The following contains spoilers for The Boys season 4 episode 8, “Assassination Run,” now streaming on Prime Video
Summary
The Boysseason 4 finale has brought back one of the show’s most dangerous Supes, and set her up for an important role in season 5. One of the best parts ofThe Boyshas always been the show’s ability to use the expansive superhero setting to create all sorts of unexpected (or goofy) powerhouses, ranging from long-time fixtures in the show to memorable one-off roles. Sometimes, they can be directparodies of Marvel and DC superheroes, as seen with Web Weaver and Tek-Knight. Other times, they fit neatly into the show’s critical and humorous approach to modern fan culture.
However, some of the Supes are dangerous wildcards, with abilities that make them deadly even to in-universe behemoths like the Seven. They can also have an unstable edge that makes them hard to predict. The ending ofThe Boysseason 4 finds a way to set up many of their returns as part of Sister Sage’s schemes.This includes one notable Supe from season 2, who has reentered the fray inThe Boysseason 4 ending. It’s clear they’re taking on a new role that teases more prominence for the character and their deadly power set in the fifth season.
I Love How The Boys Season 4 Has Told Direct Opposite Stories With 2 Seven Supes
With the Seven once again unravelling in The Boys, I’ve loved the way season 4 has told contrasting stories between two of the group’s biggest supes.
Cindy Returns As Part Of Homelander’s Army In The Boys Season 4’s Ending
Cindy Sets Up A Face Off With Starlight
The ending ofThe Boysseason 4 brings back Cindy as a member of Homelander’s Supe army, seemingly confirming her fate after her memorable appearance in season 2. After the death of Vicotira Neuman and Homelander’s subsequent rise to power, many of the Boys are quickly targeted and captured by his forces. This is a great way for the series to showcase which Supes are already working alongside him, including Cindy — who helps capture Hughie and forces Starlight to flee. A powerful psionic who appeared in season 2, Cindy was last seen hitchhiking away from the Vought-backed Sage Grove Center.
Even dangerous Supes like Lamplighter was frightened of her, hinting at her potential.This makes her recruitment as part of Homelander’s army all the more frightening. She quickly reiterated her dangerous potential by helping capture the Boys with little effort. Cindy’s presence among Homelander’s forces brings back one of the most underrated powerhouses within the world of Prime Video’sThe Boys, setting her up for a far more important role going forward in season 5. Even though she doesn’t have a direct comics counterpart, this helps reinforce the dangerous potential of Homelander’s army and the deadly scope of their powers.
Cindy’s Powers & Backstory In The Boys Explained
Cindy Played A Major Role In One Previous Episode OfThe Boys
Cindy was introduced in season 2’s “The Bloody Doors Off” as a patient/prisoner of the Sage Grove Center. She possesses a very dangerous and impressive power, even beyond the enhanced durability and strength that most Supes possess inThe Boys. As revealed during her escape in “The Bloody Doors Off,“Cindy has the ability to manipulate pressure with her mind. This allows her to crush objects and people into piles of bloody mush. Even when compared to the other deadly Supes that the Boys have encountered like the Seven, Cindy stands out as one of the most easily lethal.
While the heroes may have found ways to combat other Supes,they were forced to simply flee from Cindy when she lashed out during their break-in to the Sage Grove Center. Notably, this makes her especially dangerous at a distance, as seen when she wiped out guards during her escape from the facility with little effort. Little is known about Cindy outside and her backstory, and she lacks a direct counterpart in the comics who could illuminate more about her. This all makes her a huge mystery that could be expanded upon in the upcoming final season of the series.
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Cindy Could Become A Major Player For The Boys Season 5’s Villain Team
Cindy’s Power Set Can Easily Counter Other Supes
Cindy’s presence among Homelander’s Supe army is a harrowing tease of the direction season 5 could be going. Thanks to her ability to control pressure, Cindy is more than capable of dispatching humans or holding back Supes who resist her. If Homelander’s plans for the world become as bleak as they’ve been teased, then she could be a very effective means of dispatching people for her boss.Her very presence is a deterrent, similar to how Victoria Neuman’s ability to explode heads from afar made her capable of brushing off threats from characters like Butcher or even Kimiko with ease.
There’s also the fact that she’s likely to be more than happy to take out her anger and frustration with the world by eliminating people who could oppose Homelander and Sister Sage’s schemes.Homelander’s plans for the future seem to hint at the ideal place for someone like Cindy, who can use their powers to take down very dangerous enemies with ease. Thanks to her power set and casual approach to using it with lethal force, Cindy may quietly be one of Homelander’s most lethal allies, and with a clear willingness to use her powers whenever they are called for.
The Boys Season 5 Can Still Confirm A Major Cindy Theory
Similar Power Sets Could Connect Cindy & Victoria
Cindy’s backstory remains a mystery, although more could be revealed about her in the course of season 5. However, things could get especially complicated for the Boys and Cindy if a popular theory about her origins proves true. Because of their similar mental power-sets and methods,some fans have been theorizing that there’s a connection betweenCindy and Victoria Neuman, with some even arguing they could be sisters or otherwise related. After Cindy was introduced, she was briefly theorized as a possible culprit behind the surprise assassinations of various government officials, which Neuman was eventually revealed to be responsible for
Although that was disproven, the fact Cindy and Victoria possess similar powers could still hint at a connection. If true, then the discovery thatButcher killed Victoria might give Cindy extra reason to hunt him down, putting a very dangerous Supe directly on Butcher’s trail. This could make Cindy a surprisingly important figure in the season, either by being a complication to Butcher’s plans by becoming his adversary — or becoming one of Butcher’s early victims to show how dangerous he’s really become. WithThe Boysapproaching an explosive finale in season 5, Cindy may finally reach her full dangerous potential.
The Boys
Cast
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
