With The Seven in tatters, all indicators point to Homelander’s perilous climb to power being the focus of The Boys season 4.
Season 3 of The Boys saw an increasingly unstable Homelander break free from Vought’s corporate chains and the encumbrance of traitorous members of his heroic team. This information alone is enough to forecast where the following season will go, because if one thing is certain, it is that Homelander will snap and nearly destroy the Earth at some point during the series. What else can we say about where the series will go next?
Of course, there’s the matter of how long it will take for Stan Edgar’s forecast about Homelander’s takeover of Vought to come true. As he exits the boardroom, leaving The Seven’s leader in charge, he tells his protege that while removing the bureaucracy that kept him in check, he also removed any protection or damage control the organization gave for his actions. “I think you’ll come to regret that,” Edgar adds as he walks away. This appears to be foreshadowing for The Boys season 4!
The Deep was left with a nearly empty threat assessment section at the worst conceivable time as a result of Homelander’s purge. Although Homelander got away with murdering a protestor in front of his supporters during the climax, that crime cannot possibly go unpunished… can it? Season 4 of The Boys will almost probably investigate how far Homelander may stretch the bounds of acceptable behavior in civilized society.
This is especially true given that Victoria Neuman has joined Dakota Bob on the campaign trail while still possessing her head-popping abilities. While Homelander may be aiming for dictatorial leadership or at least increased political influence, what does this indicate for Neuman’s long game? Sure, she struck a deal with the superhero and told Starlight that she knows her secret is out, but something tells us that her ascent to power may be just as significant as that of The Seven’s psychopathic leader.
In that case, will The Boys season 4 bother to flesh out the roster of the world’s most recognized super team? The Deep and A-Train may have followed Homelander’s star, but Black Noir and Supersonic are no longer alive, Maeve is assumed dead, and Starlight has surrendered her uniform. Although the Prime Video series has a history of releasing new superheroes such as Stormfront and Soldier Boy, The Seven may be a misnomer in season 4, with its ranks remaining vacant.
Meanwhile, there’s the not-insignificant issue of Butcher’s death sentence, which he imposed on himself by ingesting V-24. Although the twelve to eighteen months prescribed by the doctor may be sufficient to complete any remaining seasons of The Boys, the deadly diagnosis may also be addressed during season 4. Similarly, while Soldier Boy is on ice at the end of the finale, don’t rule him out for the upcoming season.
Fortunately, Karl Urban recently stated in an interview that filming for The Boys season 4 would begin on August 22, 2022, so we won’t have to wait long. “I can’t wait,” Urban revealed to Collider. “We work hard and play hard, and I can’t wait to see where they take the characters from where we leave them at the end of this season.” We can’t either, Karl… we can’t.
