This article contains spoilers from The Boys season 4, episodes 1-3.
Summary
Eric Kripke, series creator and showrunner ofThe Boys, explains whyBilly Butcher (Karl Urban) is having hallucinations in season 4. The new season sees Butcher at his lowest point, with only six months left to live, and ousted from the Boys by their new leader, Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso). He’s also struggling to keep the promise he made to his wife Becca (Shantel VanSanten) before she died that he would keep her son Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) safe. As Butcher grapples with these challenges, he is visited by hallucinations of Becca.
In an interview withTVLine,Kripke explained the creative choice behind Butcher’s hallucinationsand bringing Becca back to the series this way. After her death inThe Boysseason 2 finale, Becca did not make any appearances in season 3, although she was mentioned on numerous occasions, and the impact of her loss and the promise Butcher made to her loomed over the entire season. Check out Kripke’s explanation of Becca’s return via hallucinations below:
One, I love Shantel, and I’ll work with her every chance I get. We really wanted to present a Butcher at war with himself this season. He’s only got six months to live. He needs to decide, is he going to fulfill his promise to Becca, or is he going to give into all of his worst impulses? So we thought to really dramatize that promise that he made, to sort of bring her back as sort of the angel on his shoulder that he’s conflicted by, was a good way to show his inner turmoil.
Can “Becca” Save Butcher From Himself?
“Becca” Has So Far Steered Him Away From Doing Anything Terrible.
Despite being at his lowest point, Butcher is ultimately making better choices than he did in the majority of episodes in the previous seasons, and that’s largely thanks to his conversations with “Becca.”
The hallucinations of Becca have so far prevented Butcher from giving in to his worst impulses in season 4. She talked him out of betraying Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), the only true friend he has left. Her influence and the promise he made her also convinced him to not go through with drugging Ryan as he and newThe Boyscharacter CIA agent Joe Kessler(Jeffrey Dean Morgan) had planned. Despite being at his lowest point,Butcher is ultimately making better choicesthan he did in the majority of episodes in the previous seasons, and that’s largely thanks to his conversations with “Becca.”
The Real Reason Butcher Sees Becca In The Boys Season 4
Billy Butcher is seeing and speaking to Becca in The Boys season 4, and there are two possible reasons this bizarre twist is happening.
While she is the angel on his shoulder, Butcher’s old friendKessler is already becoming the devil on his other shoulder. Giving Butcher fentanyl to drug Ryan is only the beginning of his negative influence. Kessler has no moral qualms about what it will take to defeatHomelander (Antony Starr) and other Supesbefore it’s too late for humanity to fight back. This is the same mindset Butcher has had in the past, and the longer Ryan remains at Homelander’s side, the more desperate Butcher will become.
Becca obviously means more to Butcher than Kessler does. Seeing her and having conversations with her via the hallucinations is a constant reminder of her and of the promise he made. Nevertheless, Kessler is one of the few living people still willing to talk to Butcher, and if he can get Butcher to rationalize that the best way to keep his promise and to protect Ryan is to take some kind of horrific action,even Becca may be unable to save Butcher from himselfasThe Boysseason 4 continues.
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The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
