After just eight short episodes, Amazon’s The Boys has come to an end for another season. Based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic book of the same name, showrunner Eric Kripke delivered another swear-filled slaughter fest for the star-spangled series’ penultimate run of episodes.
While some accused The Boys season 4 of meandering through its shortened run of episodes, the final two outings more than made up for it. With shock departures, returning faces, more than a few Supernatural nods, and one very gory Venom homage, here’s what you missed in July 18’s “Assassination Run” and how it sets up The Boys season 5.
Butcher’s Endgame
It took a while to get there, but Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) finally has a working sample of the Supe virus. Although originally intended to just kill Homelander (Antony Starr) as the series’ big bad, there are worries it’ll turn into a global pandemic that could wipe every Supe from the face of the planet.
Supe genocide would involve the death of series regulars like Starlight (Erin Moriarty), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), and Butcher’s adoptive son, Ryan (Cameron Crovetti). While we don’t see this happening, the end of The Boys comic goes down a similar route of Butcher trying to kill all Supes.
Butcher has been dealing with a cancerous tumour due to his overexposure to Temp V, and having now taken a full-blown dose of V, his powers have manifested themselves as a Venom-inspired tentacle monster. With him gazing at a vision of Joe Kessler in the mirror as Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box” plays at the end of the episode, at least it looks like Jeffrey Dean Morgan will be back for season 5.
Kripke had previously told us that only three episodes of The Boys Presents: Diabolical are canon with the main series. Remembering that one of them was “John and Sun-Hee”, theories were on the money that things would play out in a similar way. All of The Boys in the comics have their own powers after taking V, but it’s safe to say none have anything like Urban’s live-action Butcher.
The White House Calls
There were two shock deaths in the finale, with us saying a teary farewell to Grace Mallory (Laila Robins) when she’s accidentally killed by Ryan. The altogether bigger death has Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) torn apart by a Venomised Butcher and fans waving goodbye to the head-popping VP-Elect. This led to another major threat being neutralised when Dakota Bob (Jim Beaver) takes the blame for Vic’s assassination.
The rest of The Seven were on cleanup duty, and as Homelander tasked the team with taking out anyone who had dirt on them, Ashley (Colby Minifie) was top of the list. Ashley knowingly injects herself with V and is left writhing in pain on the floor. It’s unclear how her powers work, but with her being MIA later in the episode, she’s seemingly escaped. With Ashley’s scalp bulging before the camera pans away, there’s a solid theory that she’ll be a super-intelligent being akin to Marvel’s The Leader – giving Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) a run for her money.
Speaking of Sage, after being booted from The Seven in episode 7, she triumphantly walks into Homelander’s apartment and reveals the whole bloody mess has been her doing. Proving why she’s the smartest person in the world, Sage accounted for Homelander’s fumbles but has always planned for him to be deputised by the new President, Steven Calhoun (David Andrews).
This is altogether easier than the comics, where Homelander leads an army of Supes to the White House and takes over when martial law is declared. Fans are already hyping the iconic shot of Supes hovering over the White House for season 5, but with things going Sage’s way, Team Supe might not need to take it by force.
The Boys Disbanded
As the doomsday clock approached midnight, The Boys decided to go their separate ways. Having declared their love for each other, Frenchie (Tomer Capone) and Kimiko were stopped by Gen V alumni Sam (Asa Germann) and Cate (Maddie Phillips). Channelling Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Kimiko shouts her first word, “No.” Stay tuned for a chattier Kimiko in season 5.
Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) tries to reunite with his wife but is apprehended by Love Sausage. The pair have history with each other, and yet again, MM is taken out by the Supe’s massive member. Finally, Hughie and Annie are intercepted by the forgotten Cindy (Ess Hödlmoser). Despite the show’s answer to Stranger Things’ Eleven catching Hughie, Annie avoids another fight and finally regains her powers to fly away with the hopes of The Boys on her shoulders
After so many seasons of The Seven not having a full contingent of heroes, Homelander’s Supe army is coming together nicely. As Season 5 is the last, it’s sure to be a free-for-all of returning faces from The Boys and Gen V. We’re also hoping for a few who appeared in Diabolical to make their live-action debut.
All Is Not Lost
While the home team looks like it’s in a spot of bother, let’s not forget that a scattered cast of unlikely heroes and villains could soon unite against Homelander’s army. Jessie T. Usher’s A-Train finally lived up to his hero credentials and somehow scraped through the season alive. There’s also Omid Abtahi’s Sameer and Giancarlo Esposito’s Stand Edgar – both of which are sure to want to take revenge for Vic’s death and Vought in general.
The OG Guardians of Godolkin are currently locked up following the finale of Gen V, but with its second expected to debut before The Boys season 5, Marie (Jaz Sinclair) and the rest can bolster the ranks of The Boys. Of course, the show has the tragic death of Chance Perdomo to deal with and how they’ll write Andre out of the spin-off.
Despite her happy ending, Dominique McElligott’s Queen Maeve could make a welcome return to topple her former beau in season 5, although we secretly hope she’s left where she is. There’s also a major question mark over the loyalties of Ryan. Even though Homelander still has a soft spot for his son, many think his own superpowered offspring could be his undoing in a Star Wars-esque twist.
Soldier Boy’s Last Minute Cameo
This might not be the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, the post-credit return of Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) is quite the cliffhanger. Sage warned there was one person Homelander couldn’t beat, and while some assumed that was a metaphorical dig at his own hubris, she might’ve been teasing Soldier Boy.
Forget Ryan’s daddy issues because Soldier Boy is sure to give Homelander a headache. The pair didn’t exactly leave things on good terms, but with Soldier Boy arguably being the strongest Supe out there, his return can’t be good news for The Boys. Some suggest that season 5 will go full Captain America and the Winter Soldier, using Cate to manipulate Soldier Boy and have him as Homelander’s not-so-secret weapon.
Despite The Boys never being afraid to deliver a bloody swansong in either the series or the comics, however, season 4 has left plenty of major players on the board. Kripke has warned that the twist of Black Noir being a Homelander clone won’t be adapted, meaning his presumed death will have to happen in a different way in season 5.
The comics also end with the devastating twist of Butcher going full rogue and killing all of The Boys aside from Hughie and Starlight. With the group’s gruff leader going past the point of no return and letting his bloodlust take control in the season 4 finale, we imagine the bodies will soon be lining the steps of the White House when The Boys returns for the final season of this superhero slugger.
