Warning: Contains spoilers for The Boys Season 4, Episode 8.
summary
Butcher takes a dark turn in the finale of The Boys season 4, embracing the violent impulses embodied by Joe Kessler. Only Ryan choosing good over evil can save Butcher in The Boys season 5. For Butcher’s potential redemption to make sense, he’ll need to clear his ties to Hughie.
Billy Butcher took a dark turn in The Boys season 4, being portrayed as a villain in the show’s final episode, but one tragic scene revealed a possible redemption for Karl Urban’s character. Butcher spends much of The Boys season 4 at odds with himself, struggling between his humanity and his instinct to attack all of Superman. This inner conflict is expressed through hallucinations by Becca and Kessler, each of whom represents a different side of Butcher.
For most of The Boys season 4, Becca influences Butcher’s actions. He does all he can to honor her dying wishes, prioritizing saving Ryan over getting revenge on Homelander. However, the end of The Boys season 4 sees Butcher carrying a demon on his shoulders: Joe Kessler. Deciding to give in to his more cruel impulses, Butcher unleashes the Generation V Superman virus, calling for the slaughter of all Supermen. It’s a difficult decision to recover from, but there’s one thing that could stop Butcher from doing this in The Boys:
RELATED: The Boys’ Butcher’s powers remind us of a Netflix anti-superhero show
The Boys season 4 revealed that Butcher has become a superhero, and his powers on the Amazon show are reminiscent of another subversive superhero series.
The Boys Season 5: Butcher’s redemption hinges on Ryan choosing good
A tragic encounter between Ryan and Grace destroys Butcher’s hopes.
While it remains to be seen whether The Boys Season 5 will see Butcher have a change of heart, it seems his redemption will depend on Ryan choosing good over evil. After all, Ryan and Grace’s tragic encounter is what caused Butcher to succumb to Kessler in the first place. Ryan’s killing of Grace strengthens Butcher’s belief that all Supermen are evil, causing him to lose hope in the Boys Season 4 finale. Because of this, it’s clear that Ryan will save him later.
The Boys has been battling over Ryan’s true nature as Homelander’s son shows both his positive and negative sides. It’s unclear which side of him will win, but the final season of The Boys will force Ryan to make a difficult choice. Now that he knows the truth about his father, he can take a tough stance against him. Of course, that may be difficult after Homelander and Sister Sage take over the U.S. government. Hopefully, Ryan will find a way to fight back even as his father’s powers grow, which could go a long way in stopping Butcher.
The Boys still need to settle their connection with Butcher and Hughie.
There’s a reason Butcher sees him as a younger brother.
While Ryan is the only person who can pull Butcher back from the dark path he has chosen, Hughie must also play a role in his redemption. The Boys needs to uncover the similarities between Hughie and Lenny, as the series sees Jack Quaid’s character bear a strong resemblance to Butcher’s late brother. Hughie himself revisits that connection in The Boys season 4 finale, asking Butcher to trust him as he once trusted his brother.
The Boys frequently compares Jack Quaid’s character to Butcher’s late brother, so the similarities between Hughie and Lenny have yet to be uncovered.
Unfortunately, Butcher did not comply with this request and killed Victoria Newman despite Hughie’s pleas. If Butcher redeems himself in The Boys season 5, the comparison between Hughie and Lenny from The Boys will finally make sense. Perhaps Hughie and Ryan will win Butcher’s heart in the final episode. They are the few people he can show weakness to, so if anyone can bring him out of the darkness, it’s them.
Why Butcher should be redeemed in The Boys season 4
Butcher may die as a villain in The Boys season 5, but this Amazon series should redeem him at the end. Though Butcher has had a dark side from the beginning, there’s no denying that he has a compassionate heart. Many of those he cares about, from Ryan to Becca, would condemn his actions for what he considers to be wrong. He must feel guilty for betraying them, otherwise there wouldn’t be much point in focusing on his relationships. Redemption is how The Boys repays these bonds.
Moreover, The Boys’ central message will likely be one Hughie delivers poignantly in the Season 4 finale. Hughie suggests that if you want to defeat the monster, you need to “act like a man,” and honestly, he’s right. If Butcher were to carry out Superman’s massacre, he’d be just as bad as Homelander. While that would be true to his comic book roots, it would tarnish the character that The Boys has spent so much time building. There must be a reason why the Amazon show makes viewers more sympathetic to Butcher than the comics. Here’s hoping it all comes together in Season 5.
the boys
The Boys is a superhero/black comedy satire series created by Eric Kripke and based on the comic book series of the same name. It is set in a “what if” world where superheroes are worshipped as celebrities and gods, with minimal retribution for their actions. However, a group of vigilantes led by a revenge-obsessed man named Billy Butcher battle these super-powered “heroes” and unmask their true identities.
Characters: Billy Butcher, Hughie Campbell, Homelander, Annie Janally, A-Train, Mother’s Milk, Kevin Moskowitz, Frenchie, Kimiko Miyashiro
Release date: July 26, 2019
Season 4
Franchise The Boys
Author Eric Kripke
Showrunner Eric Kripke
Creator Eric Kripke
Expanding
