The Boys Season 3 ending explained: How it sets up Season 4
“If we’re allowed back for another shot it's going to be a very interesting season.”
I regret to inform you that, yes, The Boys Season 3 is over. The raunchy, gory, and brilliant, satirical superhero show delivered eight fantastic episodes, but the party is over — for now. So what should we make of The Boys Season 3’s ending and what does it all mean for Season 4? We went straight to the source (the stars of the show) to find out what comes next.
Spoilers ahead for The Boys Season 3.
The Boys Season 3: Homelander
The star of The Boys — but definitely not the hero — is Homelander (Antony Starr), and this sadistic Superman parody reaches new depths of insanity at the end of Season 3.
Despite the fact that his evil deeds have been revealed, Homelander’s delusional fans continue to support him. When he shows up to greet those fans, a protester starts to heckle the superhero. In response, Homelander blows the guy’s head off. There’s a beat of awkward silence before his fans start to cheer. Homelander seems confused for a second before a smile spreads across his face.
Homelander (Antony Starr) in The Boys.
So what does this mean? Antony Starr tells Inverse that it’s a “pretty obvious metaphor” for Donald Trump and his reality-denying fans:
“Someone, no names, mentioned that they could walk down Fifth Avenue and shoot someone and get away with it. This show satirizes a lot. So that's how it may have made it in there. What would happen if that was true? And what does happen is, sure enough, people start getting on board with it. I don't even know that that wouldn't happen now in the real world. Everything's so fucking nuts at the moment. If we’re allowed back for another shot it's going to be a very interesting season. Fingers crossed we get it.”
The Boys Season 3: Victoria Neuman
Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit).
Perhaps the biggest finale twist revolves around Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit), the rising liberal politician with the secret superpower to blow up people’s heads. At the end of The Boys Season 3, Neuman is selected as a candidate for Vice President after the previous candidate has an “accident” in his swimming pool.
It’s been an interesting season for Neuman, who turned on his father figure Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) and allied with Homelander (presumably out of fear). When asked if she considers the character a hero or a villain, Doumit wavered before offering an answer.
“Somewhere in between for now,” Doumit tells Inverse. “I think she’s going through a lot this season. She definitely has to make some sacrifices that cost her a lot. And she’s edging more into black than white. So we’ll see.”
The Boys Season 4 and Billy Butcher
Billy Butcher’s new superpowers catch up with him in Season 3.
So will there be a Season 4 for The Boys? Yes! Amazon already confirmed the next season. Better yet, we also know that Karl Urban (Billy Butcher) will return as well.
That’s a big deal because, after using an experimental serum to gain temporary superpowers in Season 3, Butcher learns that he only has months to live due to some nasty side effects. That means if the character is in Season 4, the new season will pick up shortly after the last episode. (Unlike Season 3, which started with a 12-month time jump).
Or maybe Billy Butcher finds some other way to stay alive. After all, he’s been through worse.
The Boys Season 3 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
