You don’t need Compound V to explore the world of The Boys.
Despite the show’s fictional New York setting, much of the series has been filmed in Toronto and across Southern Ontario. Toronto’s concert halls, parks, restaurants, public squares and streets have repeatedly been transformed into the corporate-controlled world of Vought International. (Wikipedia)
This self-guided walking tour connects some of the most recognizable The Boys filming locations in downtown Toronto.
Distance: Approximately 6 km
Walking time: Roughly 1 hour 20 minutes without stops
Recommended time: 2½–3 hours
Start: Roy Thomson Hall
Finish: Sherbourne Common
Best for: The Boys fans, film lovers and anyone interested in seeing how Toronto is transformed for the screen
Stop 1: Roy Thomson Hall — Vought Tower
60 Simcoe Street
Start at one of the most recognizable locations in the entire series.
In real life, Roy Thomson Hall is one of Toronto’s best-known concert venues. In The Boys, its sweeping glass exterior forms the base of Vought’s Seven Tower, headquarters of Homelander, Starlight and the rest of the Seven. (Destination Toronto)
Of course, when you stand in front of it, you’ll notice something important:
The skyscraper isn’t there.
Production uses the real curved exterior of Roy Thomson Hall and digitally builds the enormous Vought tower above it. (Atlas of Wonders)
What to look for
Stand across Simcoe Street or walk into David Pecaut Square and look back toward the hall.
Compare the distinctive curved glass structure with Vought Tower on screen. The lower architecture is surprisingly recognizable once you know what you’re looking for.
Behind the scenes
This is a great example of how location scouting actually works.
Production didn’t need to find a real building that looked exactly like Vought Tower. It needed an interesting architectural base that visual effects artists could extend.
The real location provided the first part of the illusion. VFX built the rest.
Stop 2: David Pecaut Square — Outside Vought Headquarters
Directly beside Roy Thomson Hall
You barely have to walk to reach the second stop.
David Pecaut Square has been used for rallies and crowd scenes surrounding Vought headquarters, with Roy Thomson Hall and the neighbouring buildings appearing in the background. (Toronto Life)
Walk through the square and turn toward Roy Thomson Hall.
Suddenly it becomes much easier to imagine the entire area filled with Vought banners, cameras, spectators and superheroes.
The Scene Scout perspective
This stop demonstrates why productions don’t evaluate filming locations in isolation.
The surroundings matter too.
A building becomes significantly more useful when it has an adjoining plaza capable of accommodating crowds, camera positions and additional action.
Roy Thomson Hall and David Pecaut Square effectively give filmmakers several environments within one compact production area.
Walk to Stop 3: Sankofa Square
From David Pecaut Square, head east along King Street and then north toward Dundas Street.
You’ll pass through some of Toronto’s busiest downtown streets — exactly the kind of environment the production has repeatedly used to help Toronto double for New York.
Stop 3: Sankofa Square — Toronto Playing New York
1 Dundas Street East
Formerly known as Yonge-Dundas Square, Sankofa Square was among the prominent Toronto locations used during filming of The Boys. (Wikipedia)
With giant electronic billboards, heavy pedestrian traffic and surrounding towers, the location already has the visual density filmmakers need to suggest Times Square-style New York.
Production can then alter signage, add fictional advertising and carefully control what appears within the frame.
What to look for
Don’t just look at the square itself.
Look upward.
Notice how much of the environment consists of screens, advertisements, storefronts and vertical architecture.
Those layers give production designers plenty to work with when transforming Toronto into another city.
Behind the scenes
Toronto regularly doubles for American cities because filmmakers don’t necessarily need to reproduce an entire city.
They only need to control what appears inside the camera frame.
Change a street sign.
Replace an advertisement.
Position American vehicles.
Avoid recognizable Toronto landmarks.
And suddenly Yonge Street doesn’t necessarily read as Toronto anymore.
Walk to Stop 4: Allan Gardens
Continue east along Dundas or Gerrard toward Jarvis Street.
As you leave the high-rise commercial core behind, Toronto’s architecture changes noticeably — which is exactly why the city offers productions so many different looks within a relatively small area.
Stop 4: Allan Gardens
160 Gerrard Street East
The Boys has also filmed at Allan Gardens, the historic park and conservatory near Jarvis and Carlton. Location databases identify the park as appearing in the series. (MovieMaps)
The park provides almost the opposite visual environment from Vought headquarters.
Instead of reflective glass, corporate plazas and giant advertisements, you have mature trees, pathways and Victorian-era park surroundings.
The Scene Scout perspective
This is a reminder that a filming location doesn’t have to be spectacular to be useful.
Productions constantly need ordinary environments where characters can talk, walk or simply move between major story moments.
A park bench can sometimes be as important to a day’s shooting schedule as an elaborate mansion.
Stop 5: George Street Diner
129 George Street
Head south toward Richmond Street and you’ll find one of the tour’s most recognizable everyday locations:
George Street Diner.
The old-school diner has appeared in The Boys, including as the restaurant where Annie meets Gecko. (Toronto Life)
Unlike Vought Tower, this is one location where the transformation is relatively subtle.
It looks like a diner on screen because it really is one.
Make this your break
This is the ideal point in the tour to stop for coffee or something to eat.
It also offers an interesting contrast with Roy Thomson Hall.
One location required enormous digital alteration.
The other was useful largely because filmmakers liked what was already there.
The Scene Scout perspective
Existing businesses can be extremely attractive filming locations when they already have strong character.
A distinctive diner, barbershop, restaurant or store may require very little production design because the real environment already tells a story.
Stop 6: Cathedral Church of St. James
106 King Street East
Continue south and west toward King Street to reach the Cathedral Church of St. James.
The historic church appears in The Boys, including the sequence in which Hughie approaches Annie seeking her help. The cathedral is among the confirmed Toronto locations used by the production. (IMDb)
Its Gothic Revival architecture gives the series a completely different visual texture from the modern environments surrounding Vought.
Look around this part of Old Toronto and you’ll see why productions like the neighbourhood.
Within only a few blocks are historic churches, brick buildings, modern office towers, restaurants and parks.
A production can create several different fictional environments without moving very far.
Walk to the Waterfront
From St. James Cathedral, continue east and then head south toward Queens Quay.
The transition is another good demonstration of Toronto’s versatility.
Within a short walk you’ll move from historic Old Toronto to one of the city’s most modern waterfront districts.
Stop 7: Sherbourne Common — The Waterfront
61 Dockside Drive
Finish the tour at Sherbourne Common on Toronto’s waterfront.
The location has appeared in The Boys and was among the recognizable Toronto sites used during production. (Filmaps)
Its modern pavilion, open plaza and waterfront setting give filmmakers large sightlines and a contemporary urban environment that can be extensively dressed for a scene.
It’s also a particularly good final stop because you can look back toward the city skyline and see just how many different environments you’ve crossed during a relatively short walk.
Bonus Location: Lower Bay Station
There’s one famous The Boys Toronto location you won’t see in quite the same way during a normal walking tour.
Beneath the active Bay subway station is Lower Bay, a disused TTC platform that has been used extensively by film and television productions.
The Boys filmed there as well. (Wikipedia)
Because it isn’t ordinarily accessible as a normal subway platform, we haven’t included it as part of the walking route.
But it’s worth knowing what’s underneath you if you pass through Bay Station.
For filmmakers, Lower Bay is extraordinarily useful: production gets the visual authenticity of a real subway station without having to take over a functioning platform filled with commuters.
Want to Go Beyond Downtown?
Some of the show’s most impressive Ontario locations aren’t practical to include on a walking tour.
Across the series, production has travelled beyond central Toronto to locations in Hamilton, Mississauga, Oshawa and elsewhere in the Golden Horseshoe. (Wikipedia)
Those locations deserve their own driving tour.
For now, though, this downtown route demonstrates something important about filming in Toronto.
Within a few kilometres, The Boys can find:
a superhero corporate headquarters,
a New York-style public square,
a neighbourhood park,
an authentic diner,
a Gothic cathedral,
a waterfront memorial setting,
and an underground subway platform.
That’s the real movie magic behind Toronto.
The city doesn’t just provide one look.
It provides hundreds.
See Toronto Through a Location Scout’s Eyes
At The Scene Scout, we’re interested in more than showing you where something was filmed.
We want to show you why filmmakers chose that location in the first place.
A property doesn’t need to be famous to have filming potential.
Sometimes it’s an unusual façade.
A large kitchen.
A dated basement.
An industrial loading area.
A dramatic staircase.
A long driveway.
Or simply a room with exactly the proportions a production needs.
That’s why we’re building a new database connecting film and television productions with interesting locations throughout Toronto and beyond.
Have a property that could belong on screen? Submit your location to The Scene Scout.