The Boyslatestseason has come and gone, with Homelander finally exposing his true self to the world (met bysome unexpected reactions), to the reveal of Black Noir’s tragic backstory, andJensen Ackles’brutally efficient yet often charming Soldier Boy making his debut.
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Season 3isThe Boysat its best, elevating the show to new heights with its character development and real-world satire. With no signs of slowing down, what comes next? A lot was built up this season, but not all questions were answered by the time of the finale. With the Boys themselves ending on a low-note failing to take down Homelander, who’s topping the season at an all-time high, there’s still plenty of diabolical shenanigans to deal with next season.
Soldier Boy’s Return
Soldier Boy was a welcome addition to season 3’s roster. After taking out his old squad one by one, with help from Butcher (Karl Urban) and Hughie (Jack Quaid), Soldier Boy sets his sights on the strongest supe of them all: Homelander (Antony Starr).
Leading to a climactic fight in Vought Tower, which sees Soldier Boydefeated by Maeveand again put back on ice. With the decision not to kill Soldier Boy, the show leaves the possibility for his return in season 4, but what will that entail? Most likely, Soldier Boy isn’t too happy being put back to sleep and will seek revenge on those who put him there. Rematch between Soldier Boy, Butcher, and Homelander, anyone?
Homelander’s Following
Homelander’s situation has taken quite the ride in season 3. Beginning the season on the defensive for his controversial relationship with the Nazi-loving Stormfront (Aya Cash), Homelander is slowly losing his mind from the pressure from Vought and the public. He believes himself a god, yet he’s still a puppy on Vought’s leash.
Well, not anymore. As the season continues, Homelander builds a cult following after publicly decrying his corporate overlords and claiming himself the Big Alpha. With no one to hold him back, Homelander has the freedom to do what he wants. With no restraints, Homelander’s ego will be off the charts next season. With his followers revering him as a god and no one with the power to stop him, Homelander is on a pathway to absolute power. Next stop, the White House?
Vic the Veep
Victoria Neuman has been notably different from her comic book counterpart for most of the series, but it seems there is one element the show is taking from her comic character, which is her soon-to-be new position: Vice President of the United States.
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Victoria has woven her way into a very influential position by season 3’s end, making her the number one supe on the Boy’s hit list, but what will she do with the power she will soon hold? Could her unsteady alliance with Homelander come to a head with both vying for power? Or will she, like her comic counterpart, do whatever Homelander wants out of fear?
The Fate of Ryan
The fate of Homelander and Becca Butcher’s son, Ryan, will surely be amain focus in the next season. The young boy has played a crucial role in the battle between Butcher and Homelander, with the fate of the entire world hanging in the balance.
When Ryan accidentally killed his mother with his powers, she made Butcher promise to watch over the boy. Well, Butcher being Butcher, he kinda mucked things up early on in season 3, which ultimately led Ryan right back into the arms of his psychopathic father. Now with Homelander looking after him, Ryan’s fate is headed down a dark path. Will Butcher be able to turn Ryan back to his side, or will Homelander ultimately corrupt the boy into another sadistic villain?
Butcher’s Health
After years of hunting supes in his quest for revenge, Billy Butcher has finally leveled the playing field. With the introduction of Temp V, which gives users a taste of superpowers for 24 hours, Butcher gladly jumps on the chance and injects as much of the stuff as he can into himself. But with this great power comes an even greater cost.
After taking several doses of this experimental drug, it turns out it’s lethal. As Butcher finds out in the final scenes of the season, he’s only got twelve to eighteen months to live. This will cause Butcher to rethink his strategy next season for taking out Homelander. Maybe his and Homelander’s “scorched Earth” plan will come sooner than expected.
Annie and the Boys
Annie has been through a lot after joining the Seven and can only take so much. After seeing her friend brutally murdered by Homelander and watching the smiling psychopath continue to be praised, Annie’s finally had enough and quit the Seven for good.
Now, after a democratic vote, Annie is welcomed into the Boys and set on a mission to take out the supes that abuse their powers. Now working together, Annie and Hughie’s relationship will be put to the test yet again. Will their relationship strengthen now after the events of the finale or will working so close together cause a rift between them?
The Boy’suniverse is filled with groups of supes, such as the iconic Seven and the recently eradicated Payback. These groups are usually comprised of terrible supes who are likely to appear on the Boy’s hit list. Though one of the main supe groups from the comic has yet to appear: the G-Men,The Boysparody version of the X-Men.
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There is a planned spin-off loosely inspired by the G-Men calledThe Boys Presents: Varsity, which focuses on teenage supes competing against one another. Still, the G-Men’s story could be elevated even further in the main series. It’s a truly dark storyline in the comics, filled with plenty of diabolical debaucheriesThe Boysis known for and ultimately leads to a demented secret that would put even Herogasm to shame.
Stan Edgar
Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) has been ousted from his position as CEO of Vought by none other than his power-hungry surrogate daughter, Victoria Newman. With Edgar losing the reigns, Homelander is now in charge of Vought. But where did Edgar go?
After an awesome confrontation between him and Homelander, where he tells the powerful “man-child” that he’s nothing more than a “bad product,” Stan Edgar disappears, never to be seen again. But that doesn’t mean he’s done. A man as powerful and conniving as Edgar is sure to have a few tricks up his sleeve for next season. Especially since his daughter is soon to be the next VP of the US.
A New Black Noir
The mysterious backstory of Black Noir has finally been revealed, and it’s a tragic one. Wanting to rise in the ranks of stardom, Noir sought to become a comedic actor, only for his dreams to be dashed by Soldier Boy and his frail ego. Noir would then go on to be nothing more than Vought’s silent assassin until Homelander finally ends his pain.
But that’s not the end for the character, it seems. ShowrunnerEric Kripkementioned in an interview that “it’s an easily re-castable role” as the public never sees Noir’s face, so they can just put another supe behind the mask. What will that look like? Well, Kripke teases that this new character will be “much sillier and hilarious.”
Dawn of a New Seven
The Seven really isn’t the Seven anymore. With Noir dead, Maeve in hiding, and Annie joining the Boys, all that’s left are Homelander, A-Train, and the Deep. Not exactly an awe-inspiring team.
With Homelander in charge and his son at his side, he will likely build a team in his image, with no input from Stan Edgar. But who will join this new Seven? Homelander will need people he can trust to build his “new family” and, more likely than not, ones who are terrified of him and will do whatever he says: this is proving to be an unsettling prospect for the Boys.
