The Boys season 4

The fourth season of the American satirical superhero television series The Boys, the first series in the franchise based on the comic book series of the same name written by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, was developed for television by American writer and television producer Eric Kripke. The season is produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with Point Grey Pictures, Original Film, Kripke Enterprises, Kickstart Entertainment and KFL Nightsky Productions.

The show's fourth season stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and Cameron Crovetti returning from prior seasons, with Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan joining the cast. Taking place six months after the events of the previous season, Victoria Neuman (Doumit) is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the control of Homelander (Starr), who is consolidating his power. With only months to live, Billy Butcher (Urban) must find a way to work with The Boys, who are fed up with his lies, if they want to save the world before it's too late.

The fourth season was announced following the third season premiere. Its first three episodes were released on the streaming service Amazon Prime Video on June 13, 2024, after which episodes were released on a weekly basis. The season was praised for its action sequences, character development, dark humor, emotional depth, storyline, blend of political commentary and surrealism, unique combination of violence, humor and social commentary, and performances (particularly Urban, Quaid, Starr, Moriarty, and Heyward), lauding its bold approach to tackling complex themes and pushing narrative boundaries. Multiple sources:
 * However, various critics and publications have considered it the most polarizing and darkest season yet. Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:
 * However, various critics and publications have considered it the most polarizing and darkest season yet. Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:
 * However, various critics and publications have considered it the most polarizing and darkest season yet. Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:
 * However, various critics and publications have considered it the most polarizing and darkest season yet. Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:
 * However, various critics and publications have considered it the most polarizing and darkest season yet. Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:
 * However, various critics and publications have considered it the most polarizing and darkest season yet. Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:
 * However, various critics and publications have considered it the most polarizing and darkest season yet. Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:
 * Audience response was divisive.Multiple sources:

On May 14, 2024, the series was renewed for a fifth season. On June 11, two days before the fourth season premiered, Kripke announced that the fifth season would serve as the final season.

Main

 * Karl Urban as William "Billy" Butcher
 * Jack Quaid as Hugh "Hughie" Campbell Jr.
 * Antony Starr as John Gillman / Homelander
 * Erin Moriarty as Annie January / Starlight
 * Moriarty also plays a variation of the Shapeshifter Supe
 * Jessie T. Usher as Reggie Franklin / A-Train
 * Laz Alonso as Marvin T. "Mother's" Milk / M.M.
 * Chace Crawford as Kevin Moskowitz / The Deep
 * Tomer Capone as Serge / Frenchie
 * Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro / The Female
 * Nathan Mitchell as Black Noir II
 * Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett
 * Claudia Doumit as Nadia Khayat / Victoria Neuman
 * Cameron Crovetti as Ryan Butcher
 * Susan Heyward as Jessica "Sage" Bradley / Sister Sage
 * Valorie Curry as Misty Tucker Gray / Firecracker
 * Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Joe Kessler

Recurring

 * Laila Robins as Grace Mallory
 * Simon Pegg as Hugh Campbell Sr.
 * Rosemarie DeWitt as Daphne Campbell
 * Derek Wilson as Robert Vernon / Tek Knight
 * Jim Beaver as Robert "Dakota Bob" Singer
 * Matthew Edison as Cameron Coleman
 * Shantel VanSanten as Becca Butcher
 * Will Ferrell as himself portraying Coach Brink
 * Tilda Swinton as Ambrosius (voice)
 * Christian Keyes as Nathan Franklin
 * Maddie Phillips as Cate Dunlap
 * Asa Germann as Sam Riordan
 * Elliot Knight as Colin Hauser
 * David Reale as Evan Lambert
 * Erika Prevost as Tala
 * Frances Turner as Monique
 * P. J. Byrne as Adam Bourke
 * Kimberly-Sue Murray as Kiara
 * Sabrina Saudin as Also Ashley
 * Dan Mousseau as Webweaver
 * Olivia Morandin as Zoe Neuman
 * Omid Abtahi as Dr. Sameer Shah
 * David Andrews as Senator Calhoun

Guest

 * Giancarlo Esposito as Stan Edgar
 * Matthew Gorman as Todd
 * Ana Sani as Anika
 * Jordana Lajoie as Cherie
 * Rob Benedict as Splinter
 * Malcolm Barrett as Seth Reed
 * Katia Winter as Nina "Little Nina" Namenko
 * Shaun Benson as Ezekiel
 * Murray Furrow as Marty
 * Mark Cowling as Frank
 * Nancy Lenehan as Barbara
 * Liyou Abere as Janine
 * Tyrone Benskin as Elijah
 * Ann Cusack as Donna January
 * Ess Hödlmoser as Cindy
 * Derek Johns as Love Sausage
 * Jensen Ackles as Ben / Soldier Boy

Cameos
Shoshana Bean, James Monroe Iglehart, and Andrew Rannells provide the singing voices of the uncredited figure skaters portraying Queen Maeve, Jesus, and Homelander, respectively, during the "Let's Put the Christ Back in Christmas" rehearsal musical sequence in the third episode.

Development
On June 10, 2022, Amazon Prime Video renewed the series for a fourth season. According to showrunner Eric Kripke, figuring out a way to save Ryan's soul is a key priority for Butcher in the fourth season, with Kripke saying it's like Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) combined with Avengers: Endgame (2019). On December 4, 2023, Kripke hinted that a scene from the fourth season might include "the batshit craziest thing" ever filmed for the series and expressed his own surprise that he "got away with it". He also teased how each episode this season will play out, saying: "I think every episode has at least one totally fucking bananas moment. I love the ones in episode five. Episode six makes me cover my mouth with my hands every time I watch it. So, I think there's lots of good stuff going on." The season finale is dedicated to Larry Kripke, father of Eric Kripke, who passed away on February 13, 2024.

Writing
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Kripke described the inspirations of Valorie Curry's character, Misty Tucker Gray / Firecracker, stating: "I think it's like [politicians] Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert. When we were writing her, [South Dakota Gov.] Kristi Noem wasn't in our heads, but then she comes out and she's shooting puppies and then it's like, 'There's Firecracker! She's literally shooting puppies!'" Kripke also spoke with Variety about the development of the character, saying: "Firecracker came from like, 'Hey, isn't Marjorie Taylor Greene scary?' And just that type of personality. Like, you had [Donald] Trump, but now you have these Trump spawn that are trying to outdo each other for how outrageous and sexualized and gun-toting and slavishly obedient they can be. And just that idea — it wouldn't just start and end with Homelander, he would start to create these spores that would grow into these other characters, and she's a version of that."

Kripke also revealed that Susan Heyward's character, Jessica "Sage" Bradley / Sister Sage, was conceived out of a conversation about one of Homelander's big weaknesses, stating: "He's generally surrounded by idiots. And so if we gave him someone truly brilliant, that makes him much more formidable. It turns out that that's a really hard character to write! Because you have to write things that the smartest person in the world would think of and we're not the smartest people in the world, so that's really difficult. And then Sage became a really interesting character, so that's really difficult." Setting up the series' endgame, Kripke commented on the season finale's impact, stating: "There's a sort of seismic change at the end of season 4; nothing in the world is going to be the same."

Casting
On July 8, 2022, it was announced Nathan Mitchell (who portrayed the masked Black Noir in the first three seasons), despite his character's death in the third season finale, would continue to portray Black Noir, but as a new entity of the character (Black Noir II) in a main capacity of the fourth season. On August 1, it was reported that Cameron Crovetti had been promoted as a series regular, while Curry and Heyward were cast as new series regulars for the fourth season. On August 25, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was cast as a recurring guest star for the fourth season. On December 1, Rob Benedict and Elliot Knight joined the cast in undisclosed capacities for the fourth season, alongside Rosemarie DeWitt who was revealed to play Hughie's mother, Daphne. After the three-episode premiere, it was revealed that Benedict and Knight were portraying Splinter and Colin, respectively.

On April 29, 2023, it was reported that Dan Mousseau would be portraying Webweaver, a parody of Spider-Man. A first-look image of the character was shared during the V52 Expo, a fictional convention put on by Vought that parodies Disney's D23 Expo.

On May 3, 2024, the official trailer revealed Maddie Phillips and Asa Germann would appear in the fourth season, reprising their roles from Gen V as Cate Dunlap and Sam Riordan, respectively. Derek Wilson also reprised his role as Robert Vernon / Tek Knight from Gen V.

Music
The fourth season includes an original song, written by series composer Christopher Lennertz, titled "Let's Put the Christ Back in Christmas". The song is featured in the third episode ("We'll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here"), which was performed by Shoshana Bean, James Monroe Iglehart, Andrew Rannells and the cast of the fictional "Vought on Ice" figure skating performers. On June 14, 2024, the music video was released on YouTube. An official website for "Vought on Ice" was also created and is available to visit.

"Vought on Ice" serves a similar narrative purpose to Rogers: The Musical, an in-universe Broadway musical in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, based on the events of 2012 film The Avengers, first featured in the miniseries Hawkeye (2021). As Lennertz delved into composing the song, he immersed himself in a marathon of ice capade shows, including "Disney on Ice", "Frozen on Ice" and others, seeking inspiration for the dance's final form. "I knew sleigh bells were essential and the tempo had to be lively," he reflected. Then, the essence of Vought, a hallmark of Kripke's storytelling, began to permeate his work. While Lennertz matched high notes to laser sounds, his longtime friend shared articles about the latest uproars over anti-Christmas sentiments. One notable moment was Candace Cameron Bure's stance against LGBTQ+ representation in Hallmark Channel's Christmas films, which Lennertz found to be a telling source of exasperated satire.

Filming
Filming on the fourth season commenced on August 22, 2022. The fight scene in the Flatiron Building, featured in the episode "The Insider", took ten days to film. Elaborating on the filming process, director Catriona McKenzie explained: "Every day there was a fight, every day ... [Stunt coordinator and actor John] Koyama was the stunt coordinator on that — he's amazing. Working with him and adjusting those fights, that was ten days on one scene — that's a movie. Ten days is one episode. It was really big. Often in an episode, you get your coupons for VFX. Like, 'Oh, you've got two and a half coupons, and you've got maybe three coupons for the big stunt work or VFX work or however you want to spend those resources'."

Simon Pegg concluded filming his scenes on January 18, 2023. Filming on the finale began on February 12, with Starr concluding filming his scenes on April 4. Filming on the fourth season officially wrapped on April 12, 2023.

Marketing
On October 10, 2022, during production in Toronto, first-look images of new characters Firecracker and Sage were released on Twitter.

On November 8, 2023, two teaser posters were released via Twitter, revealing a first-look at the fourth season appearances of Homelander and Butcher, featuring the caption "Let's light this candle". The teaser trailer debuted at comic event CCXP in São Paulo, Brazil, which teased the introduction of characters Sage, Firecracker and Joe Kessler, and subsequently released on Twitter and YouTube, on December 2.

On May 2, 2024, the two official posters of season four were unveiled. The following day, the official trailer of the season was released.

Sneak peek images were released on May 28 and June 9. Six character posters were released from June 1 to 6 on Twitter.

Ahead of the premiere, IGN posted a comedic and heavily censored video of Morgan sharing details about his character on June 9.

Promotional materials for the fourth season also included the quotes "Make America Super Again" and "Supe Lives Matter", a parody of the slogans "Make America Great Again" and "Black Lives Matter", respectively.

Release
On June 28, 2023, Kripke confirmed that he was withholding release of the new season until the WGA strike was resolved. The following year, the season premiered its first three episodes on June 13, 2024, while its remaining episodes were released on a weekly basis up until the season finale on July 18. Upon the season finale's release, the title of the episode was retitled from "Assassination Run" to "Season Four Finale", following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump five days prior; a "viewer discretion advised" warning was added at the beginning of the episode, with Amazon, Sony Pictures Television and the producers of The Boys opposing real-world political violence and clarifying that "any scene or plotline similarities to these real-world events are coincidental and unintentional".

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the fourth season holds an approval rating of 93%, based on 128 reviews, with an average rating of 7.65/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Boxing in the political arena with a bloodied smile, The Boys' fourth season is grim and even a little glum while holding up a cracked mirror towards modern society." On Metacritic, the season holds a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Audience response
Following its three-episode premiere, the season received a mixed response among audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Users have mainly criticized the season leaning toward more left-wing political commentary, compared to what was perceived as both left- and right-wing commentary from prior seasons; due to this, critics have attributed the audience response as review bombing. Numerous journalists, fans, and critics have theorized and noted Trump inspired the series character development of Homelander, Multiple sources:
 * a theory which has been confirmed by Kripke. Days before the premiere of season four, Kripke described the series to The Hollywood Reporter as a "story about the intersection of celebrity and authoritarianism and how social media and entertainment are used to sell fascism". He also said that viewers who think the show is too "woke" should "go watch something else" and expressed surprise to some viewers perceiving Homelander as the series' hero, saying: "What do you say to that? The show's many things. Subtle isn't one of them." Furthermore, many social media users mocked others who lamented the anti-Trump undertones of season four.
 * a theory which has been confirmed by Kripke. Days before the premiere of season four, Kripke described the series to The Hollywood Reporter as a "story about the intersection of celebrity and authoritarianism and how social media and entertainment are used to sell fascism". He also said that viewers who think the show is too "woke" should "go watch something else" and expressed surprise to some viewers perceiving Homelander as the series' hero, saying: "What do you say to that? The show's many things. Subtle isn't one of them." Furthermore, many social media users mocked others who lamented the anti-Trump undertones of season four.
 * a theory which has been confirmed by Kripke. Days before the premiere of season four, Kripke described the series to The Hollywood Reporter as a "story about the intersection of celebrity and authoritarianism and how social media and entertainment are used to sell fascism". He also said that viewers who think the show is too "woke" should "go watch something else" and expressed surprise to some viewers perceiving Homelander as the series' hero, saying: "What do you say to that? The show's many things. Subtle isn't one of them." Furthermore, many social media users mocked others who lamented the anti-Trump undertones of season four.
 * a theory which has been confirmed by Kripke. Days before the premiere of season four, Kripke described the series to The Hollywood Reporter as a "story about the intersection of celebrity and authoritarianism and how social media and entertainment are used to sell fascism". He also said that viewers who think the show is too "woke" should "go watch something else" and expressed surprise to some viewers perceiving Homelander as the series' hero, saying: "What do you say to that? The show's many things. Subtle isn't one of them." Furthermore, many social media users mocked others who lamented the anti-Trump undertones of season four.
 * a theory which has been confirmed by Kripke. Days before the premiere of season four, Kripke described the series to The Hollywood Reporter as a "story about the intersection of celebrity and authoritarianism and how social media and entertainment are used to sell fascism". He also said that viewers who think the show is too "woke" should "go watch something else" and expressed surprise to some viewers perceiving Homelander as the series' hero, saying: "What do you say to that? The show's many things. Subtle isn't one of them." Furthermore, many social media users mocked others who lamented the anti-Trump undertones of season four.
 * a theory which has been confirmed by Kripke. Days before the premiere of season four, Kripke described the series to The Hollywood Reporter as a "story about the intersection of celebrity and authoritarianism and how social media and entertainment are used to sell fascism". He also said that viewers who think the show is too "woke" should "go watch something else" and expressed surprise to some viewers perceiving Homelander as the series' hero, saying: "What do you say to that? The show's many things. Subtle isn't one of them." Furthermore, many social media users mocked others who lamented the anti-Trump undertones of season four.

On June 22, 2024, in response to the review bombing, the Vought International Twitter account and YouTube channel addressed the controversy head-on by uploading a promotional video that introduced BROWSER, promoting internet privacy while still allowing users to "review bomb" woke television series; the video is presented and narrated by character Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie).

Garth Ennis, co-creator of the comic book series, addressed his thoughts about the right-wing fans and their reaction to the series' satire, claiming that this is a world where "both ends of the political spectrum can claim they are the Jedi and the other guys are the Sith" and that "we're through the looking glass". He also pointed out that the contrast from certain fans comes from the fact that "people are choosing what to believe" in regards to the series. Conversely, one element of the season fans have praised is Starr's performance, particularly in the fourth episode ("Wisdom of the Ages"). Following the aforementioned episode's release, many users on social media campaigned for Starr to win a Primetime Emmy Award, expressing how deserving he is of such an honor, a sentiment that critics have previously concurred with on multiple occasions; Multiple sources:
 * Kripke himself also agreed.
 * Kripke himself also agreed.
 * Kripke himself also agreed.
 * Kripke himself also agreed.
 * Kripke himself also agreed.
 * Kripke himself also agreed.
 * Kripke himself also agreed.
 * Kripke himself also agreed.

Audience viewership
According to Amazon, the first three episodes of the season received a 21% increase in total viewers compared to season three in the first four days since launch. The fourth season is now among the top 5 most-viewed TV seasons on Amazon Prime Video through its first four days, according to the streamer. It was also reported that the fourth season tallied the second most viewers of any returning season on Prime Video through its first four days, behind only the second season of Reacher. Furthermore, Amazon reported that The Boys has now grown in global viewership per season. Amid the launch of the season's first three episodes, The Boys scored 1.19 billion viewing minutes during the week of June 10–16, 2024, according to Nielsen streaming data.