Billy Butcher has never been portrayed as a conventional hero, and although he does (sometimes) try to do the right thing, his selfish, reckless nature often ends up putting the people he cares about in danger as his obsession with taking down Homelander and The Seven drives him further and further down a dark path.
Up until now, Butcher has manged to hold it together, but could the loss of his wife in the season 2 finale of The Boys push him over the edge into outright villainy?
"That's the dilemma: does Butcher become a superhero or a super villain?" actor Karl Urban told Entertainment Weekly when asked about his character's season 3 arc. "In order to defeat the monster, do you become the monster? And I think that's one of the cool things about this season is every character is faced with that choice. How far are they willing to go? What line are they willing to cross in order to achieve what they want to achieve?"
The season 3 trailer revealed that Butcher will gain super-powers of his own, levelling the playing field for his continuing battle with the deranged Homelander. If you've read the comics, you'll know that Billy maxing-out on Compound V does not go well, although it's worth noting that the character was depicted as being a much bigger asshole on the page right from the first issue.
Let's hope Butcher is able to follow the sage advice he gave to Ryan in season 2: "Don't be a c*nt."
Season 2 of The Boys ended with the the apparent disbanding of the team. We know they will reunite, however, most likely in attempt to bring down the increasingly psychotic Homelander. Queen Maeve was able to blackmail her rage-fuelled leader into backing off in the finale, but actor Anthony Starr has already confirmed that he will really let loose in Season 3.
It's also been confirmed that the highly controversial Herogasm comic book arc will be adapted, and showrunner Eric Kripke has hinted that the episode will be every bit as depraved as the comic.
Season 3 of The Boys is set to premiere on June 3.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.