The Boys season 4: everything we know so far

The Boys season 4 promises to be the hit Prime Video show’s most diabolical entry yet. 

After the typically gratuitously violent and shocking events of its third season, The Boys – based on Garth Ennis and Derick Robertson’s graphic novel series of the same name – aims to go bigger and bolder than ever before. Fans of one of the best Prime Video shows of all time, then, are in for a wild ride. You know, whenever it’s released.

So, when will The Boys‘ fourth installment debut on our screens? Below, we reveal when it might arrive, but that’s not all you’ll find in this guide. We’ve also gathered the latest news and information surrounding the R-rated superhero series’ return, including the cast list, story beats, the show’s future on one of the world’s best streaming services, and more.

Full spoilers follow for The Boys season 3. Potential season 4 cast and plot spoilers are also incoming.

The Boys season 4 release date: what we know

The Boys season 4 doesn’t have a release date yet. It was greenlit by Amazon Studios in June 2022, with filming beginning in August 2022 and wrapping in April 2023, so the series’ fourth season is well into its post-production phase.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean it’ll appear on our screens in the next few months. Hollywood is at a standstill amid the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes, which began on May 2 and July 14, respectively. With showrunner Eric Kripke joining his fellow creators and stars on the picket line, you shouldn’t expect The Boys 4 to take flight anytime soon.

Explaining why that’s the case, Kripke took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to say season 4’s launch “depends on how long the strike goes“. He also elaborated on some of the unexpected hold-ups, including the need for additional dialog recording and other episode-based editing issues.

Still, while we wait for an official release date announcement, Kripke has dropped two interesting pieces of information in recent months. The first? The title of season 4’s first episode:

Kripke also revealed the season 4 finale’s title, which could mean the death of any number of individuals. As we allude to in our plot section below, though, we think it’ll involve the demise of one specific character.

The Boys season 4 cast

Major spoilers follow for The Boys season 3.

Here’s the confirmed cast for The Boys season 4 so far:

• Karl Urban as William ‘Billy’ Butcher
• Jack Quaid as Hugh ‘Hughie’ Campbell
• Erin Moriarty as Annie January/Starlight
• Anthony Starr as Homelander
• Laz Alonso as Mother’s Milk
• Tomer Capone as Frenchie
• Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro
• Jessie T Usher as A-Train
• Chace Crawford as The Deep
• Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett
• Nathan Mitchell as Black Noir
• Claudia Doumit as Victoria Neuman
• Cameron Crovetti as Ryan Butcher
• Simon Pegg as Hugh Campbell Sr
• Valorie Curry as Firecracker
• Susan Heyward as Sister Sage
• Jeffrey Dean Morgan as TBA

Of the above, the first 11 actors – all of whom have appeared in the first three seasons – are back as their respective characters for season 4.

The only curious inclusion among that contingent is Mitchell, whose superpowered individual Black Noir was killed by Homelander in The Boys season 3 finale. However, speaking to Entertainment Weekly (EW), Kripke strongly hinted Mitchell will be back as Black Noir 2.0, adding: “a character who is completely silent and in a black mask can be recast” and “It’s definitely not the last we’ve seen of Black Noir as a hero”.

Elsewhere, Doumit is back as Neuman, who – as revealed in season 3’s final entry – has been installed as Robert Singer’s running mate for the next US election. Crovetti, who has periodically featured in seasons 2 and 3, has been bumped to series regular  (per The Boys‘ official Instagram account). Additionally, Simon Pegg will cameo once more as Hughie’s dad.

Joining the show’s eclectic cast in major roles are Valorie Curry (Veronica Mars) and Susan Heyward (Orange Is the New Black) as Firecracker and Sister Sage. This duo are new members of the Seven, the world’s number one superhero team led by Starr’s Homelander. Neither character exists in the graphic novel series, so we’ve no idea how they’ll factor into season 4’s plot.

Fresh from his love-to-hate portrayal of iconic Walking Dead character Negan on AMC’s TV adaptation of that comic series, Jeffrey Dean Morgan has also been cast in The Boys season 4. No word on who he’ll play yet.

Finally, Rosemarie DeWitt (La La Land, Stand-Off) has been hired to play Hughie’s mom (name TBA). And, for those hoping for Jensen Ackles’ return as Soldier Boy, that remains to be seen (more on why in the next section). The former Supernatural star is eager to reprise the role of Homelander’s dad and human-based weapon of mass destruction, though.

The Boys season 4 story

Understandably, The Boys‘ chief creative team is keeping season 4’s overarching narrative a secret for the time being. Based on how season 3 ended, however, and some clues delivered by its cast and crew, we have a vague idea of what might occur.

Let’s start with the non-spoiler-filled details. The Boys is renowned for being a boundary-pushing TV show for gore, sex, and outrageously funny perspectives, and it sounds like season 4 will be no different.

Speaking to Collider, Jessie T Usher – who plays A-Train – says the level of carnage in the series’ next installment was “a surprise to everyone”, including Eric Kripke. In fact, The Boys‘ showrunner tweeted that there’s a wildly over-the-top sequence in its fourth season that’s “easily a top 5 moment” for him. Kripke’s comments were echoed by producer Stephan Fleet, who suggests The Boys season 4 contains a moment that’s “the most disgusting thing I have seen working in this business thus far.”

Major season 2 and 3 spoilers follow after the tweet below.

But enough of season 4’s potentially hilariously nasty moments. What did season 3 set up for its successor?

Let’s start with Homelander, everyone’s favorite love-to-hate ‘Supe’ (the show’s not-so-affectionate name for its egotistical, unhinged superheroes). The Seven’s deranged leader was last seen taking Ryan – his superpowered son – under his wing following the three-way battle between Homelander, the Boys, and Soldier Boy. And, after Homelander brutally murders a Starlight fan (after the fan throws a drink at Ryan during a political rally) and the crowd erupts with delight, the smiles that spread across Homelander and Ryan’s faces paint a very unsettling picture for what’s to come.

Is Homelander about to raise Ryan as his equally callous, unhinged successor? In a chat with IGN, Kripke suggested that could be the case – and what it could mean for Ryan’s relationship with Billy. 

Remember, Ryan is the illegitimate love child of Homelander and Billy’s deceased ex-wife Becca. At the end of season 2, Billy promised a dying Becca he’d protect Ryan in her absence. However, Billy alienates Ryan over the course of season 3’s episodes, leading Ryan to disown Billy and seek safety with Homelander. So, season 4 should see Billy and Homelander battle for Ryan’s soul. If Billy wins, his team will have their own Homelander who can go up against his similarly superpowered father. If Homelander is victorious, though, there’ll be no stopping the pair from assuming dominion over whoever they want.

Ryan won’t be the only weapon Homelander has heading into season 4. He’s still in command of the Seven, which currently comprises himself, The Deep, and A-Train (even if the latter duo has started to see through Homelander’s charade). With Sister Sage and Firecracker joining the Seven next season, and the addition of Black Noir 2.0, the world’s ‘most popular’ superhero team will be nearly back to full strength.

As for Billy, he’s on borrowed time. In season 3, the Boys’ leader became addicted to V24, an experimental, Vought-developed serum that grants its user superpowers for a 24-hour period. Unfortunately for Billy, one of V24’s worst side effects causes a highly aggressive form of cancer to develop in its host. In short: Billy only has 12 to 18 months left to live. True to form, he decides to keep his diagnosis secret from the rest of the Boys, which is sure to cause its own problem down the line.

But that’s an issue for another time for Billy. Heading into season 4, he has two priorities: the aforementioned Ryan problem and the Boys’ pursuit of Victoria Neuman.

Think back to season 2’s final episode (yep, we’re going that far back), and you’ll recall Neuman was revealed as a secret ‘Supe’, whose ability allows her to blow peoples’ heads up. Hughie, who is hired by Neuman when the Boys disband in the season 2 finale, finds this out early in season 3, and digs into her past – which includes the revelation that Neuman is the adopted daughter of Stan Edgar, Vought’s former CEO, who helped her political rise to power before she betrayed him later in season 3.

With so much going on in The Boys‘ third season, the gang become side-tracked by more pressing issues (namely, Homelander and Soldier Boy). This allows Neuman to infiltrate US Presidential candidate Robert Singer’s – aka Dakota Bob – camp and become his running mate. You know, after Homelander forced The Deep to kill Singer’s former Vice Presidential candidate Lamar Bishop.

Back at base in season 3’s final scene, the titular gang learns of this development and that she’s now in cahoots with Homelander, resulting in Billy stating that Neuman is their next ‘Supe’ target. Expect Neuman to be one of the individuals that the group target in season 4’s finale episode, aka ‘Assassination Run’, which was teased in Kripke’s tweet in our release date section.

“I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to say that we’re definitely working towards a Dakota Bob presidency with Neuman as a secret Vought plant in the vice presidency, and all the complications that ensue from that,” Kripke told GameSpot of this story arc. “That obviously was probably Garth’s [Ennis] biggest endgame story. Again, it’s not a spoiler to say that. You’ve seen us maneuver the chess pieces into that place so we can start telling that story.”

The Boys don’t just have the incredibly vicious, superpowered Kimiko at their disposal now, either. Annie January/Starlight defected from the Seven and officially joined the group in the season 3 finale, meaning they have more ‘Supes’ to level the playing field.

That doesn’t mean Starlight won’t have her own agenda heading into season 4, however. As we said earlier, the person Homelander killed near the Neuman political rally was a Starlight fan, so Annie will be gunning for him harder than ever if she learns of this murder (which she surely will). The escalating conflict between the two ‘Supes’ was one of the most fascinating subplots in The Boys season 3, and we’ll certainly see more of it – and its comparisons to the real world’s political climate – in season 4, according to Kripke’s GameSpot interview. As actor Erin Moriarty teased on Instagram, too, season 4 sees Starlight enter her vengeance era. Oh, and she’ll be learning how to master her flying power (as she does in the comics), which was teased in season 3 episode 8, according to a Variety chat with Kripke.

And what of Soldier Boy? Following the climactic battle in season 3’s eighth episode, Ackles’ nuclear-powered human weapon was put back on ice by the FBI. Unless Homelander or The Boys get truly desperate and need him to fight for their cause, we suspect that’s where he’ll stay.

There are plenty of storylines that The Boys‘ TV adaptation can, well, adapt from Ennis and Robertson’s graphic novel series in season 4 as well, but we’ll refrain from spoiling anything else here. We’ll leave the last word for Kripke, who told Insider that fans shouldn’t worry about the possibility of Homelander subversively winning the day in The Boys season 4 or the wider context of the series.

“The story’s not over,” he said. “Hang out, folks. There’s more story to tell and I’ll make a pledge to you right now that I will not end this series with Homelander winning. So, you can hold me to that.”

The Boys season 4 trailer

Unsurprisingly, The Boys season 4 doesn’t have a trailer right now. With the show stuck in its post-production phase, and will the industrial action that’s brought Hollywood to a standstill, it’s likely we won’t see one for a long time, either. We’ll update this section once one is released.

Will The Boys season 4 get a follow-up?

The Boys hasn’t yet been renewed for a fifth season, but Eric Kripke has confirmed that its fourth season won’t be the show’s final entry. So, as long as The Boys continues drawing in viewers (which it will do, in our opinion), at least one more season will be in the offing.

There’s more to enjoy in The Boys‘ TV-based universe before season 4 arrives. On September 29, Gen V, the mainline series’ second spin-off will debut on Prime Video. It’s billed as a Hunger Games-style, college-based show that follows the next generation of ‘Supes’ on their journey to try to become members of the Seven. Expect plenty more adult content in this riotously fun-looking spin-off  (watch the official trailer above).

Meanwhile, The Boys executive producer Seth Rogen hopes Amazon will renew the show’s other spin-off – The Boys Presents: Diabolical – for a second season. The animated anthology series’ first installment arrived in March 2022 and seemed to do pretty well. Speaking to Collider, Rogen confirmed Amazon had bought some scripts for a second season, but there was no news on whether they’d be produced in full.

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