Of the handful of protests that broke out in Toronto yesterday, one demonstration was much less tense.

Unlike the huge vaccine passport protest, this was just a staged demonstration — an elaborate scene carefully crafted for the latest season of Amazon Prime's superhero/black comedy hit, The Boys.

Is this an anti mask rally or filming for @TheBoysTV 🤔🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/w6csDdRMb3

— certified lover Brock (@brockmclaughlin) September 1, 2021

No, it wasn't an anti-mask rally.

Still, it seems that season three of The Boys will be building on the storylines established in the last season that tap into the zeitgeist of the current era of intense political division.

Maybe this explains why some people spotted a copycat Q-anon Shaman roaming David Pecaut Square yesterday.

Filming Update!
We are holding back on lots of #TheBoys photos because some crazy stuff went down yesterday evening and don't want to spoil 🤫 the shocking events. 🦸‍♂️🎥🎬

For now, here is the QAnon Shaman and Homelander talking to the crew. pic.twitter.com/uRT6JnSLNL

— Toronto Filming (@TOFilming_EM) September 2, 2021

Warnings were posted along fences to curb some of the confusion. These signs likely came in handy when actual protests broke out elsewhere in the city.

“The Boys” filming a Protest scene with Homelander in Toronto
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.#theboys #theboystv #homelander #antonystarr #vought #protest #onset @TOFilming_EM @WhatsFilmingON https://t.co/rd6RMSatRq pic.twitter.com/KVAY0olz1B

— onset_toronto (@onset_toronto) September 2, 2021

One of the lead actors, Antony Starr, was spotted in full costume suspended from wires as pedestrians filmed from nearby streets.

#THEBOYS filming in Toronto today pic.twitter.com/U6hu0JLzS3

— :) (@ghostgal22) September 1, 2021

Starr plays Homelander, leader of a group of superheroes controlled by a corrupt corporation, at war with the titular group of vigilantes known as "The Boys," who try to expose the superheroes' true nature.

Focused

BTS on the set with @antonystarr aka "Homelander" on the set of @TheBoysTV @TOFilming_EM @WhatsFilmingON @TheBoysTV #TheBoys #TheBoystv #HOmelander pic.twitter.com/zF9yTZmCgC

— Dewucme (@jlpconcepts) September 2, 2021

As with the previous two seasons, the streets of Toronto serve as a stand-in for New York City, with other GTA locations like Hamilton and Mississauga used as well.

They're baaaaaack! It's #TheBoys filming in downtown Toronto again transforming TO into the USA. 🎬 They are right around The Seven Tower aka Vought Tower. See the flag? 🇺🇲 Homelander must be nearby! @TOFilming_EM pic.twitter.com/CTEsNMUbH2

— Anita Windisman (@AnitaWindisman) August 31, 2021

Massive tax incentives regularly pull filmmakers to Toronto to double as US cities with higher filming costs. Toronto occasionally even gets to play itself.

Breaking news! Not one, but two news crews and police on the scene to cover a demonstration on the set 🎬 of #TheBoys filming in Toronto 🇨🇦 aka New York 🇺🇲. Did I see Homelander? Yes, I did! @TOFilming_EM pic.twitter.com/28QSdRGLF8

— Anita Windisman (@AnitaWindisman) September 2, 2021

The Metro Toronto Convention Centre and Roy Thomson Hall have had a constant presence throughout the show's first two seasons, the latter standing in as the base of the fictional Vought Tower.

The first filming activity for the new season began early this year, though it is not yet known whether subsequent lockdowns have slowed production.

Based on the filming timelines of previous seasons, it is expected that The Boys Season 3 will debut on Amazon Prime between late 2021 to early 2022.