Homelander better watch his back in The Boys season 5, as showrunner Eric Kripke says the final installment will see Billy Butcher fully embrace his villainous side.
"The thing I love about Butcher’s story is it’s about how vengeance and violence, even if done for a just cause, is ultimately toxic and poisons your soul," said Kripke in an interview with SFX Magazine.
Butcher's one aim throughout the whole series was to get revenge on Homelander for assaulting his wife, getting her pregnant, and then being responsible for her death via his super-abled son, Ryan. However, Butcher's goals became skewed when the Supe-hater started experimenting with Temp V in season 3. In The Boys season 4, he ended up giving in to his V-enhanced tumor and, after killing Victoria Neuman, Butcher abandoned his crew and set off to pursue the destruction of all Supes.
"The big turning point for Butcher at the end of season 4 was that he committed to the fact that he’s a monster. He’s given up any semblance of humanity," said Kripke. The one thing Butcher had that was keeping him on track was the image of his dead wife, Becca, whom he would see in visions. But now that they're gone, Kripke says he's "committed to being a true monster in order to achieve his goals."
Butcher may now be just as dangerous as his enemy, Homelander, who turned into a full-on tyrant by the end of season 4. Homelander effectively took control of the US with his puppet as president, established martial law, and put Supes in positions of power across the country. With both Homelander and Butcher to deal with, Kripke says Hughie, Frenchie, and MM "have their work cut out for them" this time around.
"The question for this season is, as scary as Butcher is, and as driven and bloodthirsty as he is, can Hughie and the others rekindle some spark of humanity in this guy?" added Kripke. "Butcher and Homelander veer between this thing of, are they monsters, or are they human? We just put them on different parts of that spectrum."
The Boys season 5 premieres on April 8. For more, check out our picks of the best shows on Prime Video, and keep up with new TV shows heading your way.
