The Boys just set the stage for a very different season 5…
*Warning – Contains full spoilers for all The Boys season 4 finale*
Well… that was a lot!
The fourth season of The Boys has now come to an end, with a dramatic finale set to have major repercussions for all of the characters going forward.
We don’t yet know exactly when the final season will land on Prime Video, but until that time fans will have a lot to chew over when it comes to the fates of Homelander, Butcher, The Boys and The Seven coming out of this finale.
Whether you’ve seen the finale and want a recap or just want to know what happened, read on for everything you need to know about the ending of The Boys season 4 – with full spoilers.
The Boys ending explained: Did Robert Singer survive?
At the start of The Boys season 4 finale, things looked bleak for President Elect Robert Singer, with a shapeshifting supe attempting to assassinate him, having been hired by Sister Sage.
She had taken the form of Annie and infiltrated The Boys – she even asked Hughie to marry her, which he agreed to.
However, as Singer, The Boys and a host of bodyguards went into a bunker, Hughie realised the truth about the fake Annie.
They managed to escape, and the real Annie arrived to take down the fake one, meaning Singer was saved. However, as for his political career? That was another matter…
What happened to Victoria Neuman?
Near the start of the season finale, Homelander outed Victoria Neuman as a supe on Firecracker‘s TV show, leading her to realise how dangerous he was. In an attempt to save her daughter Zoe, Victoria called Huey, turning to the Boys for help.
She came to the Boys and asked them to get her and Zoe to safety, in exchange for helping to take down Vought and Homelander.
However, what she didn’t realise was the journey that Butcher had been on. As Ryan started to turn against Homelander, Grace got him to visit Butcher, but out of desperation told him the truth – that his father, Homelander was a monster and that he had raped Ryan’s mother.
Realising that they just wanted him to try and kill Homelander, Ryan pushed Grace, brutally killing her. He then ran from Butcher, who, in the thrall of Joe, came to realise the danger any supe, even Ryan, caused to the world.
Butcher took V, giving him tentacle like powers bursting from his chest. He arrived at the Boys’, saying they would be doing no deals with Neuman. Hughie pleaded with him, but it was too late. Butcher used his new powers to knock out Zoe and kill Victoria, ripping her in half.
He then took the virus from Frenchie, aiming to unleash it, even if he would be killing himself too, now.
We later saw that Zoe had been put into the Red River Institute, exactly the life her mother never wanted her to have.
What happened to Homelander?
At the start of the episode, Homelander put together a list of faithful supes, hoping to use them to assert control once the plan was complete. He also planned to take out anyone who knew The Seven’s secrets, starting with Ashley.
Ashley took Compound V – As her hair fell out and her head started cracking, we didn’t see what happened to her after this, but it seems certain we’ll find out early on in season 5.
While Homelander later thought the plan had fallen apart, Sister Sage arrived to reveal that was not the case – instead, she had kept parts of the plan to herself.
With Neuman dead, Sage released an out of context video of Singer saying he had ordered her death, after which he was arrested. This left a vacuum at the top of the US political system. With the 25th amendment being invoked, the Speaker of the House was next in line to be President, but he decided to pledge his allegiance to Homelander.
Sage then warned Homelander to listen to her next time, telling him to “buckle up for phase two”.
On Homelander’s instruction, the Speaker of the House declared martial law and deputised supes across the country to report directly to Homelander.
Homelander announced he was “coming for” the Starlighters and that “a new age of superheroes” was beginning.
Where did we leave Butcher and The Boys ahead of season 5?
At the end of the season, all seemed lost for The Boys. Butcher had the virus and was on a mission to unleash it, killing every supe on Earth. Meanwhile, Homelander started asserting his power.
The Boys split up, with Kimiko and Frenchie, who had finally admitted their love for one another, going one way, Mother’s Milk going another and Hughie and Annie going another.
Soon, all of them were ambushed by supes under Homelander’s employ, and arrested. Love Sausage took out Mother’s Milk, Frenchie was entranced by Cate Dunlap, Kimiko was grabbed by Sam Riordan (and finally found her voice in process, screaming no) and Cindy helped get Hughie.
Starlight, her powers now restored, was the only one who escaped, sharing one final knowing look with Hughie before flying away.
Did Soldier Boy come back?
He did! Sort of…
Soldier Boy made a brief appearance at the end of the finale with Homelander, now in charge of the US government, being informed of his survival and storage in a regulated coma.
As he was shown Soldier Boy’s unconscious body he simply said: “You gotta be f***ing kidding me. This whole time.”
The Boys season 4 will continue on Prime Video on Thursday 20th June. The Boys seasons 1-3 are available to watch now – try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days. Plus, read our guides to the best Amazon Prime series and the best movies on Amazon Prime.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.