As ‘The Boys’ hurtles towards its final episode, you might think everything is falling into place for the most predictable ending. One final bloody fight. One final payoff.
However, the most recent clash between Billy Butcher and Homelander hints at something else. What appears to be a typical confrontation in Episode 4 could be the show setting up a twist that turns the tables.
‘The Boys’ Is Quietly Rewriting Its Final Battle Expectations
Butcher’s discovery of Homelander in a vulnerable position feels like a long time coming. After years of anger, grief, and fixation, he gets to see his foe in pain, and he revels in it. You can sense the relief. It’s raw, intimate, and strangely understated.
However, that’s what makes it so special. These things don’t happen before the end; they are the end.
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If Butcher gets this kind of victory now, what will he do in the future? If this is the goal he’s been working towards, the show might not be heading for the obvious revenge storyline. And that’s where the plot thickens.
Rather than escalating the conflict in a way that we might expect, the show might be deflating it. It might be making way for something else.
If Not Him, Then Who?
For years, Butcher has felt like the inevitable answer to one question: who takes down Homelander? But as the show’s final season progresses, it’s not so clear anymore. There are other possibilities, and some of them are more interesting thematically. For example, Ryan has the power and the emotional weight to take on that mantle.
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His relationship with Homelander is about more than just fighting; it’s about identity, legacy, and breaking a cycle that’s already wreaked havoc. Or Starlight, who has become a rallying cry in a world that needs one. It could even be Hughie Campbell, whose humanity has always been a stark contrast to the rest of the world.
The thing is, the show has choices, and it knows it. This doesn’t mean the main conflict won’t be given its big blowout. It has to. However, don’t be surprised if that showdown isn’t the real ending; it might just be the beginning. Because if there’s one thing ‘The Boys’ has done, it’s not taken the easy route, and that’s why it’s so compelling.
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