It’s a Supes world, we’re just living in it. In season 4 of The Boys on Amazon Prime Video, the fight between the vigilante group, Vought International, and superheroes who are anything but continues.
Megalomaniacal Homelander (Antony Starr) is dealing with a superhero-sized midlife crisis, and his declining, unhinged personality has led to more damage and destruction than ever. The season’s final episode sets things up not only for the final season of The Boys but for the second season of spinoff series Gen V, too.
Homelander’s (rather, Sage’s) plans finally come to fruition
Through the season, Homelander clenched his teeth as Sage (Susan Heyward) assured him that her moves were carefully calculated. Angry that he wasn’t seeing immediate results, he fired her in the penultimate episode. Then, in a fit of frustration, he outed Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) as a secret Supe on live TV.
This betrayal leads Neuman to realize that she’ll only ever be a puppet, and she makes an appeal to Hughie (Jack Quaid): She’ll help them in exchange for helping her leave with her daughter. Hughie wants to give her a chance, but the others are unsure.
Meanwhile, an assassination attempt on Robert Singer (Jim Beaver) by a clever shapeshifter posing as Annie/Starlight (Erin Moriarty), and a leaked video implicating Singer in an assassination plot against Neuman, leads Sen. Calhoun (David Andrews) to be named president. He has decided to declare martial law, deputizing Supes who will all report to Homelander, granting him newfound power and autonomy. The plan is to remove “dangerous” Starlight supporters from the government and the streets. “America will be safe again,” Homelander declares.
It’s what Sage had planned all along, she boastfully tells Homelander. Why did she do it? To see if she could, and because it was “so fun.” Apparently, she’s just getting started. Now, it’s time for Phase 2.
While Homelander is on top of the world with a renewed sense of purpose, relevance, and power, a post-credits scene sees him learning that Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) is being kept alive in a chamber. How this will play into the story remains to be seen.
Billy Butcher (probably) isn’t going to die after all
The looming worry throughout the season was how Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) would survive a terminal diagnosis. In an earlier episode, he reveals to Hughie that he took Compound V thinking it might help, but it only made his symptoms worse. This, however, wasn’t the case. Butcher is now a Supe with the power to unravel lethal snake-like creatures from his chest, like a deadly octopus that can kill multiple enemies at once.
He uses this power to keep everyone else away while literally tearing Victoria in half. “You’re all fucking welcome,” he declares with a smirk as he walks out of the warehouse leaving the others stunned, covered in blood, and staring at Victoria’s bloody, dismembered body.
Why the switch in Butcher? Up until this point, he was focused on doing right by Becca (Shantel VanSanten) and saving Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) from Homelander. But when he and Grace Mallory (Laila Robins) stage a coup to convince Ryan to help them eliminate his father, it goes horribly wrong.
Ryan is angered at the mere thought, not to mention being lured into a room and virtually threatened. He throws Grace against the wall, killing her instantly. The look in his eyes as he peers at Butcher while walking away suggests Ryan is going down a dark path. Butcher has no choice but to go diabolical.
What happens in the end?
Through the season, The Boys have been trying their best to be one step ahead. With the help of a fed-up A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), they got useful information along the way. But they still aren’t closer to making a difference.
In fact, they’re even further away from stopping Homelander. The plans have been exposed, A-Train has been outed as the leak, and he’s on the run. Desperate to save her own life, Ashley (Colby Minifie) has taken Compound V.
The Boys disperse, with plans to move on with new passports and identities until the dust settles. But Frenchie (Tomer Capone) and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) are met by Cate (Maddie Phillips) from Gen V, who, with her power of persuasion through touch, whispers something in Frenchie’s ear.
Seemingly in a trance, he gets into the back of a van with her. Kimiko, held back by Gen V’s Sam (Asa Germann) looks on horrified, and for the first time ever, utters a sound, screaming “no!” at the top of her lungs.
Hughie and Annie are stopped, too, but Annie’s powers have returned, and she shoots up into the air as Starlight before she can be subdued. MM (Laz Alonso) is attacked by Love Sausage (Derek Johns) in the airport bathroom. The plan to eliminate Starlight supporters has begun.
What’s next for The Boys?
The Boys has been renewed for a fifth and final season. Through connections with Gen V, which exists in a parallel timeline, there’s more crossover potential for the two shows.
What we do know by the end is that Butcher is a Supe (and presumably so is Ashley) but most importantly, he has the only remaining bit of the anti-Supe virus left, sitting in a vial ready to go. Sister Sage has more plans for Homelander. With his newfound political power and legion of blind devotees, they’re the most dangerous duo ever on the show.
Frenchie may be forced to do something he doesn’t want to do, and a Kimiko who speaks could be even more lethal than a silent one. Starlight might have to fight on her own while the status of Hughie and MM remains unknown. Firecracker (Valorie Curry) is the voice of the Supes, delivering tearful news reports about how Homelander is going to change the world. With Homelander more irrational than ever, and with a bigger platform to spread his vitriol, there’s no telling what he might do.
Stream The Boys on Amazon Prime Video.
