Summary
This article contains spoilers from The Boys season 4 finale.
The Boysseason 4 ends a finale trend for Homelander and Billy Butcher. Despite making many selfish and destructive choices throughout seasons 2 and 3, both seasons concluded with Butcher ultimately making the right choice. In season 2, he ensured that Ryan would not fall into the hands ofStan Edgar and Vought, despite the deal he made with Edgar. Butcher also honored the dying wishes of his wife, Becca, and chose to protect Ryan, even after Ryan’s power inadvertently killed her.
In season 3, Butcher sacrificed his best chance yet at destroying Homelander by going back on the deal he made with Soldier Boy, even working with Homelander to defeat Soldier Boy to protect Ryan. As for Homelander, both the season 2 and 3 finales saw him suffering major defeats, as he lost Stormfront and Ryan at the end of season 2, and he lost the opportunity to happily unite with the father he never knew, Soldier Boy, in season 3.The Boysseason 4 endinghas now stopped this trend for both Butcher and Homelander.
I Can’t Believe How The Boys Handled Soldier Boy In Season 4
The Boys season 4 brings its story to a satisfying close during its finale, but the way the show handles Soldier Boy is a bit disappointing.
The Boys Season 4 Ends With Butcher Doing The Wrong Thing And Homelander Winning
Butcher Kills Neuman And Homelander Now Controls The U.S. President
The Boys' penultimate season culminates with Butcher choosing to do the wrong thing when he murders Victoria Neuman. As the tentacles fromBilly Butcher’s newfound powerstear Neuman apart as her daughter watches, he gives into his darkness, listening to the devil on his shoulder in the form of Joe Kessler instead of listening to the angel on his shoulder, Becca. Killing Neuman after she surrendered and was simply trying to escape from Homelanderis a stark contrast from the noble choices Butcher made at the ends of season 2 and 3.
On the other hand, season 4 ends with Homelander getting nearly everything he has always wanted. With President Calhoun as his pawn, Homelander is essentially in control of the United States of America government, and he is already taking advantage of this power with martial law being legally enforced through hundreds of deputized supes reporting directly to him. Thanks to the planning of the genius Sage,Homelander is the winner by the end ofThe Boysseason 4 and the Boys are the losers.
Why Season 4 Ends The Boys' Butcher/Homelander Finale Trend
The Change Is Needed For Season 5
Season 4 had to end its Butcher and Homelander finale trend becauserepeating it would have lessened the stakes forThe Boys' final season. To sufficiently raise the stakes for season 5, the balance of power needs to be shifted, with the villainous Homelander at the peak of his power, and the Boys more thoroughly defeated than they have ever been. This makes the Boys' fight more dire than ever as the future they were trying to prevent has already happened.
Having Butcher do the right thing and having Homelander lose yet again also would have been too repetitive and threatened to make the series feel stale. Homelander loses his potency as a villain if he is always defeated by the end of the season and Butcher’s inner conflict would not feel genuine if he always makes the right choice in the end.The Boysseason 4 finaleis now more distinctive because ofhow it changes the character arcs for Butcher and Homelander, along with making the setup for season 5 more intriguing.
The Boys Season 4’s Ending Proves Butcher & Homelander Will Both Be Villains In Season 5
This Will Impact Ryan’s Fate
While Homelander has always been a villain, Butcher has been more of an antihero.Butcher’s role has now changed with his decision to kill Neuman, cementing him as a full-on villain for season 5. This is further confirmed by the way he grins after murdering Neuman and when looking back at Kessler in the backseat of his car as he drives away. Butcher has now become the same evil he fought to destroy and allowed his anger, pain, and desperate need for vengeance to consume him.
This does not bode well for Ryan, as both of his father figures are now villainsand may corrupt him further. Homelander can never be redeemed and has never been a good father to Ryan, but there may still be hope for Butcher, who still has time to redeem himself and to guide Ryan in the right direction. The conflict between Homelander and Butcher has been building sinceThe Boys' first episode and will now come down to a clash of two villains unless Butcher can earn his redemption.
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.
