The Boys Spinoff May Hold Clue To Butcher's Future

Summary

• The last episode of The Boys confused some viewers with Butcher's storyline.
• It is clear that something strange is happening with his tumor, but what exactly and where will it all lead?
• Many fans believe that the answer has been in front of our eyes since 2022.

The latest episode of The Boys, Wisdom of the Ages, had a moment that may have confused casual viewers, but had all seasoned fans exclaiming 'I knew it!' During his unequal fight with Ezekiel, Butcher suddenly blacked out and woke up to find his opponent blown to bits. RIP, the most perverted cult leader in television history.

This scene confirmed what fans had been theorizing all along - Butcher's cancer, caused by the use of V24, was no ordinary tumor. In fact, the cause of Butcher's illness was teased as far back as 2022 in the spinoff The Boys Presents: Diabolical.

Canonized Episode

While Diabolical had eight mind-blowing episodes, only three have been confirmed as canon for The Boys universe. And it seems that Eric Kripke has chosen one of them as the basis for Butcher's arc.

Andy Samberg and Steve Ahn's 'John and Sun-Hee' tell a poignant story of loss and grief spiced with supernatural elements. After learning that his wife Sun-Hee has only days to live due to cancer, Vought's janitor John steals a vial of Compound V, the permanent stuff, and gives it to her. This has unexpected results.

Not only does Sun-Hee recover, but both she and her cancer become supernatural beings. Yes, the cancer leaves the woman's body and begins to consume all life around her in order to grow. In the end, John still has to say goodbye to his wife as she leaves him to battle the monster her body has created.

Parallels in The Boys

The episode is beautifully written and a phenomenal piece of animation, but for it to be canonized, it had to have some overarching significance to the parent show. Season 4 proved that it did.

Hughie and his mother's inability to accept the loss of their loved one (Hugh Sr.) is a clear parallel to John's actions in the spinoff. And the living cancer storyline is very likely where the Butcher's arc is headed.

In the same episode, Wisdom of the Ages, Butcher confirms in his conversation with Hughie that he tried to cure himself with Compound V, but it didn't work. Well, in reality, it did, but not in the way the vigilante hoped.

John and Sun-Hee proves that Compound V has unpredictable interactions with cancerous cells. And so far, it looks like The Boys have introduced their own satirical version of Venom, where Butcher is Eddie Brock and Becca is the face of the symbiote living inside his body.

The main question now is whether the Boys' leader will be able to survive this strange form of existence.

The Boys Season 4 Episode 5 premieres June 27 on Prime Video, with three more episodes to follow on Thursdays.