Despite the differences between The Boys series and the comics, fans of the franchise believe they have an idea of how the show will conclude due to a hint in Season 4.
Ever since Eric Kripke announced that Season 5 will be the final season of the superhero series, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the conclusion of the story.
Despite The Boys Season 4 currently being broadcasted, it remains uncertain as the Amazon Prime Video adaptation diverges from its source material, leaving the outcome open to interpretation.
Despite this, some fans of The Boys have proposed a theory suggesting that the show’s conclusion will involve Homelander murdering Ryan, ultimately causing Butcher to spiral out of control in a similar fashion to the comics, where his dog is killed.
Butcher’s dog Terror is killed in the comics
According to their interpretation, a potential hint was revealed in Season 4 Episode 3 when Butcher prepares a batch of cookies for Ryan that are secretly laced with drugs (which Ryan ultimately discards). What caught their attention was the jar used to store the cookies, which features a British bulldog – the same breed as Butcher’s trusty companion in the comic books.
In the upcoming scene, Homelander makes a promise while swearing on Ryan’s life, but ultimately fails to keep his word.
In a post on Reddit, user frowningheart pointed out, “I observed in the episode that when Butcher discarded the drugged cookies, he neglected to put the lid back on the jar, giving the impression that the dog’s head was missing (as if decapitated).”
Instantly, the camera shifts to show the headless dog jar in the foreground with Ryan in the background. The two continue on to play their third foosball game, Butcher still accompanying Ryan.
However, the focus then shifts to Anika’s interrogation, during which Homelander promises, on Ryan’s life, that he will not harm her. Unfortunately, this promise was not kept, as he ultimately ended up killing her.
According to sources on Wiki and Reddit, Butcher’s descent into madness in the comics was triggered by Black Noir’s killing of his dog, Terror. This event drove him to become obsessed with taking down The Seven and all other super-powered individuals.
Fans think Butcher’s cookie jar is a clue
After analyzing the camera POV, I believe that Ryan takes over Terror’s position here and Homelander (whether intentionally or unintentionally) ends up killing Ryan. This causes Butcher to completely lose his sanity and seek revenge against all supes, mirroring his actions in the comics. He ultimately becomes the ultimate antagonist of the series, just like in the comics.
Another person responded, stating, “I agree with that theory because if all the supes are going to become extinct, that would include Homelander and Ryan as well.”
Furthermore, it should be noted that in The Boys Season 4, Butcher’s motive has shifted. Although he previously aimed to eliminate all supes and dismantle Vought, his current priority is to protect Ryan from Homelander’s grasp.
“Furthermore, even if Ryan were to pass away, there would be no reason to restrain ourselves,”remarked a third person. Another person joined in, saying, “In addition, Butcher is also battling a brain tumor that has an obsession with Ryan. This could potentially drive Butcher to his breaking point.”
There is also the question of whether or not the supe virus will be a factor. Considering the fact that there are several spinoffs in the works, such as Gen V Season 2 and The Boys: Mexico, it would be illogical to eliminate all of the supes.
“It is clear that Butcher will release the virus, but he will not take any actions that could harm Ryan. Therefore, it seems inevitable that Ryan will die,”stated one individual.
Another person responded, “But surely they won’t completely eliminate Supes from the show’s finale since they have spinoffs in the works, right?”
Despite this, another individual pointed out that Ryan had significantly altered the landscape of the game. With the ability for heroes to be naturally born, it was now a permanent part of the human genome. The possibility of it being eradicated, unless through a drastic measure such as genocide, was not completely ruled out.
The first four episodes of The Boys Season 4 are currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. To stay updated on future episode releases, consult our Season 4 release schedule guide.
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