The Boys Season 3 Theory That Highlights The Show's True Villain

Homelander and Billy Butcher have been on a collision course since The Boys began, and it seems inevitable that one of them will eventually kill the other. Both seasons 1 and 2 end with a showdown between the two men, but so far, they've survived their (sometimes literally) explosive encounters. Eventually, The Boys will need to move beyond Butcher's desire to bring Homelander down, and pave the way for the show's true villain to step into the spotlight: Vought.

ScreenRant writer Hannah Shaw-Williams put forth an interesting The Boys Season 3 theory about what might happen if Butcher somehow succeeds in killing Homelander. In her article, she points out that it would be a hollow victory for the Boys' leader, because Homelander is just a symptom of a much larger disease. As long as Vought is entrenched in nearly every aspect of American life, there can be no true victory for Butcher.

If Homelander is killed by Butcher, Vought will martyr him. Even with the plane footage still in play, the company is far too good at spin to let its greatest hero fall without capitalizing on his death. Think of the merchandising deals, the outpouring of public affection for supes, and the chance to rebuild their public image around an equally dangerous, but potentially more manageable supe in the wake of Homelander's death.

Butcher murdering Homelander wouldn't eliminate a problem, it would simply create a myriad of new ones.

With Homelander becoming increasingly unstable throughout season 2, he's going to be a true wild card in the third season, but the finale laid the groundwork for the seemingly unstoppable supe to step aside to make room for another big bad. At the end of season 2, Victoria Neuman is revealed to be the head-popping enemy that stopped the Boys from finding out the full extent of Vought's corruption and her own dangerous plans by murdering Susan Raynor.

As a villain, Victoria is symbolic of a larger problem. In public, she speaks out against supes, but she's an invention of Vought, just like the rest of them, and she's well on her way to becoming the most powerful political figure in the country. If Butcher truly wants to put an end to the cycle that led to Becca's demise, then he has to start looking at the bigger picture.

Yes, Homelander will always be a threat as long as he's alive, but as monstrous as he is, he's also one of Vought's original victims. His cruelty and his strength are a direct result of Compound V and being raised like a lab rat. Butcher's rage towards him is completely understandable and justified, but killing Homelander won't solve anything — and it certainly won't end Vought's stranglehold on the country.

It's important to note that even after news of Compound V got out, Vought was able to turn Madelyn Stillwell into a scapegoat, and almost immediately returned to business as usual. As long as that corporation stands, the supe machine will keep turning — and that's a lesson Butcher and his Boys could end up learning the hard way in season 3.