WARNING: This interview includes SPOILERS from The Boys season 4, episodes 1-3.
Summary
The Boysseason 4 has officially arrived on Prime Video, andScreen Rantsat down with creator and showrunner Eric Kripke to go into detail about some of the big events coming out of the first three episodes. After a long wait,The Boysseason 4continues the battle against Vought in its typically bloodthirsty and satirical fashion. However, The Boys are also having to keep a close eye on Victoria Neuman, as she is becoming one of the most dangerous players in the series.
While Butcher is slowly dying, the clock is ticking for him as he attempts to make defeating Homelander his final act in life. Even though season 4 just got started,The Boysseason 5has already been announced by Prime Video. However, asThe Boysseason 5 is confirmed to end the series, the show officially only has a certain amount of hours left before the story concludes.
Every Supernatural Actor In The Boys
Supernatural and The Boys share a creator in the form of Eric Kripke, but the two popular shows also share several of the same actors.
Followingthe release of the first three episodes ofThe Boysseason 4,Screen Rantinterviewed Kripke to break down some of the crucial elements from the first episodes of the new season. Throughout the interview, Kripke hit on the emotional layers of some of the biggest stories inThe Boysseason 4, including the slow-coming end of Butcher. Kripke also opened up a bit aboutThe Boysseason 5 and whether or not moreSupernaturalplayers will make their way into the series' final season.
Eric Kripke Teases What’s Next ForThe BoysSeason 4 After Episodes 1-3
Screen Rant: As we go forward with the rest of the season, how do we see each team member dealing with Butcher’s pending death, I’m assuming every character will have their own unique way of dealing with this.
Eric Kripke: I think they sympathize, but he’s really made a lot of mistakes and hurt a lot of them. I think, for instance, M.M. is the new leader of The Boys, even though he feels for Butcher, he’s not gonna let it affect the decisions he’s to make to run the team. I think Hughie is the most conflicted because I think he really loves Butcher, and for as horrible as Butcher can be, I think one of Hughie’s superpowers is he can see the good in the guy in a way that a lot of the other characters can’t.
On Homelander Battling His Humanity InThe BoysSeason 4
I was very intrigued by the twist of Homelander, starting to realize,‘Oh, I can also age. I also have a soft spot for someone like Ryan.‘How do we explore his humanity for the rest of the season? Because I never thought there would ever be a point where we get to the show where he is starting to have relatable feelings that we have, so how do we see that progress throughout the season?
Eric Kripke: We knew Butcher was going to be dealing with his mortality this season and we always like, when we can, echo the themes between Butcher and Homelander being two different sides of the same coin. The idea came up of, ‘Well, we should have Homelander explore his mortality because he does age, so let’s lean into that.’ Both Butcher and Homelander are fighting over Ryan and what their ultimate legacy will be when they’re gone. I think what makes it tricky for Homelander is, he hates every part of him that’s human, he’s just disgusted by the human parts of them, so to have a human part of him, literally wave itself in his face, is bad for his sanity.
A Change Of Heart For A-Train InThe BoysSeason 4
I was very fascinated by what we’re doing with A-Train, and I feel this season is really the season where we’re getting to the battle of his soul. How dangerous are things about to get for him? Because he’s toeing a very thin line here with siding with The Boys, while still working under Homelander.
Eric Kripke: It’s obviously an incredibly dangerous game, it’s not particularly great for his self-preservation. But I think we’ve been building to this for a long time, slowly but surely, in season 3, his conscience was awakening and that just continues this season. Doing the right thing is sometimes hard and dangerous proposition and it’s a lot easier to just sit back and let evil be evil, but I think he wants to feel better about himself. I think he wants his family to be proud of him and that’s motivating him to take risks I don’t think he would have taken a year ago.
WillSupernatural’sJared Padalecki Finally Appear InThe BoysSeason 5?
We just heard thatThe Boysseason 5 is confirmed to be the end of the show, which, first of all, congratulations on getting to five seasons, it must be very, very bittersweet. I knowSupernaturalfans would murder me if I didn’t ask this because now that we know that the end is coming, we have to complete the trifecta, so are you guys starting to reach out to Jared Padalecki and maybe otherSupernaturalfolks to come on?
Eric Kripke: I have been texting with Jared , I would love Jared to come in and do a guest spot on the show. Not just because it’s fun to bring Supernatural characters onto the show, but just because I love working with people I love and if I have an opportunity to bring family back and work with family, I’ll take it and I have a lot of actors from that show who have really become family.
Do you already have a character in mind for him, and it’s now down to just trying to figure out the scheduling?
Eric Kripke: We’re very, very early in season five, so I don’t have a character in mind quite yet . But I’m aiming towards it and I’m just keeping in rough touch with him so that hopefully our schedules do line up
Would chances be good that he would be somehow related to Soldier Boy, so that you will be able to bring Padalecki and Jensen Ackles together like that again?
Eric Kripke: [Laughs] Yeah, I like that!
A Tricky Campbell Family Reunion
The reunion between Hughie and his mom was incredibly emotional to follow, as his dad’s fate remains up in the air, What does this do for him as we go through the rest of the season? Because when Hughie gets emotional, it really drives a lot of his actions throughout the seasons, so where can you speak on that matter?
Eric Kripke: Every season, we try to dig a little deeper with all the characters, and you start digging deep enough, you start getting to the existential trauma that made them who they are. For Hughie, that was his mother abandoning him when he was a child. So much of who he is and how he holds tight on everyone, his insecurity really stems from that event. We wanted to deal with it once and for all, so bringing his mom back into his life and having him have to really confront her and confront that experience felt like the right time to do that.
AboutThe BoysSeason 4
The world is on the brink. Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the muscly thumb of Homelander, who is consolidating his power. Butcher, with only months to live, has lost Becca’s son as well as his job as The Boys’ leader. The rest of the team are fed up with his lies. With the stakes higher than ever, they have to find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late.
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The Boysseason 4 releases new episodes every Thursday on Prime Video.
The Boys
Cast
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.
