What You Need to Know Before "The Boys" Season 4

Prime Video's hit series "The Boys" returns for season 4 on June 13th. The new season promises a summer full of violence and the return of some of the most terrifying villains on television.

Season 3 was packed with memorable moments, from a musical number inspired by Judy Garland to the infamous "Herogasm" episode. But after a two-year hiatus, it can be tough to remember where we left off.

The team temporarily disbanded at the end of season 3, struggling to agree on how to handle Soldier Boy's (Jensen Ackles) return and attack on Homelander (Antony Starr). However, they reunited in the finale, with Starlight (Erin Moriarty) joining their ranks. Meanwhile, "Gen V," the spin-off series connected to the upcoming season, premiered last summer.

Here's a recap of everything you need to know before diving into "The Boys" season 4:

Homelander is More Terrifying Than Ever

Homelander (Antony Starr) has always been a villain, but he tried to maintain a heroic image with the public in the first two seasons. In season 3, however, he descended deeper into darkness. After Starlight exposed him live on air, Homelander launched dangerous conspiracy theories to discredit Starlight, accusing her of human trafficking. Discovering that Soldier Boy was his father only fueled his bloodlust, and by the end of season 3, he convinced his son Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) to join him, hoping to form the bond he never had with Soldier Boy.

In the final scene of season 3, Homelander introduces Ryan to a crowd of his supporters outside Vought Tower. When Starlight tries to protect Ryan with a soda can, Homelander uses his heat vision to instantly kill her. After a long silence, the crowd erupts in cheers. Series creator Eric Kripke later confirmed this was a reference to former President Trump's claim that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose any votes.

This iconic reaction from Homelander demonstrates that he's no longer concerned with appearances and has embraced his true killer instinct. We also see Ryan subtly smile, hinting that he might follow in his father's destructive footsteps in season 4.

The Danger of Victoria Neuman

Season 2 introduced Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit), a young and anti-Vought politician. However, in season 3, she emerged as a significant threat, becoming increasingly powerful. This season, we learn more about her backstory, including her time at Vought's Red River Institute until she was adopted by former Vought CEO Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito).

Despite publicly advocating for the regulation of Supes by the Federal Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, Neuman is a secret Supe herself, possessing the power to manipulate blood! Hughie (Jack Quaid) is the first to discover this when he witnesses Neuman blow someone's head off in an alleyway.

In the penultimate episode of season 3, Neuman offers to tell Homelander where Ryan is hiding in exchange for killing one of her political rivals. Homelander outsources Neuman's request, instructing Deep to assassinate presidential candidate Robert Singer's (Jim Beaver) running mate, paving the way for Neuman to intervene. This sets up an intriguing backdrop for the presidential race in the new season.

Another crucial detail to remember is that Neuman injects her daughter Zoe (Olivia Morandin) with Compound V. Zoe is confirmed to play a bigger role in the upcoming season. While the exact nature of her powers is still unclear, she is briefly seen in the season 4 trailer with four tentacles protruding from her mouth.

Three Major Characters Are No More

The Seven completely disintegrated at the end of season 3. Starlight left the team, but Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell) and Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott) weren't so lucky. Black Noir, who had a long and complicated history with Soldier Boy and harbored a deep hatred for him, returned to Vought Tower to team up with Homelander and finally kill him. However, Homelander changed his mind upon learning that Black Noir knew Soldier Boy was his father all along, and he coldly killed him instead of Soldier Boy.

While this version of Black Noir is definitively dead, the character appears again in the season 4 teaser. It's incredibly easy for Vought to replace a masked hero like Black Noir with someone else without the public noticing. Mitchel, who played the mysterious figure behind the black mask, has never revealed his face, and according to Kripke, he will return in the new season to play "a different character wearing the Black Noir suit."

Queen Maeve, who sacrificed herself to save New York City from Soldier Boy's wrath in the season 3 finale, is unlikely to return in the new season. After her showdown with Homelander, Maeve manages to overpower Soldier Boy and throws them both out of Vought Tower before an explosion could kill everyone. According to Vought, Maeve's sacrifice killed them both, but we see security footage that shows the Boys intervening to help Maeve after the blast. While the explosion didn't kill her, Maeve lost her powers (and one of her eyes) but still found a happy ending. Ashley deleted the security footage, and Maeve left New York to start a new life with her girlfriend Elena. Maeve passed the torch to Starlight for the war that will ultimately end with Homelander's death, but her survival at the end of season 3 still leaves the door open for a potential return in the future.

The season finale also leads us to believe that Maeve successfully defeated Soldier Boy, but a last-minute reveal shows that Maeve survived the attack as well. Soldier Boy is put back into cryogenic sleep, this time monitored by Grace Mallory (Laila Robins). Kripke has confirmed that Soldier Boy will return at some point in the future.

New Members for "The Seven"

In the season 3 finale, only Homelander, A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), and The Deep (Chace Crawford) remain in The Seven. With Queen Maeve's "death" and Starlight's proclamation as Public Enemy Number One, two new women will join The Seven in the new season: Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) and Firecracker (Valorie Curry). Sister Sage possesses superhuman intelligence and could be a very dangerous ally for Homelander. According to Kripke, Firecracker is an alt-right Supe, "representing both members of conspiracy movements and far-right news media."

The season 4 trailer also provides a glimpse of two Gen V characters, Cate Dunlap and Sam Riordan, who were central to the Gen V season finale and will be working alongside Homelander from now on. Cate has the power to control others by touch, while Sam possesses superhuman strength and durability similar to Kimiko's (Karen Fukuhara) abilities. After the attack on Godolkin University orchestrated by Vought, targeting Marie and her friends, Cate and Sam have been dubbed "The Protectors of Godolkin." Their roles in season 4 are unclear, but their powers undoubtedly pose a significant threat.

Butcher's Time Is Running Out

In the season 3 finale, it's revealed that Butcher's (Karl Urban) days are numbered, not because the Supes are trying to kill him, but due to the detrimental effects of Temp V. Despite Annie's warnings about the dangers of Temp V to the human brain, Butcher continues to take it, as it's his best chance to confront Homelander. After Soldier Boy's attack on Vought Tower, Butcher is hospitalized, where a doctor informs him that he has roughly 12-18 months to live due to the damage Temp V has done to his brain. Determined to kill Homelander and refusing to show weakness, Butcher doesn't tell Hughie or the other members of the team about his condition, but he seems more committed than ever to taking down Homelander, Vought, and now Victoria Neuman.