The Boys Season 4 Episode 8 Recap (Finale Spoilers)

This is it… or is it? The Boys Season 4 has been something of a confusing journey, in terms of the overall story, but that wasn’t unexpected. Ever since Amazon announced that The Boys Season 5 will be the Final Season of the series, fans have speculated that Season 4 would turn out to be a seasonal arc of ‘moving the pieces’ into an arrangement for the ultimate showdown of the Final Season. 

That all said, The Boys Season 4 had a minor storyline that needed to be resolved in Episode 8, “Assassination Run” and none of the creators or cast could have possibly known that the events of the finale would once again run eerily (uncomfortably?) close to real-world events… 

PSA – To that end, The Boys Season 4 Episode 8 opens with a timely disclaimer about depictions of political violence in the episode. It maintains that those scenes are fictitious, and are in no way an endorsement of real-world incidents of political violence that have occurred. 

The Boys Season 4 Episode 8 Recap (Finale Spoilers) 

Start of Insurrection Day – The Boys Season 4 Finale opens with a segment on Vought’s “VNN Today” morning show, on January 6th. The top stories include Ashley (Colby Minifie) explaining why Vought canceled the already-finished “Training A-Train” movie starring A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) and Will Ferrell as Coach Richard Brinkerhoff. We also get a pandering “All Lives Matter” PSA from The Seven, and the headline that President-elect Robert Singer is having his presidency certified by the Electoral College. The Boys are watching the news broadcast, with Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso, wearing a fitting “Dead Prez” shirt) pushing Butcher (Karl Urban) and Frenchie (Tomer Capone) to finish extracting the anti-supes virus that’s in Kimiko’s (Karen Fukuhara) severed leg (see Episode 7 for that gross-out moment). M.M. texts Hughie (Jack Quaid) about whether he’s hacked into federal databases to discover who the shapeshifter assassin is that The Seven are using to target Singer. Hughie does not realize the assassin is now posing as Annie/Starlight (Erin Moriarty), who tries to distract him by coming into the room in a Disney princess-style dress. Fake-Annie tells Hughie a story of how her great-grandfather dressed up in his best to propose to her great-grandmother, and then carries on that tradition, proposing marriage to Hughie. Hughie is ecstatic and runs off to grab the ring he’s secretly been hiding to give to Annie. Hughie co-proposes and puts his ring on Fake-Annie’s finger. While Hughie is in bliss, the assassin seduces him yet again, distracting him from his mission. 

[The Boys Title Logo Appears Over Hughie and Fake-Annie Lying in Bed]

Pillow Talk – Hughie comments that Annie was unexpectedly aggressive in sex, using “two fingers” which was “a lot.” Fake-Annie demurs about trying to level up her game, but the shapeshifting effect begins to wear off, and the assassin’s fake skin begins peeling off. Fake-Annie quickly gets dressed, makes an excuse that they need proper champagne from the store to celebrate the engagement, and makes a hasty exit, leaving Hughie confused. Meanwhile, Butcher is in the hospital after collapsing in the middle of the bar last episode. A nurse informs him that his blood pressure is frightfully low, which Butcher is unbothered to hear since he’s dying. His alternate persona Joe (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is in the room, chastising Butcher for getting off his game with so little time left on the clock, not to mention giving up the super-killing virus. Joe sells himself as Butcher’s last secret weapon, offering Butcher the power to once again kill supes like he did Ezekiel – power Joe has been secretly gatekeeping, all along. If Butcher agrees to a supe genocide, Joe will let him access his superpower. Grace Mallory (Laila Robins) arrives to interrupt Butcher’s little convo with himself, saying that all of her current helpfulness is not for Butcher, whom she’s come to despise. Butcher is still unbothered, and asks for a phone so he can get to work. Joe looks over Mallory’s shoulder, glaring at Butcher to stay on mission. 

Homemaker – Homelander (Anthony Starr) is in his apartment in Vought Tower staring disgustedly at his jar of graying pubic hairs. Homelander displaces his self-disgust by observing the clutter that his son Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) has left in the apartment. While cleaning up, Homelander looks in Ryan’s backpack and finds the picture of Butcher, his wife Becca, and their dog Terror, which Butcher secretly sent to Ryan as a Christmas gift. Homelander starts looking psycho and his eye lasers ignite. Outside in the hallway, Ryan comes home to hear the sounds of laser blasts incinerating the apartment and finds Homelander standing in the burning rubble. Homelander commands his son to come to him. Ryan hesitates and Homelander tosses the picture of Becca, Butcher, and Terror at his feet, proclaiming that Ryan will only ever have one true father. Homelander once again orders his son to his side, and Ryan hesitates again – until a chandelier falls, startling the boy. Ryan runs away with Homelander screaming after him. 

Prison of Self – Annie is still in chains where the shape-shifter has her trapped when the assassin enters the room. The shapeshifter warns Annie that she can’t escape and claims to be there for a “little recharge.” By touching Annie, the assassin can also read her thoughts and laugh at Annie’s fear that her mother will be targeted, claiming that no one should have to travel to Sedona (AZ). As the shapeshifter’s false skin repairs itself, Annie notices the engagement ring on her finger. The shapeshifter gleefully recounts proposing to Hughie, the story about her great-grandparents she stole, and doing weird butt stuff to Hughie. Annie is pissed but the shapeshifter is unbothered, confessing to being a sociopath and recounting her first transformation into her school teacher, finding out all the teacher’s darkest secrets, and being profoundly affected by the realization that the teacher still viewed herself as moral and good. The shapeshifter likens Annie to that teacher she had, pushing deep buttons by saying that she knows, for a fact, that Annie secretly thinks herself the victim all the time, even when she’s done the most immoral things. Annie cracks, showing her rage to the shapeshifter, who again calls Annie out for being such a mess inside that she’s having superpower impotence. The shapeshifter teases that Annie will figure herself out in prison after they use her face to kill President Singer, and delights in making Annie begrudgingly accept a bottle of water she desperately needs. 

Last Call – Butcher gets a call in the hospital from Hughie, who is worried. Hughie begs Butcher to show up for the mission to save Singer, but Butcher goes off on a tangent, recounting a time as a boy when he heard about a steakhouse in Nevada where topless waitresses served the steak. His brother laughed at his desire to visit the place but promised they would one day – though they never got the chance. Butcher states that weird thoughts come when you’re close to your end, and makes Hughie promise that he’ll go to that steakhouse when everything is over, and Butcher is gone. Hughie bids Butcher to keep fighting, but Butcher makes him re-promise about the steakhouse, and tell The Boys he’s sorry. Butcher says goodbye like it’s the final time. 

Out of the Super-Closet – Firecracker (Valorie Curry) walks onto the set of her Vought show “TruthBomb” and tries to greet Homelander happily, but embarrasses herself by coughing loudly. Vice President-elect Victoria Neuaman (Claudia Doumit) enters the set and sits next to Homelander, claiming she has limited time and more important sh*t to do. “TruthBomb” begins, and Firecracker introduces Homelander and Neuman before jumping into Singer’s alleged plan to de-power supes. Homelander is having one of his “white noise” psychotic episodes, barely hearing the conversation before breaking in to interrupt Neuman and aggressively (unexpectedly) challenging her to reveal herself as a supe. When Neuman tries to spin the question, Homelander loses patience and lasers her in the face, proving through her invulnerability that she is indeed a supe. Firecracker immediately starts the spin job of saying Neuman has been a secret weapon against the Deep State; The Boys and Butcher watch from their respective places, with Butcher telling Joe that the cat’s out of the bag, and things are about to get interesting. Back in the TV studio, Neuman is reeling and angrily chases after Homelander and shouts at him about blowing the secret she’s kept all her life. Homelander is over it and makes it clear that Sister Sage and her “plan” are over and that he and Neuman are about to change the world, with her as the first supe president – who’s also a “gal.” Neuman is panicking about her political career, but Homelander commands obedience, citing himself as the only friend she has left. Neuman tells Homelander he’ll have to arrest dissenters inside Vought and throughout America, and Homelander pretends to be on top of that problem. Instead, he pulls Ashley aside and tasks her with creating a list of every potential person inside Vought who could damage him publicly. Ashley and Also Ashley (Sabrina Saudin) both realize the doom Vought employees are now facing. 

Election Results May Vary – Congress certifies Robert Singer’s presidential victory, despite the reveal that his VP is a supe. The Boys watch the news on TV, with M.M. seeing protests begin around the country and realizing it opens a window of opportunity for Homelander and co. to assassinate Singer and get away with it. M.M. yells at Frenchie to develop the virus faster and Frenchie takes that personally; M.M. calls Hughie and tells him to get all dirty intel on Neuman that he has and leak it online. Hughie tries to process everything that’s going down and runs to his safe to get the computer files. Hughie logs on and finds that the files are empty, just as the shapeshifter returns. Fake-Annie watches as Hughie realizes her sunk they are; M.M. goes on to tell Frenchie to keep working while telling Hughie their offense play is blown – time for defense. Mallory and Butcher watch Robert Singer (Jim Beaver) call for a new election, with the public fully informed of who they are voting for; he also openly proclaims that Neuman has a clear reason to assassinate him and put herself in the presidency. Ryan enters Butcher’s room, responding to a text Butcher sent, which Joe is not happy about; Mallory is ecstatic to see her former ward all grown up and strong. Ryan notices Butcher is sickly, and Butcher shrugs it off, while Joe tries to prepare him for the ugly inevitably about to play out with Ryan, who Joe sees as just as much of a threat as Homelander, needing to be eliminated. Butcher and Mallory pitch Ryan to leave Homelander and once again start a life for himself; Ryan is scared that Homelander will inevitably find him again and then says he doesn’t want to leave because he likes parts of being at Vought with his dad. Joe takes Ryan’s hesitation as a sure sign that the kid needs to be put down; Butcher plays it a different way, telling Ryan that his promise to Becca is to take care of Ryan and make sure he’s safe – and if that means Ryan being with Homelander then that’s okay. Ryan thinks that over for a minute before he notices a Tic-Tac-Toe game on the table, and asks Butcher if he wants to play. Butcher smiles, inviting Ryan to start the game. 

Deep Regret – The Deep (Chace Crawford) is in The Seven conference room, looking at a picture of his Octopus lover Ambrosius (Tilda Swinton), who he murdered in cold blood, sparking a flash of memories to hit him. Deep is clearly emotional but hides it when Homelander, Firecracker, Black Noir II, and Ashley all enter the room. Ashley presents Homelander with the list of potential dissidents within Vought, while Homelander inquires where Ryan is, but declines to have an assistant find him. Ashley specifies that some employees who get “fired” (killed off) may have contract clauses that will require a payout. Homelander doesn’t care and dismisses Ashley, as Firecracker uses a remote to start shutting the massive doors to the room. Ashley has to scamper out before she’s crushed or trapped, and Firecracker pours Homelander a fresh glass of breast milk before they get down to business. Homelander starts a speech revealing his coup plans to the rest of The Seven, explaining how Robert Singer will be assassinated and that The Seven will use that as a pretense to surround the capital with supes loyal to them, installing Victoria Neuman as the rightful president. Deep is mindlessly chanting “Oh captain, my captain…” in solidarity, while Firecracker tries to elaborate on the plan, only to have another coughing fit that leaves Homelander so disgusted he makes Firecracker sit at the end of the table, even after she explains the breast milk meds are causing her to have symptoms of sickness. Homelander delegates the task of killing off the list of dissidents to The Deep and says he wants the targets dead by the end of day. Deep looks over the list and points out that Ashley should be at the top of it. Homelander agrees and the list is amended – but Ashley is listening outside the door and goes running when she realizes they’re coming for her. She runs into Homelander’s apartment and finds his stash of Compound V, filling a syringe and injecting herself after a moment of hesitation. Ashley starts to go through a transformation into a supe, with her wig flying off and her balding head swelling with tumors. 

Defcon Time – M.M. and The Boys aid the Secret Service and military in locking down Robert Singer inside a protective bunker. M.M. refuses to let his guard down, informing the Secret Service that the shapeshifter assassin could already be in the room. M.M. tries to calm Singer, who is indignant in his view that if The Boys had taken out Neuman, they wouldn’t be in this situation. Of course, the assassin IS in the room posing as Annie; M.M. sends Kimiko to shadow Singer, while the assassin gets close to M.M., messing with his mind about where the assassin could be. M.M. leaves to re-check the room, and Hughie comes to talk with Annie, still on cloud #9 about the proposal. The assassin finally slips up when mentioning how it’s “Like a furnace” in the bunker, which sparks Hughie’s memory of hearing that the first time he encountered the shapeshifter. Hughie’s world comes crashing down as he puts the pieces together, and he tells the shapeshifter to go get some water to cool off. As Fake-Annie walks off, Hughie starts to freak out. Meanwhile, the real Annie goes to the extreme of scraping the skin off her hands to slip out of her cuffs. Back in the bunker, Hughie sidles up to M.M. and awkwardly tries to discreetly communicate who the traitor in their midst is. M.M. starts to also freak out but tells Hughie the fate of the nation rests on them staying cool. Annie returns with water for everybody and The Boys have a hard time maintaining composure – even when Fake-Annie tries to flash her engagement ring. Hughie and M.M. start getting twitchy, and the assassin drops the guise and starts to attack. Hughie and M.M. get knocked out cold, while Kimiko and the Secret Service rush Singer into a system of tunnels outside the bunker. The assassin takes out soldiers and agents with ease, before pursuing Singer into the tunnels, where an agent gets his throat bitten out before Kimiko jumps in and tackles the shapshifter. The two of them tussle as Hughie and M.M. finally wake up and run to catch up to the fray; the shapeshifter gets the best of Kimiko, slamming her head into the ground before breaking her neck. The assassin stares at Kimiko’s backward head and then walks off, finding Hughie and M.M. waiting in the doorway. Hughie shoots but can’t put the assassin down – but thankfully the real Annie comes flying in with a clothesline blow that sends her doppelganger flying. Annie tells Hughie to go protect Singer and then turns to face the assassin, who chastises her for still not being able to access her starlight powers. Annie and Fake-Annie have a brutal brawl, while Kimiko’s healing factor begins to kick in. Annie takes Fake-Annie’s head and slams it into the floor, confessing that she indeed doesn’t know who she is as a person – except for being the person beating the assassin’s ass. Fake-Annie is taken out with a super-chokehold, while Kimiko gives Annie a nod of acknowledgment for literally and figuratively facing down her demons. 

Plan B – Victoria Neuman angrily calls up Homelander to tell him his assassin failed and their plan is going to shit. Neuman wants to get Sage back onboard, which sets Homelander off on a rant, about how he will push them over the finish line if he has to kill Singer himself and makes it clear that Neuman will fall in line or find pieces of her daughter mailed to her for an entire year. Neuman hangs up knowing how screwed she is having climbed into the cage with a tiger, even as we see her standing in a house that’s been all packed up in preparation for her escape. The Boys return to their hideout to find that Frenchie has successfully manufactured the virus – but Frenchie is more worried about what the hell happened to his traumatized teammates. M.M. gets Annie bandaged up, before leaving her to have a very awkward conversation with Hughie. Annie goes right in, messing with Hughie about his engagement, and getting furious that Hughie gave her the ring – and slept with her repeatedly – within just ten days. Annie can’t let go of the idea that the assassin played an idealized version of her that Hughie openly embraced, not wanting to see the deception in Annie’s suddenly happy mood and drastic behavior change. Hughie counters by telling Annie all the idiosyncracies he loves about her that the assassin failed to mimic – including Annie not sweating. It’s a good defense, but Annie still walks off angry. 

Unsolicited Caller – Hughie gets a call from Neuman, who confesses that she’s in over her head with a completely unhinged Homelander. At first, Hughie thinks it’s a play, with Neuman trying to escape justice now that the assassination failed – however, Neuman insists that Hughie was right: there’s no end to how bad things are about to get. She’s also screwed, personally: if she wins the presidency, she becomes Homelander’s puppet; if she stands against him, he’ll do unspeakable things to her and/or her daughter. Neuman offers a deal: If The Boys get the CIA to help her family disappear, she’ll resign as VP without incident. Hughie is furious that she has the gall to ask that after everything she’s done; Neuman throws that righteous indignation right back at him, revealing that she’s reconnected with her husband Dr. Sameer Shah (Omid Abtahi) after he escaped from Butcher’s captivity, so she knows about the new virus they created to kill her – and the fact that they amputated Sameer’s leg to fake his death. Hughie won’t take the blame for the leg but says Neuman put their backs against the wall. Neuman sums it up by pointing out that all they have done is take shots and pounds of flesh from one another, but that the game is not fun to play anymore and she feels like she and Zoey could suffer a terrible end. She begs Hughie to trust her intentions as a mom, and that he’s the last person on Earth she can turn to. Hughie is left looking conflicted. 

Belko Experiment Bros– The Seven are hard at work in the hallways of Vought Tower, killing off employees who made the list of potential traitors. Firecracker is lethargic and wheezing as she tries to chase down one guy, whom she ultimately has to shoot in the back before he gets away. The Deep corners a staff writer who begs for his life and offers any kind of favor in exchange for living: Deep makes him say that he’s the smartest supe in The Seven, which the man shamelessly does, praising Deep incessantly. Deep presses the guy about whether it’s genuine praise or fear, and the guy tries to sell it; Deep pretends to accept the false praise, before punching through the guy’s face and leaving a bloody stump on top of his neck. Poor Also Ashley (Sabrina Saudin) gets impaled against the wall by Black Noir II (Nathan Mitchell), only to get chastised by Deep (via a heartfelt “Bro…”) for killing the wrong Ashley. Noir is annoyed that there are so many Ashleys in the building – but he’s happy (as an actor) to look down and find that he’s finally achieved the authenticity of Black Noir I’s infamous “murder boner.” 

Enemy of My Enemy – Hughie tries to sell Neuman’s request to The Boys, and it goes about as well as expected. Hughie makes a speech denouncing the constant violence and murder they seek as solutions to problems, and the hatred they carry – that he’s carried for his mom, A-Train, etc. He posits the idea that mercy, and compassion, are acts of bravery – as he learned in the last moments with his father. Hughie appeals to M.M. that they need to still act human when stopping monsters; M.M. says “F*ck it,” and that if their alliance with A-Train worked out, so could an alliance with Neuman. Even Annie gets onboard, but Frenchie is still skeptical – which is why M.M. tasks him with creating a delivery system (dart gun) to still take out Neuman with the virus if it turns out to be a double-cross. The Boys get ready to roll, and Annie buries the hatchet with Hughie by telling him he’s getting tested for every STI on the chart so that she avoids “shifter-syphilis.” When the team is gone, Hughie cheers his wins. Frenchie and Kimiko talk alone about whether Hughie’s plan is wise or foolish; Kimiko is on board because she shares Hughie’s hope that they can rise above their previous savagery – the kind of redemption she and Frenchie have discussed all season due to their past sins. Kimiko also confesses that she pushed Frenchie toward another lover (Colin) because she thought he needed someone better than her. Frenchie answers there is no one better than Kimiko, and she shocks him by planting a kiss on him. It’s awkward for a second before Frenchie grabs her and they passionately kiss.

Choose Your Dad – Back at the hospital, Butcher and Ryan are playing their game when Mallory comes over to whisper an update about the failed assassination. Ryan informs them his super-hearing is a thing, so Mallory drops the act and says they’re out of time keeping Ryan shielded: she tells the kid that Homelander ordered the assassination on Singer, killed everyone on Flight 37, and also raped Becca. Ryan is shocked and looks to Butcher, who confirms it all, but Ryan can hear his elevated heartbeat and knows Butcher has another secret to tell: Butcher informs Ryan that he’s the only one who can take out Homelander. Ryan realizes he’s being recruited as a weapon against his own dad and goes to leave but Mallory reveals that they’re in a CIA safehouse designed for holding supes, and she has protocols for keeping him there, if necessary. Ryan is angry at being trapped and coerced, feeling like they’re doing to him what was once done to Homelander as a boy. Mallory makes an emotional play, tearfully telling Ryan he was the one who filled the void in her heart after her grandkids were killed. Ryan calms down but tells Grace he still wants to leave – but she won’t accept that and tries to hit a button that will seal the room and fill it with knock-out gas. Ryan uses his super-speed and power to knock Mallory into the wall, killing her instantly. Butcher screams out “No!”; Ryan looks down at Grace’s corpse, then back at Butcher, and calmly walks out the door. Butcher is left with Grace – and Joe, who is standing over his shoulder, staring him down. 

Deadly Bedfellows – Frenchie loads up a rifle with the cartridge containing the virus, as Hughie brings Neuman, her daughter Zoe (Olivia Morandin) and a security guard into the room. Frenchie jokes with Zoe about getting her braces off since their last encounter, but Neuman isn’t having it. Neuman goes over the deal again: stopping Homelander and Vought in exchange for passage out of harm’s way, afterward. M.M. sweetens the pot by saying Neuman will owe them a favor – which Annie ups to being many favors owed. Hughie and Neuman settle on things – until Butcher comes walking in, and proclaims there will be no deals. Hughie steps up to Butcher, begging him for once to trust him – like he used to trust his brother Lenny – and let the alliance happen. Butcher pats Hughie on the shoulder then pushes him aside, finally revealing the mysterious superpower Joe’s been hiding from him: super-tumors that can turn into freaky spiked tentacles springing out of his chest. Butcher ensnares Neuman so that she can’t use her head-popping power and knocks out Zoe and the security guard. Butcher uses all his tentacles to wrap Neuman up and then pull her in half, splattering blood and guts all over Hughie and the room. Neuman’s corpse hits the floor and The Boys turn on Butcher, but Hughie stops them, realizing they’re outpowered. Frenchie turns the virus-rifle on Butcher, but can’t pull the trigger. Butcher takes the gun and tells the team to flee the scene, while also telling them “You’re all f*cking welcome.” 

All Part of the Plan – Homelander sits in the ruins of his apartment in Vought Tower tearfully watching the news about the White House being fortified turn into the breaking news that VP Neuman has been assassinated. Sister Sage (Susan Hayward) enters wearing her street clothes and carrying a single party balloon, which she brought for Ryan. She offers Homelander congratulations on victory, which baffles Homelander, as he exclaims that their plan failed. Sage disagrees, telling Homelander that this was always the plan – but she had to keep some details to herself, lest he f*ck it up. She reveals that Neuman was never her real intended puppet, as Neuman had too many ideas and will to carry them out; instead Sage reveals a different plan, just as the new broadcast breaks the story that Singer has been arrested after video leaked of him in the Bunker telling The Boys they should’ve killed Neuman. Now it looks like Neuman died in retaliation to the assassination attempt on Singer, and the newly-elected president is just as quickly arrested. Sage hands Homelander a phone and tells him that Speaker of the House Calhoun (David Andrews), whom they met at Tek Knight’s mansion party (back in Episode 6), is ready to talk about invoking the 25th Amendment, getting in line for the presidential succession, and pledging his true allegiance to Homelander. Sage stresses that she held up her end of the deal, even if Homelander didn’t honor his, and that her loyalty is unwavering. Homelander is amazed, reflecting on how he threw her out like trash and she still came through – but also wondering why she did it. Sage’s true mania is revealed when she explains that she did it all simply for the challenge to see if she could, and the “fun” of seeing it happen. She thanks Homelander for letting her cook and tells him that next time he should just listen to her from the start. Homelander questions what she means by next time, and Sage warns him to strap in for “Phase Two” or her master plan. Sage exits, and Homelander regains his composure and takes the phone call. 

New America, Who Dis? – [Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” plays over a montage] Speaker Calhoun becomes President Calhoun under the 25th Amendment, and a press conference is held where the new president launches an official program of deputizing supes for government service, with Homelander standing as their leader. Homelander does an awkward job of even letting his puppet get the words out before storming the podium, giving a propaganda speech about how his “dear friend” Victoria Neuman was murdered by “Deep State Starlighters,” and how he will use governmental authority to track them down and make them face justice. As the speech goes on, we see The Boys meet in an empty parking lot, distributing fake passports and supplies needed to go on the run and disappear. Frenchie and Kimiko take one car; Annie and Hughie a different car, while M.M. drives off his own way. Homelander stares into the camera and declares a new age of superheroes is dawning, as he vows to come for his enemies with an army of supes. In the car, Annie begins to see sparks of her light ignite in her hands, as Hughie smiles at her; Kimiko and Frenchie break into a shipping port looking to stowaway on a massive ship; M.M. is at the airport, washing up in the bathroom. Firecracker’s “TruthBomb” showcases her declaring the start of a new America and all the twisted values that go with it; meanwhile, Zoe Neuman is led into the Red River Group Home, as Firecracker is telling the nation children will be safe in their mothers’ arms again. Without warning, a boat is dropped on the road in front of Hughie and Annie’s car, making them crash; Kimiko and Frenchie are ambushed by Gen V villains Sam Riordan (Asa Germann) and Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips), with Cate possessing Frenchie and Sam beating down Kimiko; M.M.’s worst nightmare happens when he gets knocked by Love Sausage’s (Derek Johns) super-member and detained by federal agents. Agents also grab Hughie from the car, while it’s revealed that Sage Grove escapee/pressure-powered supe Cindy (Ess Hödlmoser) from Season 2 is also working for Homelander. Firecracker’s monologue wraps with a tearful declaration that America will be united under Homelander, who will ‘make America super again.’ Kimiko’s voice finally returns when she screams out “No!” as Cate leads Frenchie into a patty wagon; Cindy uses her powers to hold Annie – until Annie’s powers finally re-ignite and she flies herself away from the scene in escape. Butcher is seen driving in a car at night with the vial of virus in his hand, and Joe riding along in the back seat. The road ahead looks dark and foreboding… 

[End Credits Start to Play]

Presidential Secrets – President Calhoun leads Homelander into a secret facility, claiming he only learned about it that morning after getting the classified presidential briefings that came with his new position – and Homelander was his first call. The facility is revealed to hold a stasis tube containing Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), who Homelander stares at with a mix of fatherly reverence and maniacal hatred. 

[Dedication to showrunner Eric Kripke’s late father, Larry Kripke (died February 13, 2024) is shown]

[End Credits Roll]

The Boys Seasons 1- 4 are streaming on Amazon Prime Video.