‘The Boys’ Season 4: Everything We Know So Far Including The Release Date, Trailer & More

Amazon’s The Boys shows no signs of losing inspiration for more raucous tales full of bodily fluids and the worst (i.e. most entertaining) heroes known to the big or small screen. It’s no wonder that the only time that this show fell afoul of viewers was when Season 2 didn’t release every episode at the same time, which goes to show how well the writers and the ensemble cast and especially Eric Kripke know how to work this series to maximum effect.

It’s also a relief that this series can continue to skewer superheroes just like original writer Garth Ennis did and also outlast its target with the MCU and DCU both surfacing in 2023 like a shadow of their old selves. Fortunately as well, the Gen V spinoff landed in a relatively seamless position in terms of setting up the next round of its predecessor. And an effective Homelander cameo and a word from Billy Butcher acted as catalysts for Season 4.

Oi, let’s get cracking about what to anticipate from The Boys‘ next season.

Plot

Before we start talking about specifics, Amazon has revealed a new synopsis, which suggests that Homelander will totally get off scot free despite going on trial for murdering a civilian in broad daylight. As well, Butcher is on the outs with his vigilante group, and Victoria Neuman is still maneuvering:

The world is on the brink. Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the muscly thumb of Homelander, who is consolidating his power. Butcher, with only months to live, has lost Becca’s son as well as his job as The Boys’ leader. The rest of the team are fed up with his lies. With the stakes higher than ever, they have to find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late.

The Boys also provided a little refresher of the current state of the show:

– Homelander is standing trial and taking a splatter paint class. One of those statements is true.

– Butcher has six months to live, and still knows about that virus being cooked at Godolkin.

– Neuman is closer than ever to changing her title from “Congresswoman” to “VP.”

– Sage and Firecracker are two of the most dangerous supes you’ll ever meet, and let’s just leave it at that for now.

– Deep hasn’t changed one fuckin bit.

– MM is still the team’s rock, just with less beard.

– Somehow, Noir has returned.

Whew. It’s good to hear that some things will stay constant, so Deep will probably find a new octopus to have sex with as the chaos swirls around him. Additionally, Homelander will clearly have the backing of Vought International for killing that civilian, since we did see Ashley call him in to save the day at the end of Gen V, which took place in the immediate aftermath of The Boys‘ third season. (Speaking of Gen V: do you need to catch up on that spinoff before watching The Boys Season 4? It’s not entirely necessary, but you’d probably enjoy it, so just do it.)

As Gen V viewers know, Victoria Neuman revealed herself (to Marie Moreau) to be a bloodbender and the mysterious entity that was exploding heads back in that Senate hearing. We also know that Billy Butcher has discovered the lab where the Supe virus was manufactured and tested, and god only knows if The Boys will believe him after he seriously went off the rails last year.

To recap a bit, Starlight/Annie January is now fully defected from The Seven and apparently riding with The Boys. There was speculation that Cate and Sam might crossover to The Boys and possibly help replace Starlight and Queen Maeve, and perhaps we will see them at some point in the main series, but for now, the official replacements would be Firecracker and Sister Sage. It will be interesting, however, to see how Homelander twists that Gen V bloodbath to his own ends. Perhaps Cate and Sam will be in his pocket in case he needs to split and create his own group, but that is sheer speculation over here.

Now, what of The Boys’ shifting dynamic? Laz Alonso, who portrays Mother’s Milk, previously hinted that his character will be resentful of Butcher, with whom he will have “unfinished business” because “Butcher teaming up with Soldier Boy was not cool to MM.” With any luck, we’ll receive a lot more of MM this season because he earned all the screen goodwill after enduring that money shot in the “Herogasm” episode.

Finally, can we expect this season to be as disgusting and nutso as the rest? Well, obviously! Prosthetic penis guru (and VFX wizard) Stephan Fleet has promised the goods: “I’m excited for the cast of @TheBoysTV to see the crazy sh*t I’m cooking up in VFX! They really put a lot of trust in me.” Oh man.

Cast

Returning cast members include, of course, Starr as Homelander, Erin Moriarty as Annie January/Starlight, Chace Crawford as The Deep, Jessie T. Usher as A-Train, Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, Jack Quaid as Hughie, Laz Alonso as Mother’s Milk, Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko, Tomer Capone as Frenchie, Colby Minifie as Ashley, and Claudia Doumit as Victoria Neuman. And Nathan Miller will still portray Black Noir, but since Homelander killed the original Black Noir, it will be a separate and distinct Black Noir from the one we previously knew. Got it? Good.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s much shrouded role remains mysterious, but it appears that he’s either aiding or abetting Billy Butcher, or both. Who, exactly, is JDM portraying? Hell, perhaps The Boys decided that it needed a second Tek Knight after all, but the show’s eagerness to dive into photoshop f*ckery sure does work with the vibe of both the actor and the project.

The new Supes on the block should be a handful for everyone. Firecracker (Valorie Curry) looks like she’s attempting to slide right into Queen Maeve’s position with more than a little Homelander in her. Her name also suggests an explosive source of power. A bigger source of intrigue, as far as powers go, would be Sister Sage (Susan Hayward), whose name might reveal that her powers are more on a mental and emotional level, and I would expect her to either side with or firmly against Homelander. Might she manipulate him into a “Caesar”-like downfall? We shall see, and there’s no telling whether he will prevail or fall right into such a trap.

Release Date

Lead “Supebuster” Billy Butcher might be at odds with the rest of The Boys, but he still announced a 2024 arrival from the group:

Butcher also convinced Hughie to announce a 2024 arrival on social media:

“The following statement was released today by Billy Butcher, through his mate Hugh Campbell, who is much better at this technology shite, former employee of the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs (‘C*NTs’) located in New York, NY, in response to Season 4, coming in 2024: ‘Oi, we’re f*ckin’ back.'”

The TV shows are coming back, baby.

Trailer

This ominous teaser trailer sets the stage for Homelander to fly even higher or finally fall, possibly in a Shakespearean way.

More mayhem from The Boys will emerge in 2024.