The Boys Season 4’s Biggest Mistake
Contains spoilers for “The Boys” Season 4
Season 4 of “The Boys” really did feel like it had it all: Sex dungeons, super-powered sheep, and The Deep (Chace Crawford) continuing his water-based romances by way of a hilarious MCU cameo. But while the show’s sordid sense of humor was prominent throughout the season, there might’ve been a little too much going on in the latest chapter of the gang’s ongoing battle with corrupt Supes, particularly involving their former leader, Billy Butcher (Karl Urban).
Left to brood outside of The Boys team, Butcher is battling himself as much as he is Homelander (Antony Starr) this season, leading to what might be one of the show’s worst creative choices to date by having his new ally, Kessler (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), turn out to be an unhinged imaginary friend.
Throwing in a “Fight Club” maneuver with a dash of “The Sixth Sense,” the jig was up on this piece of Butcher’s story before the show even confirmed it. The clues continuously presenting themselves every week were obvious, to the point that when he finally did shout at Becca (Shantel VanSanten), it was nowhere as shocking as it should’ve been. In fact, by focusing on the new and unhealthy bromance, “The Boys” missed out on applying its drama in a better fashion with another on-again, off-again ally of Butcher who deserved better.
Kessler added too much to Butcher’s fall from grace
After the end of Season 3, it was abundantly clear that Butcher wasn’t in a good place. With a countdown on his body’s clock ticking faster than ever while losing allies left and right, it didn’t take Sister Sage’s powers (Susan Heyward) to see just how poorly he was doing — and he didn’t need to talk to himself for us to figure it out, either.
Simply having his late wife Becca haunting him would’ve been enough to demonstrate just how much Butcher was struggling with his current situation. Both the character and his origin story were poorly executed, almost making Jeffrey Dean Morgan feel like a wasted addition to the show, a charismatic actor who could’ve been used more effectively elsewhere. Ultimately, Kessler is an unnecessary crutch for Billy’s story arc, one that hindered rather than helped him on his journey. Karl Urban could’ve done the job just as well going it alone.
Urban is a strong enough actor to carry a scene solo, just as his on-screen counterpart, Antony Starr, often does as Homelander. Becca could’ve dropped in and out to give a voice to his inner turmoil, but instead, we get Morgan, whose presence felt more animated than Black Noir’s imaginary outburst from last season. In hindsight, a better option might’ve been to feature another character playing on Butcher’s conscience, one who had been there from the beginning.
Mallory should’ve been Butcher’s breaking point, not Kessler
As some fans of “The Boys” feared, the closing episodes of Season 4 felt like they were built to deliver more shock and visceral imagery than a story with substance. One character that suffered because of this tactic — and absolutely didn’t need to — was Mallory (Laila Robins), Butcher’s former boss, who banished him from active duty leading The Boys. She came through at the end for our hero and his stepson, only to be killed by Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) in a fit of rage. It was a pitiful death that lacked the impact Mallory deserved. What’s worse, her ending could’ve been better if she’d taken the place of Kessler instead.
For most of the show, Butcher has been treated like he was Mallory’s last resort to get a job done, and that tactic could’ve been applied here. While the rest of the Boys were off doing their own thing, Mallory could have sent Billy on the jobs that only he was capable of doing, just like in the good old days. This choice would have fortified their often-strained relationship so that when Ryan did kill her, Butcher’s reasoning for switching to the pandemic plan felt warranted. Instead, we had a half-baked head trip for our hero that, while poorly applied this time, might still be used in a better fashion further down the line.
Kessler could be a set up for a more sinister inner voice in The Boys’ future
While Kessler might have been a ropey addition to the show, establishing that Billy is prone to these moments of mental imbalance opens the door for the same to happen in the future, but with different characters.
As fans of the original page-turner already know, “The Boys” comic ends with Billy finally defeating Homelander, brutally killing his enemy once and for all. The mission isn’t over at that point, though, and Butcher goes completely off the rails with the objective of killing all Supes as a final course of action. Considering this crucial story beat, it’s likely that Homelander won’t survive “The Boys,” and he’ll probably be killed off some time before the final episode. What better way to keep him around, though, than to have him as the final nightmarish voice rolling around in Butcher’s head?
After spending so much time and effort trying to bring the leader of The Seven down, it would be a cruel twist of fate to have Butcher battling his inner thoughts in the form of the man he’s been desperately trying to kill. It could be as simple as Kessler transforming into Homelander, keeping the scene-stealing Starr around until the end. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see how things turn out next season, when “The Boys” return for what is slated to be their last big ride.