Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Boys season 4, episode 8.
Summary
The Boysseason 4 finale features many major developments, with the ending significantly raising the stakes heading into the Amazon series' fifth and final season. AfterThe Boysseason 4, episode 7’s shapeshifter twist, episode 8 sees The Boys team taking down the Starlight impostor. But while they manage to save Robert Singer’s life, the presidential candidate still finds himself defeated during the finale.Homelander and Sage’s planto take the White House succeeds, as Singer is arrested for assassinating Victoria Neuman.
Of course, Singer has nothing to do with Neuman’s death, at least not directly. A tragic incident with Ryan pushes Butcher to choose the devil on his shoulder in the finale, allowing his Supe powers to fully emerge. And just as Hughie and The Boys are about to make a deal with Neuman — one that would offer her protection in exchange for help against Homelander — Butcher steps in.The Boysseason 4’s ending takes a dark turn as Butcher uses his newfound ability to kill Neuman.This plays directly into Sage and Homelander’s hands, essentially handing them the White House.
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Does Homelander & Sage’s Plan Work? The Boys Season 4 Ending Explained
They Infiltrate The White House Despite A Few Snags
Although Sister Sage’s plan hits a few unexpected snags throughoutThe Boysseason 4,she and Homelander do successfully infiltrate the White House in the finale. Homelander assumes a loss when the plot to assassinate Singer fails. However, Sage shows up at Vought Tower ready to celebrate. She reveals that Neuman’s death is being blamed on Singer, all thanks to a recording of him chastising The Boys for failing to kill her earlier. This implicates the CIA in Neuman’s death, and it makes way for a more pliable politician to take over presidential duties while invoking the 25th Amendment.
Although Calhoun is the one with the title, the final moments of season 4 make it clear that Homelander will be pulling the strings of the U.S. government.
Speaker of the House, Steven Calhoun, becomes president for the time being — andhe pledges his loyalty to Homelander inThe Boysseason 4 finale. Although Calhoun is the one with the title, the final moments of season 4 make it clear that Homelander will be pulling the strings of the U.S. government. He has Calhoun invoke martial law and authorize a “veritable army of superheroes” to track down traitors. This lands most of The Boys team in trouble whenThe Boysseason 4 ends. It’s likely how Homelander will roll out the internment camps he’s planning to create as well.
It’s unclear if that’s what Sage is referring to when she expresses her excitement over Phase 2 of her plans. Homelander is just as out of the loop as viewers, so we’ll have to wait forThe Boysseason 5to learn what she’s planning next. Whatever it is, it can’t be good news. And most of The Boys won’t be around to stop them or slow them down, asHomelander makes good on his promise to find them.
Why Homelander Is Rounding Up The Boys Team (& What It Means For Season 5)
His Actions Pave The Way For Worse Things In The Future
The Boys team goes on the run after Butcher kills Neuman, but they don’t get very far.Homelander’s army finds them quickly inThe Boysseason 4 finale, and they don’t stand a chance against the Supes.Gen V’sSam proves a match for Kimiko, and Cate brainwashes Frenchie into going with Vought. Meanwhile, Love Sausage and his team ambush MM at the airport, dragging him away before he can fight back. Annie and Hughie nearly have a boat dropped on their car by Cindy, and Hughie is taken into custody.
Annie is the only one to escape, flying away with her newly restored powers. And Butcher doesn’t seem to be on Homelander’s radar, though it’s hard to say if he’s still a member of The Boys team after his stunt with Neuman. The reason Homelander rounds up the show’s leads is because of their involvement in Neuman’s death. He plans to hold them accountable, just as he says in his speech. However,it’s likely Homelander has other motivesas well. If the public approves of his actions, they’ll pave the way for his internment camps. He’ll also be free of interference.
The Reason Starlight’s Powers Return In The Boys Season 4 Finale
Annie Resolves Her Identity Crisis & Accepts Herself
Starlight getting her powers back is one of the few good things that happensto The Boys team in the season 4 finale, and it doesn’t take place until the very end. She realizes she can call upon her light again as she and Hughie are driving. It’s good timing, as they’re attacked by Cindy mere seconds later. Starlight is able to use her abilities to fly away, and she’ll need them to fight Homelander and Vought inThe Boysseason 5. Not having her powers holds Starlight back throughout season 4, especially as she doesn’t know why they’re malfunctioning.
The disappearance of Starlight’s powers seems to be the result of her identity crisis throughout season 4, and they likely return because the finale resolves that storyline. Starlight struggles to accept her past and the messy, depressed parts of herself inThe Boysseason 4. She tells Hughie as much during the final episode. But he insists that she’s perfect as-is, and this appears to have a positive impact on her. She learns to accept herself as well, andStarlight’s powers return as her stress and guilt fade away.
How Kimiko Can Talk In The Boys Season 4’s Finale
It Likely Has To Do With Frenchie
The other surprising but positive development for The Boys is thatKimiko manages to speak for the first time in four seasons during the season 4 finale. Kimiko doesn’t talk inThe Boys, as she has a mutism that stems from her trauma. It’s not that Kimiko can never speak. However, her body responds to her trauma by making her unable to. This changes in the latest episode, which concludes with her shouting “no” over and over. It’s a powerful response, especially layered over Homelander’s takeover.
This changes in the latest episode, which concludes with her shouting “no” over and over. It’s a powerful response, especially layered over Homelander’s takeover.
It’s hard to say why Kimiko finds her voice at this moment, butit likely has to do with Frenchie. She and Frenchie finally admit their feelings for one another inThe Boysseason 4 finale, and they also take steps towards forgiving themselves for their pasts. The fact that Kimiko is working through her trauma and finding joy sets her up to start healing. But the prospect of losing Frenchie is likely even more heartbreaking, and it causes her to respond in a way she’s never been able to before.
The Boys Season 4 Sets Up Ryan’s Villain Arc In Its Finale
Homelander’s Son Could Be A Bigger Problem In Season 5
Ryan is mostly absent for Homelander’s shocking takeover at the end ofThe Boysseason 4. However,the finale sets the stage for a potential villain arc in season 5. Grace takes Ryan to see Butcher before everything goes down, as Butcher believes he’s finally dying. Grace and Butcher tell Ryan the truth about Homelander’s plans, as well as what he did to Becca. Ryan is clearly overwhelmed, and Grace makes a major misstep. She reveals that they’re inside a bunker made to imprison Supes, throwing betrayal on top of everything Ryan needs to process.
When Grace refuses to let Ryan leave, Ryan pushes her — and given his extraodrinary strength, this reaction kills her. Ryan runs off, and Butcher is left with the consequences. Realizing that Ryan has the potential to become like his father, Butcher turns to his visions of Joe Kessler.Kessler is the “devil” on Butcher’s shoulder, and the fact that Butcher embraces him at this moment shows that he’s making a choice. Although Butcher tries to contain his hatred for Supes during seasons 3 and 4,Ryan’s actions push him to hate all Supes once again.
Butcher’s Supe Powers Explained & Why He Uses Them To Kill Victoria Neuman
Butcher Isn’t Showing Supes Mercy Anymore
Butcher embracing Kessler pushes him to a more extreme view, butit also allows him to unlock the powerThe Boysseason 4 has been teasing. As it turns out, Butcher himself is a Supe — the result of him taking Compound V in the hopes of eradicating the effects of Temp V. Unfortunately, Butcher’s power seems to be heavily influenced by his Temp V use.The Boysseason 4 finale reveals that he can call upon tumorous tentacles, which shoot out of his chest and can rip people in half. (This is how he kills Ezekiel in episode 4.)
The Boysseason 4 finale reveals that he can call upon tumorous tentacles, which shoot out of his chest and can rip people in half.
Butcher uses his newfound ability to prevent The Boys from making a deal with Neuman, setting the rest of the finale’s horrible events in motion. He rips Neuman in half with his tentacles, telling the rest of the team “no deals.” This seems irrational, especially given the fallout, but it fits with Butcher’s finale story. After choosing Kessler,Butcher loses faith in doing the “right thing”— and he’s willing to eradicate any Supe who’s a threat. This is why he kills Neuman. He also takes the virus Frenchie cooked up, which he plans to kill Homelander with.
What Homelander Wants From Soldier Boy In The Boys Season 4 Finale’s Post-Credits Scene
The Very Ending Brings Back Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy
As thoughThe Boysseason 4 finale isn’t thrilling enough, it also features a post-credits scene that will get viewers excited for season 5. The scene sees Calcoun leading Homelander to what looks like one of the CIA’s Supe-proof bunkers. There, the two of them look upon Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy, who was put back in cryosleep afterThe Boysseason 3’s ending. Homelander marvels that the Supe has been here “the whole time.” But he doesn’t reveal what he wants with him.
There are a couple of possibilities as to why Homelander is seeking out Soldier Boy, and neither are poised to end well. Given that Soldier Boy is nearly as powerful as Homelander, it’s possible The Seven’s leader wants his help rounding up traitors and non-Supes. Soldier Boy would be a great asset to have, assuming he’d actually listen to Homelander. The other possibility is that Homelander is still seeking his father’s approval, something he craves desperately throughoutThe Boys. Given his teary expression, the latter seems more likely. Either way, expect to see more of Soldier Boy in season 5.
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.
