The Boys fans are only just realizing this main character was recast after the first season

The Boys recast a key character after season one - and most of us didn't even notice.

Season four of the x-rated Amazon Prime show is off to a cracking start, with that homage to The Human Centipede and a very famous A-Lister playing a horny octopus.

Most of the main cast of The Boys has remained the same throughout the show’s four seasons - can you imagine anyone other than Antony Starr and Karl Urban playing Homelander and Billy Butcher?

Yet all the way back in 2020, when The Boys season 2 aired, one of the supes looked very different when we were reintroduced to him.

Ryan Butcher, the son of Homelander and Becca Butcher, was originally played by Parker Corno.

He appeared very briefly in the cliffhanger ending to season one, in which Butcher discovers his wife Becca is alive, and has given birth to Homelander's son.

Ryan's role has only grown over the following seasons, with Butcher and Homelander fighting for control of the potentially incredibly dangerous super-powered kid.

But nowadays he's played by Cameron Crovetti.

A reason was never given for Ryan's recasting - after all, hardly anyone noticed it - but in 2020 Crovetti had a few more TV credits than Corno, and was perhaps better placed to handle Ryan's meatier role in future seasons.

This realization, which has been noted by many users on X (formerly Twitter), led many to be amazed by not noticing the recasting of such a noteworthy character.

“Nah this gotta be Mandela effect,” claimed one commenter.

Others shared similar sentiments: “The first time I rewatched I was like who the f**k is this little fella?”

While Crovetti’s physical characteristics bear less resemblance to Homelander than the original, many have noted that he now bears more of a resemblance to his character’s mother, Becca Butcher.

Cameron, 16, has previously shared what it's like to be in a famously x-rated TV show while still in his teens.

Posting a hilarious TikTok, Cameron captioned the clip: "Me watching the new episodes of The Boys with my family."

While he seems to be loving life initially, he looks slightly scarred when the caption reads: "The sauna scene in episode 2."

Yep, that sauna scene is sure not something you want to watch with your parents.