The Boys Season 4 Has One Major Gen V Link - And It Could Doom The Supes

After school was out on "Gen V," showrunner Eric Kripke confirmed just where it was going to end and where "The Boys" was going to pick things up in its upcoming fourth season. Following that "Gen V" post-credits scene, Kripke told Variety, "It's like there's Season 3 of 'The Boys,' and then after that 'Gen V' takes place, and then after that 'The Boys' Season 4 takes place." A sturdy timeline is always welcome in worlds as big as this one, but what could rip it all apart is a highly sought-after item that our old pal, Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), is on the lookout for.

Making an uninvited appearance after Homelander (Antony Starr) dropped in the "Gen V" Season 1 finale, Butcher was wandering through The Woods that have now been abandoned. It doesn't take much super-snooping to guess what he's after. As confirmed by Kripke with Entertainment Weekly, "Butcher's aware that this virus is out there," referring to the horror-inducing hot potato that Dean Shetty (Shelley Conn) had kicked into gear, only for it to wind up in the hands of the head-popping congresswoman, Victoria Neuman.  According to Kripke, it was a revelation for our favorite trenchcoat-wearing super-hater very early on. "We knew that we wanted that to be part of the Season 4 story," Kripke recalled. "My writers' room pitched: 'Can we see [Butcher] at Godolkin and find out about the virus?'" 

From there, the post-credit tease was set, establishing what might be another bloody battle between three powerful figures.

Last season, Billy Butcher's method of siding with the enemy of his enemy, who in this case was Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy, didn't quite pan out the way he hoped. It seems understandable, then, that he won't be applying the same method here. It doesn't matter who might be in possession of Homelander's potential silver bullet, Butch will do anything he can to get his hands on it and pull the trigger. The only fear is what will come from his determination to do so and the cost he'll be willing to pay. 

Given that she needs only a single thought to pop a person's head like a pimple, the chances of Butcher getting close to the virus' current keeper seem pretty slim. The fear, however, is that even if he does, who's to say he'll stop at Homelander? This is a weapon that could put an end to supes forever, which might not sit right with some key figures, including his own team. Currently, with no confirmed release date set for Season 4 of "The Boys," we'll just have to wait and see if Butch makes the power play and, more importantly, who would dare to try and stop him.