Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Boys season 4, episodes 1-3.
Summary
The members ofThe Boys’titular team have a lot in common, and that’s why they come together to fight Vought and Homelander in the first place — thoughtheir stories are more identical than ever in season 4.The Boysseason 4sets the stage for the inevitable showdown between Homelander and the team, but it also sees each of the main characters struggling individually. This is part of the reasonThe Boysseason 4’s opening episodesfeel so much slower than usual: the characters are immersed in subplots that don’t necessarily feed into the overarching story.
Although these storylines make the characters feel more disconnected as season 4 begins,they share a common theme that will likely bring the team together later on. The Boys' personal problems may look very different on the surface, but they stem from the same issue. If each member of the group doesn’t overcome this problem in season 4, they may struggle to defeat Homelander and Vought inThe Boysseason 5.
16 Best The Boys Season 4 Easter Eggs & References
The Boys season 4 kicked off with a massive three-episode premiere, and here is every Easter egg and reference that can be found in the episodes.
Every Member Of The Boys Is Haunted By Their Past In Season 4
All The Main Characters Are Grappling With Past Choices & Familiar Faces
The Boysseason 4 finds its main characters keeping secrets from one another and grappling with their own problems, but all of their storylines have one thing in common.Every member of The Boys team is haunted by their past in the new episodes, and this is preventing them from fully focusing on the job at hand. This theme is most obvious in Butcher’s storyline, as The Boys' former leader isseeing visions of Beccain the fourth outing. Butcher is struggling with the promise he made to his wife — a promise he isn’t doing a very good job of keeping.
Overall, the past is the biggest obstacle for the team inThe Boysseason 4.
The other members of The Boys are also facing up to past mistakes, with Frenchie feeling guilt over what he did to Colin’s family and Kimiko tracking down the Shining Light Liberation Army. Annie is new to the group, but she’s coming to terms with her past as Starlight and whether that’s an identity that she wants to leave behind or return to. The Starlighters are pushing her towards the latter option, but she’s not fully comfortable with her Supe identity afterThe Boysseasons 1-3.
It’s not just past mistakes plaguing The Boys team, either. Hughie is forced to face his mother for the first time in years, and their reunion is particularly hard with his father in the hospital. He’s also dealing with MM trying to flip A-Train, the very Supe that killed his girlfriend and got him wrapped up in The Boys' cause. And MM has troubleestablishing himself as the leader of The Boys, as Butcher is still there, and the team is very set in their ways. All in all, the past is the biggest obstacle for the team inThe Boysseason 4.
Kimiko Admits Someone Shouldn’t Be Defined By Their Past (Even Though The Boys All Are)
Season 4 Proves That Separating The Past & Present Isn’t So Easy
The fact that The Boys team is haunted by the past in season 4 is especially interesting because there’s an insistence on separating their histories from their present identities.Kimiko notes that people shouldn’t be defined by their pastsduring her therapy session in episode 2. However, all the members of the group seem to let their pasts drive them. They’re all making decisions based on the things they’ve done, and they’re allowing their prior circumstances and mistakes to consume them. Ironically, this is also true of Homelander in season 4.
Kimiko is right that the ghosts of their pasts shouldn’t dictate who they are in the present, but it isn’t that easy to separate what’s been from what is.
Kimiko is right that the ghosts of their pasts shouldn’t dictate who they are in the present, but it isn’t so easy to separate what’s been from what is. Season 4 promises to highlight the difficulties of forgiving oneself and moving forward.Kimiko’s words inThe Boysseason 4, episode 2 are currently a means of copingrather than proof that she’s moved on. However, given the team’s individual subplots in this outing, it’s likely they’ll prove true once these storylines are resolved.
The Boys' Team Members Must All Move On From Their Pasts Before Season 5
They Need All Their Energy To Defeat Homelander & Vought
The Boysseason 4 is placing an emphasis on the team’s baggage as the stakes grow higher than ever, andthat’s because they need to move on before season 5. The group is distracted and letting their individual problems create friction, and they’ll never get a shot at Homelander in this state. They need to give their full attention to the fight against Vought if they ever hope to win. That means overcoming their pasts and focusing on the present instead.
As the discrepancies between Kimiko’s words and actions suggest, this will be easier said than done.The Boysseason 4 seems to be setting the characters up to face their demons as it continues, forcing them to defeat their own shortcomings before moving on to Vought. Hopefully, they will manage it successfully. Otherwise, they’ll have a hard time working together towards such a massive and improbable goal.
The Boys
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The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
