character of The Deep. To the public, The Deep is a vain male model of a superhero, more concerned with Instagram likes and his hairstyle than saving lives. Behind closed doors, he is far worse, forcing Starlight to perform a 𝓈ℯ𝓍 act on him to keep her job. The Deep is publicly outed as a predator and quietly moved away from The Seven to a small town with minimal crime as punishment which is when The Boys Fresca joke begins.

In The Boys season 2, The Deep joins a cult. Now indoctrinated by the Church of the Collective, The Deep is encouraged to confront his self-esteem issues and earn back his spot in The Seven. Deep is accompanied on his journey of self discovery by Eagle the Archer and Carol, and the trio delight in doing some soul-searching over a cool, refreshing can of Fresca. The Fresca references in The Boys season 2 are so blatant and repetitive, it’s natural to imagine there must be some significance behind them.

Eric Kripke Says The Boys Fresca Plot Point Is A Joke

The Drink Just Represents What A Cult Member Would Drink

The official word on The Boys Fresca inclusion comes from showrunner Eric Kripke who says it is nothing more than an in-joke. Speaking with CinemaBlend, Kripke said that the writing team were trying to imagine what alcohol-free cult members would drink, and Fresca just happened to be the lucky winner, gradually transforming into a running joke whenever the Church of the Collective are on screen.

Taking the showrunner at his word, the Fresca joke could be seen as a riff on the “drinking the Kool-Aid” trope. Whenever someone buys into a conspiracy or cult, they’re said to be “drinking Kool-Aid” and the Church of the Collective’s obsession with Fresca could be The Boys‘ own spin on that familiar phrase. The “Kool-Aid” term comes from the real-life Jim Jones cult, where the self-professed minister led his followers into the desert, and he had them drink poisoned Kool-Aid, all dying.

What The Boys’ Fresca Joke Could Really Mean

It Could Represent “Kool-Aid” Or It Could Be Drugged

The Boys Fresca joke isn’t the first random, unexplained running gag in the series. When Butcher and the gang first debuted in 2019, season 1 included a fly prominently placed in several episodes, buzzing around the main cast. While Kripke dismissed the insect as an outtake included in the final edit for comedy value, it has emerged as one of many The Boys fan theories with speculation that there’s more to the fly, possibly an Ant-Man style superhero keeping tabs on Vought’s enemies.

Fresca seems to be The Boys season 2’s fly – something that could either be an inconsequential in-joke or a tease towards a future storyline. Heading into theory territory, perhaps The Deep is unknowingly involved in a Truman Show-esque reality series. Vought might’ve sidelined Kevin from The Seven, but they’d still be looking to make a profit from their biggest aquatic superhero. Deep could be caught in an elaborate hidden camera deception, with Eagle and Carol willing participants.

Perhaps the Church of the Collective’s leadership are lacing Fresca with a drug.

In this setup, the running Fresca joke could be product placement within the show, which should be called “Deep Undercover.” Alternatively, perhaps the Church of the Collective’s leadership are lacing Fresca with a drug to make their new recruits more compliant. The Deep seems to waver between skepticism and unquestionable devotion in The Boys season 2, and Fresca might explain why, making him more susceptible to the madcap teachings of his new cult friends.

The Boys Season 3 Furthered The Idea That Fresca Means Nothing

Erik Kripke Dismisses Any Ulterior Meaning

The Boys Fresca bit may have been a big part of season 2 of the show, but season 3 suggests it really was just a meaningless joke. The show seems to have dropped that joke in season 3 with no mention or appearance from Fresca at all. In fact, the Church of the Collective is no longer a significant part of the show as The Deep left the church to return to The Seven.

The storyline suddenly being dropped makes perfect sense.

In a way, the storyline suddenly being dropped makes perfect sense. The Deep is the kind of person who would devote himself to a new religion only until he got what he wanted and quickly moved on. That may mean the Church of the Collective will no longer be in The Boys and that the Fresca mystery will remain unsolved. However, it could also be for the best as the joke latest long enough that it was still a strange and funny element of the show and not so long that it became distracting.

Even The Boys Cast Doesn’t Understand The Fresca Joke

The Cast Seems Confused At Why Fresca Was Important

Even more unsettling is the fact that the show’s cast don’t understand what The Boys Fresca gag is supposed to mean. It could be that Kripke’s explanation of the joke really is that simple, but the cast members are also waiting with some trepidation for the other shoe to drop. Erin Moriarty, who plays Starlight, has said:

” I think we’re all waiting for like, ‘Okay, they’ll tell us what the Fresca is about. We’ll get there.’ What’s with the Fresca? ” (via CBR ).

Likewise, Crawford has admitted that even he doesn’t know what the Fresca is really supposed to mean. This is another layer on which the joke works perfectly; with even the actors uncertain about it, Fresca can continue to be a humorous and mystifying presence in The Boys season 3 and for the foreseeable future.

Fresca references in The Boys season 2 and onward are a harmless joke

Only time will tell as to whether the Fresca references in The Boys season 2 and onward are a harmless joke, or whether there’s a Deep-er significance Kripke is trying not to spoil. In the meantime, it’s certainly fun to speculate about The Deep’s cult future, and Fresca themselves are benefiting from the extra exposure – although whether they’re happy to be associated with the Church of the Collective is another matter.

Fresca Meaning Nothing Is Perfect For A Show Like The Boys

The Boys Have Lots Of Little Jokes Like This

The Boys is more than just a superhero satire. The series, and the comics it is based on, is a satire of the world in general. The idea of a major corporation using a superhero team as a marketing tool, and having its hands in deep into the United States governing policies, seems all too real. However, with all the issues and fun that the show pokes at the world, it makes sense there would be just as many silly, meaningless jokes added along the way. The repeated fly in season 1 is just one example.

There are also other repetitive jokes, with the biggest being Homelander’s milk obsession. What started out as Homelander’s creepy obsession with Madelyn and her breast milk turned into ridiculous moments, including one of him with an actual cow in a barn. Much like with the Fresca, Madelyn The Boys showrunner Erik Kripke just calls it a funny joke, and one that has no real meaning other than being something they add to the show to entertain fans who find it funny.