The season finale for Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys turned out to be a life-savior for the show which has had a bland season so far. Based on Garth Ennis’ comics of the same name, the season 4 finale saw Billy Butcher finally let the darkness take over and the Boys separated.
However, one key moment in the show reportedly sets up the comic book ending in the series. Earlier in the season, Jack Quaid’s Hughie takes the difficult decision of euthanizing his father after he goes rogue with a dash of Compound V in his body. This sets up the ending for the show, which many believed Erik Kripke had avoided.
Hughie’s Destiny Is Sealed In The Boys’ Season 4 Finale
At the foundation of The Boys is the relationship between Hughie Campbell and Billy Butcher. The two united with a mission to kill the Supes who had wronged their respective partners and protected themselves from the law. However, their journeys have been different since the first season.
While Butcher ventured into a blind rage, Hughie has been moving on from his girlfriend’s death in the first episode. Though both of them have similar goals in the show, to defeat the Supes, their methods are poles apart. However, Hughie’s arc in season 4 hints at yet another journey for the character which fulfills his comic book destiny.
In the season 4 episode ‘Beware the Jabberwock, My Son’, Hughie makes the tragic decision of euthanizing his father, who has just massacred multiple people after losing control of his Compound V-enabled powers. The show established that Hughie was not ready to take such drastic measures as he was too emotionally attached.
However, this makes him ready for the diabolical climax of the story as the comics show him killing Billy. In the comics, Butcher lies to him that he killed his parents, which provokes Hughie to kill him as he stands on the verge of committing superhero g*nocide. While Butcher in the show still has the same motivations, the provoking is avoided by Erik Kripke.
The Boys Has To End With A Showdown Between Hughie And Billy Butcher
The relationship between Hughie and Billy Butcher goes way beyond their shared goal of wiping out Supes. Jack Quiad’s Hughie is often compared to Billy’s younger brother Lenny, who Billy abandoned as a teen to escape their abusive father. Butcher has always looked at Hughie as a surrogate for Lenny.
Hence, Hughie and Billy having a final showdown, especially after the latter gave the former a purpose is the way for The Boys to end. A brief exchange between the two in the season 4 finale also holds significance. Claudia Doumit, who played Victoria Neuman in the show said to THR,
I think [Neuman’s] death triggers a lot, I would anticipate, for next season. I don’t know what. But you can see it causes a fracture in the relationship between Butcher and Hughie, and I don’t know if they can come back from that.
With Billy in possession of the virus that kills Supes and Kessler taking over him, Hughie might be destined to pull the trigger on the beloved antihero.
The Boys is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video
