The Boys Season 3 Finale Sets Up A Tragic Ending For Butcher
Content Warning: The following contains reference to rape.
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Boys season 3.
The Boys'season 3 just set up a tragic ending for Billy Butcher. Throughout The Boys season 3, the series seemed to be setting Billy Butcher up to take on his villain role from the original comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darrick Robertson. However, The Boys' season 3 finale subverted this by having Butcher save the lives of Hughie and Ryan. Yet, in doing so, it sets up the character to have a pretty grim ending despite these positive changes.
The Boysseason 3 deals with the titular group trying to find a means to kill Homelander. Ultimately, their quest leads to Butcher and Hughie taking some temporary Compound-V and teaming up with The Boys' Soldier Boy. Even though the group defeats Soldier Boy after the Supe turns on them, they fail to kill Homelander. Bearing the brunt of this loss is Butcher, who is now forced to deal with his greatest failure just when he found out he was dying from his exposure to the Temp-V.
Related: The Boys: Black Noir's First Words Prove He's Homelander's Worst Nightmare
In The Boys season 3 finale, Homelander locates his son, Ryan, and takes him under his care. The final scene shows him introducing Ryan to his radicalized fandom, who celebrate Homelander after he kills a protestor. As the crowd cheers on, the boy gives off a sinister smile, implying the possibility of him becoming just as evil as his father in The Boys season 4. This ending is particularly tragic not only because of Ryan's turn but also because of how it will impact Butcher. Not only did he fail to protect Ryan from Homelander as he had planned, but he also failed to honor the dying wish of his
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