The Boys season 4 is on its way! Amazon Prime Video has already announced that the show will be back, and while we don’t have an official return date yet, the gang will be back to battle against the Supes once again – and given *that* ending, there’s a lot of work for Billy Butcher and the gang to do.
The early renewal for the superhero show came just a few episodes into The Boys season 3. “We’re thrilled to continue Butcher and the Boys’ fight against Homelander and the Seven, as well as comment on the insane world we’re living in,” showrunner Eric Kripke said, teasing what will happen next.
If you’re just as excited as Kripke is to see the show back again, read on for our comprehensive guide to The Boys season 4. We’ve broken down the potential release date, which cast members are likely to return, and where the plot could be heading. But just a warning before we get stuck in, this article contains MAJOR spoilers for The Boys season 3 finale. So make sure you’ve seen The Boys season 3 episode 8 before reading on.
The Boys season 4 release date
There’s no official release date for The Boys season 4 yet. The show was only recommissioned in June 2022, with the season 3 finale airing on July 8, 2022. It’s likely we could be waiting a little while for new episodes.
While we don’t have anything concrete, we’ve taken a deep dive into previous seasons to try and work out when the show will be making its return. There was a gap of a year and one month between seasons 1 and 2 of the show, before a bigger jump of a year and eight months between the second and third, though that was elongated by the Coronavirus pandemic. If season 4 follows the same pattern, then it could be released anywhere between July 2023 and March 2024.
Karl Urban, who plays Butcher, suggested production on the show will get underway later this summer. Speaking to Collider (opens in new tab), he said: “We’re starting I think August 22, we’re going to be starting season four. So I’m getting back, getting my Butcher back on, and I can’t wait. It’s a fun gang to play with, we work hard and play hard, and I can’t wait to see where they take the characters from where we leave them at the end of this season.”
Given this news, it seems likely we could see new episodes of The Boys in late 2023. Of course, this is just an estimate for now. As soon as anything official is announced, we’ll keep you updated. One thing that seems likely is that ahead of season 4, we’ll get to see The Boys spin-off show Varsity first. This was announced back in 2020 and will premiere on Prime Video in 2023. It follows college-age Supes tested in The Hunger Games-style challenges in a Vought-run university.
The Boys season 4 plot
No plot details have been confirmed yet for The Boys season 4, but the season 3 finale does give us a pretty good idea about what will happen next.
The Boys are now back together and more focused than ever on their plan to take down the Supes. However, it seems like their major enemy has shifted to Victoria Neuman. After making a deal with Homelander, she landed the Vice President ticket in the season finale thanks to The Deep drowning her opposition. This puts her in the running to become the most powerful Supe ever, at least in the political sphere.
But they’ll have a bit of help this time around thanks to Starlight. After trying to change things from the inside, she’s now firmly on team Butcher as a fully-fledged member of the team. And he might need all the help he can get after he was left struggling to deal with the aftermath of Temp V. He’s been told he’s on borrowed time due to the impact of the drug on his body so Billy will be in serious danger in the new season.
Then there’s Homelander. He’s just as unhinged as ever, and it seems like very little will be able to stop him. The Storm Chasers are just as much in his corner as ever, despite the Supe lasering a bystander and airing his controversial toxic views in a national TV address. He’s now joined by his son Ryan too after he introduced him – and his powers – to the world.
There’s no word yet on if we’ll be getting a new big bad for season 4. Soldier Boy is neutralized – but crucially not dead. So we may see him taken off the ice once again when the series rolls around. However, our money is on Kripke having a new ace up his sleeve for season 4 – as we might finally meet someone who can take down Homelander once and for all.
The Boys season 4 cast
The Boys cast has grown quite a bit in the past few seasons and it seems like almost everyone will be coming back. We expect some casting announcements in the next few months before production picks up on season 4. But in the meantime, we’ve taken a look at who made it out of the season 3 finale alive.
The Boys will likely be coming back. That means we’ll see Jack Quaid as Hughie; Laz Alonso as Mother’s Milk; Tomer Capone as Frenchie; Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko; Erin Moriarty as Starlight, and Karl Urban as Billy Butcher.
The numbers of The Seven have been dwindling, but Homelander made it out alive. That means Antony Starr will be back alongside Chase Crawford’s The Deep, Jessie T Usher’s A-Train, and Colby Minifie as Vought suck-up Ashley. Homelander also brought his son Ryan into the limelight at the end of season 3 so Cameron Crovetti will likely return.
Victoria Neuman is set to become Vice President of the United States so we should see Claudia Doumit back. Other recurring characters who could return include Paul Reiser as The Legend and Katy Breieras as The Deep’s now estranged wife Cassandra.
It’s unclear whether Giancarlo Esposito will be returning as Vought’s disgraced head, Stan Edgar. He was ousted in a pincer movement from Neuman and Homelander and hasn’t really been seen since. He may appear in a cameo, or even a bigger role in season 4 – anything’s on the cards for him.
We’ve probably seen the last of Nathan Mitchell’s Black Noir after he was brutally gutted by Homelander in the season 3 finale. We’ve most likely said our goodbyes to Dominique McElligott as Maeve after her character went into hiding with Elena.
Another character whose future on the show remains up in the air is Soldier Boy. Jensen Ackles’ Supe was put back on ice in the season 3 finale. However, he crucially wasn’t killed off. Therefore, just like Stormfront, there’s scope for a return.
There’s a lot up in the air ahead of The Boys season 4, but we’ll keep updating this guide as soon as any news lands. In the meantime, check out our breakdown of The Boys season 3 episodes as well as the mixed response to Black Noir’s death in the finale.
