Season four of The Boys is partially out, now with added layers of blood, grime, unidentified fluids, and political commentary. What’s in store for our favorite (and least favorite) superheroes?
The Amazon Original series follows a group of vigilantes known as “The Boys” working to expose the secrets of Vought International, a billion-dollar corporation in charge of superhero activity and media coverage. Within Vought operates the Seven, an Avengers-type team ostensibly tasked with protecting America.
Where The Boys Last Left Off
In season three, Hughie discovered that his boss, Congresswoman Victoria Neuman, is the head-popping Supe who killed notable characters in season two. He joins Butcher in working with assumed-dead Soldier Boy to kill Homelander. See, if Homelander is a parody of Superman with an injection of Donald Trump-esque ideology, Soldier Boy is a parody of Captain America with the cadences of misogynistic 1950s films. He’s also Homelander’s biological sire, having contributed his DNA to the lab-raised infant. (Homelander is the definition of an industry plant.)
Meanwhile, Butcher struggled to reconcile his hatred for Homelander with his promise to protect the son of his late wife, Becca, and Homelander. Eventually, Butcher’s efforts to take care of Ryan drove the child into Homelander’s arms, and his use of Temp-V gave him a mere six months left to live.
Additionally, the Deep returned to the Seven, and A-Train’s speed powers returned. Since Annie quit being Starlight and Maeve is presumed dead, there are two empty spaces in the Seven. (Technically, Black Noir is also dead, but the full-coverage suit just needs a new body.)
In the iconic ending scene of season three, Homelander introduced his son to his rabid supporters and openly killed a man who threw a plastic bottle at Ryan. To his delight, the crowd cheered.
The spin-off show Gen-V is also sure to enter the main fold. The season finale witnessed a school-wide assault on non-Supes, led by telepath Cate, in revenge for God U’s underground Supe-killing facility. Homelander arrived just as Marie Moreau blew up Cate’s arm, and he instantly blamed the wrong people for the mass deaths.
Let’s Talk About Season Four
We open with a series-typical bloody showdown involving the Boys infiltrating a Neuman-Singer gathering. Amidst the chaos, we get to see a heartwrenching reunion between Butcher and Ryan, revealing Butcher’s deep regrets having lost both a child and his leadership role in the Boys.
This scene was fun and a welcome return to the show’s eccentric action sequences. But the sequence that establishes the lengths the show was willing to go to occurs a little later—with Homelander’s plan orchestrated by Sister Sage, the smartest person on the planet.
Sage planted herself amidst the Starlighters and incited a riot between them and Homelander’s supporters after Homelander’s trial. During the riot, A-Train planted the dead uber-fans of Homelander, placing the blame on Starlight and her charity house for at-risk teens.
This first episode introduces Homelander’s desperation for control. Sister Sage’s disillusionment aligns seamlessly with Homelander’s dark aspirations and offers a much-needed quietude to the absurdity that is The Boys. Her powers are invisible, leaving the super-ness of her character entirely up to the writing and acting performance. This pairs well with Anthony Starr’s infamous micro-mannerisms.
From here, the season builds, bringing out the ugly truths of each character. In the latest episode, which I believe to be one of the best in the whole series, we find out that Butcher tried Compound V to heal himself only to lose control with Capes for Christ‘s Ezekiel. Hughie and Kimiko are attacked by members of the Shining Light Liberation Army after she took revenge on them for trafficking her. This scene has Hughie briefly delight in a proper kill, harkening back to his season three arc.
Most notably, Annie finally cracks. The other new member of the Seven, the conspiracy theorist Firecracker, harbors a deep personal grudge against Annie and retaliates by exposing Annie’s abortion from between seasons. In a fit of rage, Annie flies into the scene and beats up Firecracker. The unfortunate consequences ensue.
Everything in the Show is Fake
Sister Sage, the smartest person alive, must be up to something more. She is hyper-aware of Vought’s racialized public personas and the general falseness of the media. She also seems to dislike her own powers, having to administer lobotomies to take a break.
There is no way Sage truly buys into Homelander’s superiority complex. She is likely aiding in his ultimate downfall, ushering him firmly into his Caesar-esque positionality by stabbing him in the back.
Additionally, Firecracker says outright that she doesn’t believe her conspiracies and is simply offering people “purpose.” Therefore, her admission into the Seven has nothing to do with her powers—which are, in Sage’s words, “lackluster”—but instead with Homelander’s personal agenda that will arch over the entire season.
We have known all along that Vought is completely fake. In season two, the truth of Supes’ laboratory origins came to light, allowing Victoria Neuman to gain political traction. But she herself is fake—as a Supe and the adopted daughter of former Vought CEO Stan Edgar.
Homelander had a benevolent persona that cracked as time went on. The Deep feigned redemption after Starlight revealed that he sexually assaulted her. Queen Maeve’s sexuality was exploited and weaponized to keep her in control. Even Soldier Boy was barely a soldier, scripted and filmed to appear fighting in major American wars.
This season, we witness this theme of “fake-ness” in real-time. Ryan, with the same powers as his father, goes out to perform a scripted act of heroism, just like those before him.
All of this is, of course, a thinly veiled cautionary tale: don’t trust your screens. Vought, like real-life corporations, has layered tiers of labor forces to uphold their heroic images and conduct damage control for characters like Homelander. The Boys even goes as far as to parody this by making social media accounts as if Vought truly exists and needs to cover up the horrific events of the show.
The Villainy of The Boys
We’ve discussed the new members providing supplements to our known “heroes,” but that hardly means the existing characters are now stagnant.
Sage pushes Homelander to higher, more strategic levels of thinking. He is craving something new—not only because he hates his team but because he is beginning to fear his expendability. Ryan represents the fresh, younger perspectives that even in the real world pose a threat to old traditions. (See: Gen V) This is what Homelander wanted—a mini-him to form the family he never had. But none of that matters if Homelander is going to lose his status in the process. He will not be replaced by a boy who cries after he kills.
This season Homelander also confronts his own upbringing, gleefully taking revenge on the scientists who experimented on him. (Anthony Starr’s laugh in this scene will haunt me.)
The Deep also seems to be elevating his status as an actual force to be reckoned with. A parody of Aquaman, famous “redeemed” sex offenders, and Church of Scientology members, the Deep seeks escape from his controversies, despite having not grown as a person in the slightest.
A-Train, on the other hand, seeks redemption. Formerly Hughie’s rival, A-Train saves Hughie from death-by-laser-eyes and keeps hesitating to follow Homelander’s orders. Which, unfortunately, signals his ultimate death. But I picture either a heroic sacrifice or simply a good deed that prompts Homelander’s murderous fury.
Though hardly villains in the broader sense, Sam and Cate from Gen V are confirmed to appear later. Dubbed the “Guardians of Godolkin,” they will work with the Seven as perhaps part of Homelander and Sage’s ultimate plans.
The Real World
The show has always been relentless in its sociopolitical messaging, and season four seems to be no exception. The beginning sequence of clashing protests alludes to decades of similar conflicts throughout history. Even the conspiracy of the Starlight House as a child trafficking ring is a direct reference to Pizzagate from the 2016 election.
Some viewers tire of the blatant political references in the show. While I can see how they can grow obnoxious after a season and a half, I want to point out that The Boys has never promised subtlety in its commentary. While there are moments that welcome closer scrutiny, the show is best enjoyed as a parody of the real world. And the real world is often as blatantly dystopian as fiction. A-Train’s Turbo Rush commercial basically copied Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi commercial; the jokes write themselves.
Additionally, many viewers prove the need for on-the-nose satire. Somehow, a show like The Boys has birthed discourse among genuine worshippers of Homelander. People condemned the “sudden” incorporation of politics and hesitated to watch Gen V due to its diversity.
With the premiere of season four, these same viewers sneered at the inclusion of Frenchie’s male love interest. While I don’t find Colin particularly interesting, he exists to remind Frenchie of his violent past. Both Frenchie and Kimiko share a struggle to move forward from their trauma. While Kimiko’s appears in the form of the Shining Light, Frenchie’s appears in the form of an innocent man whose family he massacred.
What these viewers fail to grasp is that they are the subject of the show’s mockery. The Boys does not espouse the values of its notable characters nor does it employ disingenuous virtue signaling like Vought. Homelander is a fascinating character, but we root for his downfall. And to root for his downfall is to root for the fall of bigotry and corporate corruption in our world.
The Fake World
In the wake of major action franchises like the MCU, The Boys tugs on superhero tropes to play on the familiar. Many characters are parodies of famous superheroes. Many plotlines mirror moments from Marvel movies like the performative “Girls Get It Done” movement in season two.
But now that the MCU is running out of steam, The Boys signals a takeover of the genre. Marvel movies are certainly enjoyable and contain well-written characters, but decades of its idealism demand something fresh. With a new forerunner, viewers can (theoretically) become more critical of the media they consume.
The main issue arises with the various misinterpretations of the series. Not only do viewers misunderstand the satire, but they also want the show to be a plotless bloodbath. Much of the MCU’s appeal comes from the exciting spectacles, and fans want this to translate seamlessly to The Boys. But it can’t.
Rather than present some grimdark reality in which Homelander slaughters everyone and rules the ashes, The Boys actually wants goodness to prevail. Annie, while not the most complex character, is necessarily altruistic. She doesn’t need to be “shitty” to win. Unfortunately, people refuse to project themselves onto the virtuous female protagonist and instead choose the “misunderstood” violent white man.
Even characters with more complexity are reduced to their looks (if female) or their badassery (if male). Butcher’s relationship with his wife is completely ignored in favor of his violent behavior, though this violence is expressly not something to emulate. M.M.’s weight loss, a result of the actor’s journey, has been mocked and somehow linked to a degradation of his character.
Final Thoughts
Season four is yet to rear its more dramatic head, but I have hopes for the later episodes. Sage is already a fan favorite, and Firecracker is wonderfully deplorable. I anticipate great and unique arcs for existing characters, especially those that have often been sidelined.
While far from perfect, The Boys is one of the most popular and deeply misunderstood shows in mainstream media right now. I hope the series remains popular—for the right reasons.
Season four of The Boys is streaming now.
