Season three of The Boys has now been fully released, and it has definitely shaken things up for our intrepid squad of heroes trying to keep those pesky Supes in check. While we wait for season four, which Karl Urban claims will begin shooting in August 2022, let's have some fun and examine what possible storylines the next season could potentially follow. The following will contain spoilers for season three, so if you haven't seen all of it yet, turn back now. You have been warned.
Butcher's Health
One of the most enjoyable elements of season three was the introduction of Temp V, or V24, a formula of Compound V that gave non-Supes powers for 24-hours. In theory, this leveled the playing field, giving characters like Billy Butcher and Hughie a fighting chance against the Supes. However, Temp V has some dangerous side effects: It becomes lethal after taking a handful of doses. Due to repeated use of Temp V, Butcher gets some horrific news in season three's finale: He has, in the best case scenario, 18 months left to live. With Season three taking place a year after the season two finale, it begs the question if a similar amount of time will have passed between seasons three and four. If so, we could see a very desperate and even more dangerous Butcher, doing whatever he can to kill Homelander, before he himself dies.
The Boys vs Victoria Neuman
Season two saw the introduction of upcoming Congresswoman Victoria Neuman, who is hiding a secret of her own: She's a Supe with the power to make people's heads explode. Season three reveals even more bombshells about her, like the fact that she was the adopted daughter of Vought CEO, Stan Edgar. The finale of season three sees Neuman selected as the running mate of a Presidential candidate. When the Boys see this announcement on TV, Butcher states that Neuman "has got to go." There's so many fun potential storylines with Neuman's character. Does her ticket win the White House, with her then using her powers to make her running mate the shortest serving POTUS in history? Do the Boys stop her before the election even happens? Can they stop her, or will she quite literally bust a few heads? The possibilities seem limitless, but no matter which direction the show goes in, a showdown with Neuman definitely seems to be in the future.
Homelander and Ryan
Ryan is Homelander's son, conceived after he sexually assaulted Butcher's wife, Becca. Ryan is also a Supe and one of the few people Homelander seems to genuinely care about. For most of season three, Ryan is hidden from Homelander and has occasional visits from Butcher, whom he sees as a father figure. Unfortunately, Butcher, in an attempt to make sure Ryan doesn't turn out like him, lashes out at the boy. Enter Homelander, who discovers Ryan's location in the season finale and appears willing to serve that father figure role that Ryan needs. While Becca did her best to raise Ryan to be kind and sweet, that aspect of him could be quashed out under Homelander's guidance.
Season three's finale shows Homelander introduce his son to the public, where Homelander kills a heckler and receives applause for it. Ryan smiles as he watches this, making it seem like he's coming around to Homelander's way of thinking. There are a few places season four could go with this storyline. Does Ryan succumb completely to Homelander's worldview? If so, do the Boys snap him out of it by season's end? Or does Ryan resist Homelander's attempts completely, showing off Homelander's parenting skills, or lack thereof? No matter how you look at it, Homelander and Ryan could have a very interesting relationship that season four should definitely devote proper attention to.
Is Black Noir Really Dead?
Black Noir has always been the most mysterious member of The Seven, the team of Supes led by Homelander. Season three gives us his backstory. Black Noir used to be part of another Supe team called Payback, led by Soldier Boy. Almost every member of Payback hated Soldier Boy's guts and handed him over to the Soviets in the '80s, during a botched operation in Nicaragua. The reason why Black Noir never speaks? Soldier beat him so badly that it left him mute and his face horrifically scarred.
When Soldier Boy starts hunting down and killing his old teammates, Black Noir goes into hiding at first, but then asks Homelander for help to kill Soldier Boy. Homelander instead punches Black Noir in the gut, seemingly fatally, after Black Noir failed to reveal that Soldier Boy was Homelander's father. Season three made it clear that Black Noir and Vought CEO Stan Edgar seem close, and that, like his comic book counterpart, Noir is supposed to keep Homelander in check. While the last we see of Noir is him bleeding on the floor with his guts hanging out, season four should confirm without any ambiguity whether Black Noir is truly dead.
A Possible Return of Soldier Boy?
While Temp V was a huge game changer, it was nothing compared to the introduction of Soldier Boy. Sold out to the Russians by his former teammates in the '80s, the experiments performed on him gave him a terrifying power: a destructive blast of energy that can permanently remove a Supe's powers. If that wasn't scary enough, his DNA was used to create Homelander, making him genetically Homelander's father. Season three sees Soldier Boy end right where he started: sedated in a government facility, though this time, he's in American hands instead of Russian.
It stands to reason that if the Russians experimented on him, the CIA would, too. Season four could explore that. The fact that he has the power to take away the powers of other Supes means that someone, somewhere, is going to want to find a way to weaponize it. Perhaps the CIA finds a safer way to do it? Or perhaps Soldier Boy breaks out of CIA custody and swears revenge on the Boys? There's a lot of potential to bring Soldier Boy back, and "locked up in storage for an entire season" isn't a storyline anyone wants to see for the character. As of now, there's no confirmation that Jensen Ackles, who plays Soldier Boy, will be returning for season four, but it would be a very welcome surprise if he did.