The Boys Season 5’s Trailer Was Lying To Us

Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Boys season 5.

After seven episodes, it appears the first trailer for The Boys season 5 has lied to us. The ending of The Boys season 5, episode 7 teed the show up for its finale, with the titular group renewing their efforts to defeat Homelander. This came at the cost of Frenchie’s life, which, based on the scenes from the season’s marketing that we haven’t seen yet, will lead Butcher to plead for his team to give things one last go.

Several questions need to be answered in The Boys’ finale, some linking to Billy Butcher himself. After seven of the season’s eight episodes, it seems the pre-season marketing may have been telling some lies. The teaser trailer, specifically, seemed to pick up where The Boys season 4’s ending left off; Butcher had killed Victoria Neuman and made himself somewhat of an antagonist to his own team, setting up an exciting final season of in-fighting as the once-hero of The Boys breaks bad.

In this teaser trailer, Butcher’s line, “Even if I have to drag your broken f***ing carcasses over the finish line, we are going all the way, no matter the cost. Til the job’s f***ing done,” was used as the stinger before the title card. Not only that, but the line was accompanied by shots of the rest of the team, worriedly looking off camera. This seemed to indicate that Butcher’s darker tendencies from season 4 would continue into season 5, making him just as much a villain as Homelander.

Combine this with the knowledge that, in the comic books, the story ends with Butcher killing the superpowered MM, Frenchie, and Kimiko, only to be stopped by Hughie, and it seemed all but certain that The Boys season 5 would turn the character into a full villain. As it has played out, though, this is seemingly not the case, proving the season 5 teaser trailer was lying to us.

Surprisingly, Butcher Hasn’t Been A Villain In The Boys Season 5

Throughout The Boys season 5 thus far, Butcher hasn’t been much of a villain at all, foregoing the teases of season 4’s ending and the teaser trailer. The aforementioned line that served as the dramatic punch of the teaser was included in The Boys season 5, episode 7. Butcher says this to Hughie after they were imprisoned by one of Homelander’s psychic allies, prompting the latter to even remark how strangely hopeful the former’s words were.

In context, the line plays out much differently than the teaser trailer had us believe. Even going beyond just that line, Butcher’s character has been much more, well, human than many assumed. The Boys season 5, episode 5 showcased this in a few ways. For one, Butcher relented about the V-One, telling Hughie that he could keep some to try and make an antidote for Kimiko and Starlight. After this, Butcher was shown caring for Terror, his dog.

All of this made the character seem more akin to how he was in season 1; Butcher has always been morally questionable and willing to do awful things, but his better conscience often used to win out. Seasons 3 and 4 changed that, setting up season 5 as the installment that would break Butcher’s moral compass for the worse. As is evident, however, this has not been the case.

Ryan’s role in the show only supports this. Although Butcher indicated that he was willing to let Ryan die so that Homelander could be infected with the Supe Virus, he followed the young hero to where Homelander was. This meant that Butcher was there to save Ryan, take him back to The Boys’ hideout, and nurse him back to health. These elements mean that, going into the finale of The Boys, Butcher isn’t as villainous as we all assumed he would be.

Why The Boys Season 5 Retcons Butcher Becoming A Villain

This all raises the question of why The Boys has walked back Butcher’s dark turn in season 5. Perhaps the biggest reason is the fact that this is the final installment. It may seem too big a twist to have the hero of the last four seasons be the primary antagonist in season 5. After all, a show like Game of Thrones proved how badly this character arc can go if the proper time and care are not put into making it satisfying.

For The Boys, it was likely a much easier sell to bring the core group of heroes together for one last ride, rather than split them apart with Butcher as the main reason why. With so much of the show centering on the rivalry between Homelander and Butcher, it is no surprise that the writers are keeping the two on opposite sides of the moral spectrum. That way, the two can still come to blows in the finale in a way that allows audiences to still root for Butcher.

There’s Still Time For Butcher To Turn Fully Evil Before The Boys Ends

All that being said, there is still time for Butcher to turn in the way we all thought he might. Fittingly, the teaser trailer for The Boys season 5, episode 8 provides this possibility. As alluded to, the comic book ending of The Boys has Butcher kill Homelander and Black Noir, after the latter was revealed as a clone of the former. However, the story does not stop there. Butcher, feeling unsatisfied, decides to wipe out every Supe on Earth, including his own team. Only Hughie’s intervention prevents this.

Elements of The Boys season 5’s story, despite having Butcher be more human than anticipated, have teased this ending. Butcher has constantly advocated for the Supe Virus to be released worldwide, killing all Supes in the process. Still, he has been pulled back from the brink by the likes of Hughie, thus keeping Butcher from outright villainy. In the final episode, though, as teased by its trailer, this could all change.

In the trailer, Butcher’s voiceover is as follows: “We need to end the whole bloody notion of Supes. Scorched Earth, shock and awe, blood and bone. Superheroes… are done.” Knowing what we know about the comic book ending of The Boys, it could be the case that the TV show does have Butcher dedicate himself to destroying all Supes after all.

This would certainly make him a villain in the eyes of Starlight, Kimiko, MM, and Hughie. Whether this plays out the same way, with Butcher killing the others before being stopped by Hughie, remains to be seen. Thankfully, with The Boys season 5’s finale only days away, we will get the answer as to whether the initial trailers were lying to us about Butcher’s character sooner, not later.

Release Date

2019 – 2026-00-00

Showrunner

Eric Kripke

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