Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Boys season 4, episode 5!

The Boys season 4 has introduced the supe virus to the main story of the series, and here’s what it is, where it comes from, and how it connects to Gen V. Although Gen V may have initially seemed like an unimportant spinoff of The Boys, it turned out to be massively important to the story of The Boys season 4, with it directly setting up the following season of the main series. The Boys season 4, episode 5 has finally shown how the two shows connect, so here is everything that connects Gen V‘s supe virus to The Boys.

The Boys season 4 is finally here, with the highly anticipated continuation of Amazon Prime Video’s critically acclaimed superhero series now releasing on the streaming service. The Boys season 4 picks up right where The Boys season 3 left off, with the titular team attempting to stop Victoria Neuman from becoming Vice President of the United States while Billy Butcher continues attempting to take out Homelander in the background. However, the gang learns in episode 5 that Victoria Neuman has a trick up her sleeve: a deadly virus that can infect Vought’s supes.

The Origin Of The Boys Season 4’s Supe Virus Explained

It Comes From Gen V

The Boys season 4, episode 5’s supe virus may have seemed to come out of nowhere for fans who have only watched the main series, but viewers of Gen V saw it coming a long time ago. The Boys‘ supe virus actually orignated in Gen V, with the entire show building up to its reveal. Gen V centered on a group of college-aged supes who attended a Vought-run school name Godolkin University, with it being the premiere destination for ambitious up-and-coming supes. However, the main characters quickly realized that something was amiss at the school.

Marie Moreau and the rest of the gang discovered that Godolkin University was actually a front for a secret Vought facility called the Woods, with Vought scientists experimenting on supes below the halls of Godolkin. Although it remains a mystery what they are researching, it is eventually discovered that Vought is testing a virus that can turn supes into obedient slaves who are ready to be controlled. However, Godolkin’s Dean Shetty and Dr. Cardosa twist the virus, turning it into something that can kill supes almost instantly.

After discovering that the dangerous virus is in existence, everyone wants to get their hands on it. Cate and Sam, two supes from Godolkin, cause Dean Shetty to die, ending her involvement in the virus. Wanting to get her hands on it, Victoria Neuman secures the last sample from Dr. Cardosa before popping his head, leaving the last known dose with her. However, Gen V‘s mid-credits scene reveals that Butcher is aware of the virus and is attempting to hunt it down, something that is paid off in The Boys season 4, episode 4.

What Effect The Boys’ Virus Has On Supes

It Could Kill Homelander

The Boys‘ supe virus is one of the most dangerous weapons in the show, and this is due to the effect that it has on supes. The virus is able to get into the blood of supes and weaken them, eventually leading to their near-guaranteed death. Supes infected with the virus have been seen becoming covered in boils and profusely vomiting, as it seen by the supe sheep in The Boys season 4, episode 5.

Episode 5 puts an interesting twist on the lore of the supe virus, highlighting that the dosage doesn’t have equal effects across the board. It is mentioned that high and concentrated doses of the supe virus could kill Homelander, implying that the more powerful a supe is, the harder it is for the virus to kill. As far as it is known, Homelander doesn’t have any powers that would explicitly make him immune to the supe virus, but it seems that it will still be hard to take him down.

How The Boys & Gen V’s Supe Virus Changes The Original Comics

It Alters Billy Butcher’s Endgame Plan

Gen V‘s supe virus is a major change in The Boys season 4, with it being another way in which The Boys departs from the original comics. It is implied that the virus that was developed at the Woods could play a big role in The Boys‘ endgame, with Billy Butcher potentially using it to kill a massive number of supes. This is similar to something that happens in The Boys comics, but it is slightly different.

Near the end of The Boys comics, Billy Butcher commits a genocide against supes, with him using a biological weapon to kill a huge number of supes. This massive attack turns Butcher from a protagonist into an antagonist, and although he doesn’t use a virus in the comics, it seems that this may be the method that he uses to kill the supes in the show. It is possible that Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys could skip this story beat, with it having changed the comics plenty already, although the virus seems to be setting it up.

How The Boys Season 4’s Supe Virus Sets Up Season 5 (& The Comic Book Ending)

Butcher Is Preparing To Use It

Although The Boys season 4, episode 5 sees Victoria Neuman claim that the last dose of the supe virus has been used, this turns out not to be the truth. It is revealed at the end of the episode that Butcher and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s The Boys character Joe Kessler have kidnapped the scientist that Neuman was using to make new doses of the virus. After faking his death, Butcher and Kessler tell the scientist that he has to make more doses of the virus for them, teasing that it could be used as a mass weapon in season 4 and 5.

If Butcher does get his hands on more doses of the virus, then Billy Butcher’s plan to kill every supe could move forward in The Boys. The Boys season 5 could focus on the fallout of this plan, featuring the deaths of supes who are friendly to Butcher’s cause. It is doubtful that The Boys will have anything resembling a happy ending, and Billy Butcher’s plan to use the supe virus could have a major impact on the show’s conclusion.