Long wait nears its end as ‘The Boys’ prepares to unleash anarchy on impatient viewers
Nearing the verge of a two-year gap between seasons, The Boys still manages to reel fans in with unhinged moments, really existing as just the tip of the iceberg within new trailers. The Boys, a relatively new satirical take on superheroes, dives into power dynamics between those admired as gods. Season three’s conclusion left a lot to be desired, with Queen Maeve left MIA, Soldier Boy left incapacitated, and Homelander’s mental decline landsliding to oblivion.
Despite leaving fans with an interesting and unique take on the satirical genre of superheroes, season three of The Boys broke off with a clever and unique twist no one could have foreseen. To recap the events of season three, many of the protagonists and anti-heroes were left on death’s doorstep at the finale, meaning the next season has a lot of work to do, and a lot of plot points to tie up.
Although leaving on rough spot in season two, where Ryan Butcher’s powers awoke unexpectedly, Stormfront’s real nature getting revealed with her incineration, “The Boys” splitting up, and Homelander’s further deterioration, season three had a lot to cover within the span of eight episodes. Earning some of the best episode ratings in the series’s history, season three had key patches of information for direction in subsequent seasons, such as “Barbary Coast” (rated 8.2/10 by IMDb), “Herogasm” (rated 9.6/10 by IMDb), and “The Instant White-Hot Wild” (rated 8.2/10 by IMDb). Following the events of these highly rated episodes, fans evidently learned of the past corrupt paradigm team of heroes: Payback. As the episodes progressed, viewers learned more on Soldier Boy’s (Jensen Ackles) true intentions on slaying the other members of the team, consisting of acting as just another tool for “The Boys.”
Amidst season three’s closure, the true nature of Butcher and Hughie’s dosing on Temp V, a parasitic short-term version of the Supe’s manufactured Compound V, gets revealed as an effort to stand any chance against the likes of Homelander, and eventually their own: Soldier Boy. The final episode of the season reveals Butcher’s encroaching demise, Homelander’s abrupt derailment, and Soldier Boy’s return to entrapment, all to culminate and expand on in season four.
One of the key components in the new trailers was the showing of Cate and Sam, a pair of the deadliest new gen supes, and how they interact with big members of the Seven. Gen V left with a considerably dangerous cliffhanger, where Cate and Sam freed many of the most potent supes prisoners left in “The Wood.” Upon freeing the prisoners, numerous counts of exploding, dismembering, and gruesome moments occurred, leading to the infamous Homelander to swoop in, concluding the series.
Although season four’s trailers have revealed some of the characters on Gen V, one specific member leaves a big and sentimental spot to be desired. Chance Perdomo, known in Gen V as Andre Anderson, played the satirical version of X-Men’s Magneto and played a substantial role in the ending of Gen V, ideally setting it up to be intertwined with season four at one point. In respect of Perdomo’s untimely death at 27, Gen V executive writer Eric Kripke has gone forward with not recasting the character in honor of his impact on the cast and those around him in his time with The Boys universe. Despite honoring his passing, Kripke will continue both of the shows, hopefully including a moment to respect Perdomo and his lasting impact on the future of The Boys.
Despite the unsettling and unfortunate circumstances around the new season’s release, fans of the show for the past years are still going to be undoubtedly watching. Fans hope for the writers to add more opportunities with some of the lower potency supes, like Black Noir. Black Noir, a satirical take on Batman, was rewarded with a much deeper analysis in the most recent season, where we learn of his traumatic disfiguration from Soldier Boy. Following his actor’s death, Black Noir has returned for the new season, where fans are already speculating and assuming on the new actor to play him, leading to many questions on his new direction in the show.
From a larger scale, fan speculations based on Youtube reviews and comment sections all point towards exploring the purpose of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character, along with the new supes in the Seven and their motives heading forward. Many of the opinions and outlooks from fans on the new season seem positive, despite the setbacks and wait, with an emphasis on exploring jagged endings from the past.
In wishful but realistic thoughts, season four of The Boys will tie up on the loose ends from season three and Gen V on June 13 with its three episode premiere. Plot points fans should be looking forward to are expanding upon Maeve’s seizure of power, Cate and Sam’s debut in the main series, and the direction with The Boys as two of the main members are on a ticking clock. In an effort to appease fans, Homelander will be implemented in early June to commemorate the release of the season, with teasers being released recently. As of April, Kripke stated that season four “could be our best yet. Can't wait to unleash it onto the world”, leaving fans a lot to desire and expect; which show writers are nearly guaranteed to uphold as they have in the past.
The Boys smoothly inserts itself into mainstream media once again with new trailers and game DLCs, even though its complications through a two year gap, and passing of established Gen V star Chance Perdomo. With the previous hype surrounding season three and its promising ratings, fans should be expecting even bigger things from season four of The Boys following statements from writer, director, and producer, Eric Kripke and speculations from the comic’s direction.
by Luis Fonseca
Published May 20 2024
Oshkosh West Index volume 120 issue VIII