The Boys season 3 only just concluded this past Friday, but season 4 is already set to begin shooting later this year, and showrunner Eric Kripke has now dropped a pretty big hint about the direction the story will be heading in.
The finale actually signed-off on a (relatively) happy note for our heroes, who all managed to survive their battle with Homelander and Soldier Boy, officially welcoming Starlight Annie January into the fold as they set their sights on their next target.
However, the episode ended with the sinister sight of Ryan smiling after witnessing Homelander brutally murder a protestor in clear view of a crowd of his supporters.
During an interview with Collider, Kripke confirmed that Ryan will be focal point of the fourth season.
"Moving forward, Ryan is a really important part of it. Both Butcher and Homelander have very good reasons to fight over Ryan because the stakes could not be higher. If Ryan goes Homelander's way and then there are two Homelanders in the world, then that's a nightmare for the planet. If Butcher can get Ryan into the light, then that's probably actually the best weapon they have against Homelander. It's always been a show about family, and so much of Season 3 was about fathers, so I think it makes sense that Season 4 is about sons."
Ryan already seems to have chosen "Homelander's way," but that doesn't mean he's beyond saving. Butcher made a major mistake by pushing the easily-influenced youngster away in the false believe that he'd be safer without such a fatalistic father figure in his life, but this completely backfired when Victoria Neuman gave Homelander his son's location.
There's a theory doing the rounds that Ryan may ultimately assume the mantle of the late Black Noir, setting up a significant plot point from the comics (Noir was revealed to be a clone of Homelander). The show is nowhere near as nihilistic as its source material, however, so we think a redemption arc is more likely.
How do you guys see The Boys - and the boy - progressing from this point on? Drop us a comment down below.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.