Caution: spoilers ahead for The Boys season 3
The Boys season 3 shockingly gives Butcher superpowers – does this mean an even more shocking Homelander twist lies ahead? Thanks to trailer footage and promotional posters, The Boys fans head into season 3 knowing Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher will take his anti-supe crusade to another level by becoming the very thing he hates. The Boys season 3’s premiere sees Queen Maeve supply Butcher with several stolen vials of “V-24” – an experimental, temporary version of Compound-V being developed for military use. Both characters are desperate to bring Homelander down, and although Butcher is reluctant initially, he eventually swallows his morals and settles on an “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” philosophy.
Billy Butcher shoots his first dose of V-24 in The Boys season 3, episode 2 (“The Only Man In The Sky”). Hunting for more information about Soldier Boy, Karl Urban’s antihero tracks down his target’s former sidekick, Gunpowder, at a disturbingly family-orientated firearm convention. The pair throw down in a parking lot, and though Butcher would usually be outgunned by a supe, V-24 levels the playing field. Curiously, Butcher’s powers include Homelander’s signature laser vision, and these golden beams rip through nearby cars and concrete walls as easily as a speedboat might rip through a whale.
Laser vision is very much Homelander’s trademark in The Boys‘ universe. The only other supe we’ve seen wield this ability is Ryan, whose powers aren’t public knowledge. When the CIA, Vought and other agencies begin finding crime scenes covered in distinctive laser marks, therefore, their suspicions might immediately turn towards Homelander as the only supe (that they know of, at least) who can cause such terrific damage. Homelander hasn’t been himself since the Stormfront controversy of The Boys season 2 and, as revealed by trailer footage, the Seven leader has finally dropped his cuddly public persona in favor of the “real” Homelander. Authorities might come to believe the world’s top supe is secretly sneaking away from Vought HQ and committing crimes every night, when the real culprit is actually Billy Butcher.
There’s precedent for this twist in The Boys‘ comic series too. Garth Ennis’ original story reveals Black Noir as a Homelander clone who spent years carrying out horrific acts subsequently attributed to Homelander – including the assault of Becca Butcher. Noir deliberately used his visual likeness as part of an elaborate scheme to torment the world’s most popular hero. The Boys‘ Billy Butcher still looks very much like Karl Urban (even with V-24) but secretly possessing Homelander’s unique laser vision could allow him to pull the exact same trick as Black Noir from the comic books – committing horrible misdeeds then positioning Homelander as the supe responsible. Maeve gave Butcher the V-24 specifically to defeat Homelander, and though she probably had a more violent method in mind, framing the Seven leader for crimes he didn’t commit is certainly one way to go about that.
If we do see Butcher’s super-powered antics pinned on Homelander in The Boys season 3, the comic books prove how badly that ploy could backfire. Black Noir’s scheming only serves to make Homelander even more unhinged and unbalanced than before, and being accused of acts he doesn’t remember pushes the Superman parody to trigger a supe uprising. Billy Butcher might believe “V-24” is the answer to defeating Homelander, but the similar nature of their powers could turn Vought’s villainous figurehead more dangerous and unpredictable than ever before.
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Read More About The Boys Season 3
- The Boys’ Soldier Boy Is the Only Hero Considered Homelander’s Equal
- Butcher’s Last Words to Homelander Reveal He’s The Boys’ True Villain
- Butcher’s New Season 3 Powers Will End In Disaster
- The Boys Version Of Thor Uses The Infinity Gauntlet In The Grossest Way
- How The Boys Fixes Season 2’s Compound-V Problem
- Why Vought Desperately Needs Soldier Boy In The Boys Season 3
- The Boys Season 3: Vought’s Zombie Army Theory Explained
- Every The Boys Season 3 Plot Theory Explained
- How Many Episodes Are In The Boys Season 3 (& When Is The Finale)?
- The Boys Season 3 Cast & Character Guide
- The Boys: How Powerful Butcher Is Compared To Homelander With Powers
The Boys continues Friday on Prime Video.
