After the finale of the third season of The Boys, some were disappointed. Amazon’s superhero satire had been ramping up over and over again for so long that expectations for Episode 8 seemed unreachably high. In the end there was despite many moments of shock only one relevant figure death. But it means more than you think.
Attention, follow Spoilers for The Boys Season 1-3 and The Boys Presents: Diabolical!
Who dies in The Boys season 3 finale?
Remember when Homelander (Antony Starr) killed his former boss and adored mother figure, Madelyn Stillwell, for withholding information about his son? Something similar happens to Black Noir in Episode 8 of The Boys season 3. Because apparently he knew something that Homelander didn’t know – that the most powerful man in the world does have a real father. And then of all things Soldier Boy!
Homelander feels betrayed by his best (and probably only) friend rips out his intestines. Nonetheless, Black Noir dies in a manner uncharacteristic of The Boys: surrounded by his cartoon animal friends, almost peacefully but definitely tragically. Although the Supe is supposed to return in The Boys Season 4, according to series creator Eric Kripke, there will be another character under the black suit.
How does the tragic character death affect Homelander?
Homelander is known for making irrational decisions with bloody outcomes. Many fans were surprised that Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell) was hit in the finale. Rightly so. Because the two supes have more in common than a long-term employment relationship. The eighth episode of The Boys spinoffs Diabolical“One plus one equals two,” sheds light on Homelander’s past and shows him on his first real assignment for Vought – which ends in a bloodbath.
Season 3 of The Boys is bloody bloody too:
The Boys – S03 Trailer (German) HD
A PR catastrophe that could end the career of the young super. Yet Black Noir ensures that Homelander emerges from the situation as a hero thereby gaining his trust and respect. No matter how hard the The Seven boss later deals with his team, he pulls himself together towards Noir. Without his best friend, Homelander no longer has a grown-up figure around him that he trusts and respects. And no one who ties him to Vought anymore.
What does this development mean for Season 4 of the Amazon series?
Already in the season finale it was indicated that Homelander is through with the Seven and Vought. After all, he has nothing but contempt for the remaining, very manageable rest of his team: The Deep has sex with every tentacle, which comes into his slippery fingers. Girlboss Ashley is so stressed that she pulls out all her hair. And A Train is A Train.
Vought may be the cynical, misanthropic spawn of capitalism hell, but ex-CEO Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) and the PR machinery behind the Seven have kept Homelander from running completely amok. After all, fantasies of murder and massacres with hundreds of deaths that are openly publicized are bad for business. But now that Homelander has no reason to cling to its old role as the flagship supe, there is too no one left who can hold back his worst impulses. Just Ryan and he’s a kid who, like almost every other male character in The Boys, fights for his father’s approval.
No Black Noir means no The Seven member Homelander wants to work with anymore, so no connection to Vought and no sugarcoated hero image that Homelander is trying to uphold. Only the truth beneath the smooth, menacingly grinning mask. And that should scare us all for Season 4.
Or to take showrunner Eric Kripke at his word in an interview with Den of Geek: “If we ever get to the end of the series, it has to [Homelander] ready to destroy the planet.”
The Boys and more in the podcast: The 22 best series of 2022 (so far!)
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The series year 2022 brought us a lot of binge fodder in the first half of the year. But what was really worth it? We have a colorful mix of editorial and community tips for you and have chosen the 22 best series of 2022 so far. From Stranger Things season 4 and The Boys season 3 to new releases like Severance and Heartstopper is for everyone on Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ Apple TV+ and more included.
What do you expect from Homelander in Season 4?