The Boys Sets Up A Surprising Villain for Season 4

The Boys Season 3 finale delivered the most brutal and explosive battle of the series (so far), but after the dust had settled, there was a surprising new villain set up for Season 4. The storyline of The Boys Season 3 has been all about family and legacy, as Homelander (Antony Starr) struggled to find his place in the world, and Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) struggled to find anything besides his unquenchable thirst for vengeance. Those two seasonal character arcs had no choice but to end in one destination: with young Ryan seemingly set to be Homelander’s protege! 

(WARNING: The Boys Season 3 Finale SPOILERS Follow!) 

In the finale episode “The Instant White-Hot Wild” Homelander locates Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) at the stash where Mallory (Laila Robins) is hiding him. Homelander has been inspired by learning that Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) is his “father” (read: genetic donor) and now has all the fatherly love and aspiration in the world for Ryan. Since Butcher cruelly rebuked Ryan in order to focus on his vengeance, the boy has had a serious hole in his heart that needed filling – and Homelander becomes that father figure. 

Not only does Ryan develop affection for his dad, he proves his dedication when words turn to blows. The final act of The Boys Season 3 finale is an all-out free-for-all between Butcher, Soldier Boy, Homelander, Maeve (Dominique McElligott), and their allies, which nearly destroys Vought HQ. The fight starts when Soldier Boy rejects Homelander and tries to kill him; when Ryan sees his “grandad” threatening his “father” he decides to act, and blast Soldier Boy with heat vision. Soldier Boy cannot abide that – or the twisted story of Ryan’s birth – and starts to beat the kid down. That forces both Butcher and Homelander to put aside their differences and fight Soldier Boy to protect Ryan. 

In the aftermath of the fight, Ryan chooses to go with Homelander for good. However, The Boys Season 3 ends on an ominous note: Ryan accompanies Homelander to a rally of his supporters, where his “dad” introduces him to the world, and shows how they are worshipped like gods. When a political protestor throws something and hits Ryan, Homelander immediately lasers his head off. For a moment the crowd and Ryan are all dumbfounded, but when cheers start to erupt Homelander realizes he is truly being embraced for who he really is and cannot hide his grin. Ryan’s own face starts to spread into a similar grin, as he realizes he, too, can live how he pleases. 

This final moment of The Boys Season 3 sets up a very complicated Season 4, as Ryan will presumably become an antagonist that Billy Butcher and The Boys have to face – the one supe that Butcher will not brutally destroy. The Boys comics have set up a framework where Ryan may ultimately find redemption in and stop Homelander, in place of another character who is now dead in the TV version of the series. 

The Boys is now streaming on Prime Video.