Will That Famous Plotline From The Boys Happen In Season 4?
This post contains spoilers for "The Boys" season 3, as well as "The Boys" comic series.
Another season of "The Boys" has come and gone on Prime Video, and that is a bloody shame. There was a lot to love about the season, as well as a lot to speculate about regarding where else the show could go from here. Besides, they've already conquered "Herogasm" — what's next?
Well, based on the season three finale and the loose chronology of the series in relation to its comic source material, "Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men" could be poised as the central focus of the show's fourth season. While a second season episode already shares the title of the arc, it doesn't come close to the brutality the storyline inflicts in the comics. This Supe insurrection plot is a game-changer for the entire comic series, and we've gotten our first overt hints that it will be adapted for the show.
At the end of the recent episode, Homelander (Antony Starr) attends a patriotic and all-too-familiar-looking rally. As it continues, he introduces his son Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) to the enthusiastic crowd, but it takes a turn when a counterprotester shows up and throws a bottle at the young boy. In retaliation, he kills the man by slicing his head off. Both Homelander and Ryan smile as the crowd goes wild in support.
So, how exactly does this tease a massive Supe uprising? Let's break it down.
Tomorrow, the sun rises on a different world
To understand just how critical the storyline would be for the rest of the show, let's recap the events as they happen in the original comic arc. Tired of his image being ruined and wanting to reestablish himself as a force to be reckoned with, Homelander devises a plan to stage an insurrection supposedly enforced by Vought. However, this isn't the case, as demonstrated by the bloody confrontations between Vought officials and the Boys upon hearing Homelander's version of events.
When both sides figure out the truth, it already looks to be too late. Supes have already attacked the Pentagon and have been guarding the area around the White House from the military. Any Supe that had even entertained not being involved in the insurrection has already been slaughtered. Despite this, Butcher decides to walk into the White House all by himself, crowbar in hand and ready to kill Homelander once and for all. However, that might not be as easy or cathartic as it may seem.
What an adaptation would mean for the show
So what happens next if the show moves in this direction? The insurrection would mark a point of no return in the television series, and perhaps even be the storyline that ultimately ends the show. While "Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men" is not the final storyline of the comics, it is the most pivotal, as it takes the Supes to even more intense levels of cruelty and mania, resulting in their collapse in the process. "The Bloody Doors Off" has its important moments, but overall it can easily be integrated into this storyline like others have been on the show.
It is also pivotal due to the deaths of a handful of the most prominent Supes of the series. A-Train, Queen Maeve, Black Noir, and even Homelander meet their ends during the storyline in an appropriately gruesome fashion. Victor Neuman also dies shortly after assuming the presidency from Robert Schaefer, who was mauled to death by a wolverine. While the show has never been comic-consistent with character deaths, this would mean that a large chunk of the cast would have to leave the show, including one of its central stars. A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) might be on Homelander's good side at the expense of his brother's trust, and Maeve (Dominique McElligott) might have narrowly escaped death, but adapting the insurrection storyline might make them the next significant deaths in the series. The same goes for Homelander, who we previously speculated could be on his way out.
Don't expect a straight adaptation
Now, let's address the superpowered elephant in the room. The differences between "The Boys" comic series and "The Boys" television series are stark, with the latter not exactly following the source material to a T. In fact, there's a lot of support for the argument that the show is better than the comics because of how far it strays from them. However, that's another article for another time.
What is important, though, is that the changes will affect how a potential adaptation of "Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men" will be made. It's not yet clear whether the ticket of Robert Singer (Jim Beaver) and Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) will eventually win, meaning Singer getting mauled by a wolverine and Neuman getting decapitated is also undetermined. Furthermore, teams such as Paralactic and Team Titanic, who played roles in Homelander's insurrection, have not been introduced or even alluded to in the series. Then again, Payback wasn't acknowledged much before the third season, so perhaps they can find their way through.
One key omission
However, perhaps the biggest change an adaptation would have to face is how it won't feature Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell). A good amount of the storyline hinges on the reveal that he is Homelander's clone, having been responsible for the assault and murder of Becca Butcher, among other heinous crimes (one of which feels ripped straight out of "Crossed"). After killing Homelander and being reduced to mere muscle and bones, Black Noir is killed by Butcher by having his brains ripped out.
However, the show makes it evident that their Black Noir couldn't be further from his original self. On the show, his clone backstory is given to both Homelander and Soldier Boy, and he is instead a man named Earving (Fritzy-Klevans Destine in unmasked flashbacks) who was fiercely loyal to Vought but dealt with racism and a horrific injury. In the season finale, he is brutally and emotionally killed by Homelander, his corpse being somewhat reminiscent of the comics with how his intestines are ripped out.
Toeing the line between sympathetic and culpable of evil, there's no denying that this version of the character is far more complex than his predecessor. That being said, his comic reveal as the ultimate puppet master of the Seven and the Boys is genuinely shocking for first-time readers, and it's going to be hard topping that if the show moves forward with adapting this storyline.
What could happen, based on what we know
In the comic storyline, it becomes clear to both Butcher and the readers that Homelander was duped. Driven to insanity by the actions of Black Noir and the genuinely terrifying ones he made, he realized he'd strayed away from being an actual superhero. Whether his death was a sacrifice or one last selfish action isn't clear, and perhaps it's better off that way.
What is extremely clear is that Homelander will not feel that way in the show. One of the recurring events of the latest season was his belief that he was better than everyone else and should be worshipped. If anyone were going to commit an insurrection on the White House, it would be Homelander, and he certainly would do it on his own accord. Besides, look at how drunk with glee he was in that final scene after he was applauded for killing a protester.
It's obvious Homelander will likely want to claim the presidency all to himself, but will other Supes help him in the process? Outside of The Deep (Chace Crawford) and maybe A-Train, it's not entirely clear, especially since the events of Herogasm either killed a lot of Supes or stripped them of their powers. However, he certainly has the support of civilians, including one familiar-looking shaman, who would probably help him instead in their blind love.
So, should they bring this storyline to the screen?
Yes. I mean, come on, did you expect any other answer?
Understandably, the insurrection imagery could be too reminiscent of the January 6 U.S. Capitol attacks for many viewers. However, when has political imagery been off-limits for the show? Showrunner Eric Kripke recently said in an interview that his version of Homelander has always been meant to be a stand-in for former President Donald Trump, calling his season three arc "white-male victimization and unchecked ambition."
If anything, not adapting this storyline, despite the changes needed, would be a bad idea. The stage is being set for Homelander's final unhinging, for him to proclaim that he is the only person who can make America a truly great nation. Incorporating the plot of "Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men" into the fourth season is not only timely but also serves as the next logical step for Homelander's characterization and the show's plot itself. If he really was as unhinged as he is perceived to be, then why wouldn't he stage an insurrection to claim the presidency?