Overview

Susan Rayner, known in the comics as The Handler, is the icy, calculating CIA director who oversees The Boys — not as allies, but as deniable assets in the covert war against Vought-American and its unstable Supes. Unlike her TV counterpart, she’s not military but intelligence — a Cold War relic who views heroism as a weaponized illusion. She deploys Butcher’s team with ruthless efficiency, offering just enough support to keep them alive but never enough to let them win outright. Her loyalty is to American interests, not morality. She’s the spider at the center of the web, manipulating Supes, politicians, and even her own team to maintain the fragile balance of power. In the comics, she’s not a fallen hero — she’s the architect of the shadows.

Personality

Rayner is the embodiment of bureaucratic lethality — calm, precise, and utterly devoid of sentiment. She speaks in measured tones, never raises her voice, and views human lives as variables in a geopolitical equation. She respects Butcher’s effectiveness but considers him a rabid dog on a leash — useful until he bites the wrong hand. She has no illusions about heroism; to her, Supes are WMDs with PR teams. Her humor is dry, her threats veiled, and her betrayals surgical. She believes in control above all — control of information, control of assets, control of narratives. She’ll sacrifice anyone, including The Boys, to prevent Supe dominance. Her greatest fear isn’t death — it’s irrelevance in a world that no longer plays by her rules.

Netizen Review

Comic fans regard Susan Rayner as one of the most chillingly realistic villains in The Boys — not because she’s evil, but because she’s bureaucratically amoral. Readers praise her as ‘the anti-Nick Fury’ — no charm, no heroism, just cold calculus. Her manipulation of Butcher’s grief and her orchestration of Supe takedowns made her a fan-favorite antagonist. Online forums dissect her every appearance, noting how she represents the banality of institutional evil. Memes dub her ‘The Woman Who Files Your Death Certificate Before You Die.’ Though less physically imposing than Homelander, fans rank her as more dangerous — because she doesn’t break bones, she breaks systems.

Famous Quotes

"You’re not heroes. You’re not even soldiers. You’re receipts. And receipts get filed away when the audit’s done."

— The Boys #12

"The mission outlives the man. The objective outlives the asset. Sentiment is a luxury paid for in blood."

— The Boys: Herogasm #3

"I don’t hate Supes. I hate that we need them. And I hate that we can’t kill them all at once."

— The Boys #18

Hobbies

Reading Cold War memoirs, Playing high-stakes chess via encrypted servers

Biography

CIA Ascension

Rose through Langley during the Cold War, specializing in disinformation and asset deniability.

The Boys Initiative

Championed the black-ops program to monitor and eliminate rogue Supes, handpicking Butcher as field lead.

Vought Containment

Engineered multiple Supe downfalls through blackmail, sabotage, and proxy warfare via The Boys.

Final Gambit

Attempted to trigger global Supe war to justify mass extermination — betrayed and killed by Butcher.

Psychological Profile

Traumatic Events

  • Witnessed a Supe massacre an entire embassy during a ‘peace summit’ in '83 (Age 32)

    Developed pathological distrust of all Supes; believes coexistence is mathematically impossible.

Defense Mechanisms

  • Intellectualization
  • Displacement

Phobias

  • Loss of Control: Assets operating off-mission or Supes acting unpredictably

    Manifestation: Initiates contingency protocols, including asset termination

Cultural Context

Ethnicity
White American (New England Elite)
Social Class
Noble (Old Money, Ivy League)
Religious Beliefs
Secular Pragmatism, American Exceptionalism as Doctrine
Language Patterns

Dialect: Upper-class American English, Ivy League diction

Catchphrases: Assets are expendable. Objectives are not., The mission outlives the man. Always.

Speech Patterns: Uses passive voice to distance herself from moral responsibility.

Relationship Dynamics

  • Billy Butcher

    Trust
    20%
    Type
    Mentor
    • Provided intel leading to Lamplighter’s capture (Trust +10%)
    • Withheld location of Becky’s killer (Trust -80%)

  • Homelander

    Trust
    0%
    Type
    Rival
    • Engineered false-flag op to frame him for war crimes (Trust -100%)

  • CIA Director

    Trust
    85%
    Type
    Mentor
    • Approved black budget for The Boys program (Trust +40%)

Notable Relationships

What was Rayner’s relationship with Billy Butcher?

Handler and asset — she exploited his hatred of Homelander, feeding him just enough intel to keep him useful but never free.

Why did she want to eliminate all Supes?

She viewed them as uncontrollable geopolitical liabilities — her solution was total eradication, not regulation.

How did she die?

Butcher discovered her plan to ignite global Supe war and executed her personally — a final act of twisted loyalty to his wife’s memory.

Images represent character appearances.

FAQ

Is Comic Rayner the same as TV Rayner?

No — comic Rayner is CIA, colder, and directly manipulates The Boys. TV Rayner is military and more of an ally.

What’s her ultimate goal?

Total global eradication of Supes through engineered war — she believes coexistence is impossible.

How does she control The Boys?

Blackmail, funding, and exploiting Butcher’s obsession with Homelander. She keeps them dependent and divided.

Who kills her?

Billy Butcher executes her after discovering she withheld the truth about his wife’s death.

Why is she so feared?

She doesn’t fight with fists or lasers — she destroys lives with files, lies, and calculated betrayals.

Will she appear in future adaptations?

Unlikely — her role is fulfilled by other characters in the TV universe, but fans beg for a comic-accurate version.

Susan Rayner/Comics Properties - Dashboard