Warning! SPOILERS for The Boys season 3.
Queen Maeve's story reaches a fitting conclusion in The Boys season 3 finale, though her presence (or lack thereof) in the Prime Video series' latest run is a massive failure of the character. The Wonder Woman-inspired member of the Seven played by Dominique McElligott took a back seat to many of The Boys other personas in season 3. While the likes of Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), empowered by Temp V, ran rampant attempting to vanquish Homelander (Antony Starr) and manipulate Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), Maeve lived solely on the periphery of the show's main story. The Boys season 3 gave Maeve little do do before its final episode, which lets down the character's compelling plot line from previous seasons.
Like in The Boys comics, Queen Maeve aka Maggie Shaw exists in the Prime Video series as a morally ambiguous Supe looking for a way out of her insufferable circumstances. The ex-lover and current nemesis of Homelander, Maeve became a mentor to Starlight (Erin Moriarty) when she joined the Seven in The Boys season 1. Maeve's motivations largely stem from self-interest, though her friendship with Starlight and Homelander's meddling in Maeve's personal affairs compelled her to stand up to the Seven's most powerful member. While Maeve is a much better-developed character in The Boys TV series than in the comics, nearly all of her progression occurs in seasons 1 and 2, leaving a sense of emptiness in her season 3 presence.
Appearing in just five of The Boys season 3's eight episodes, Queen Maeve was shockingly excluded from the show, leaving her ending coming across as half-baked. With the exception of The Boys season 3 finale, Maeve's screen time was limited to a short scene or two per episode with her actions serving other characters more than her own. The Boys season 3 dissolved of its most fascinating arcs in the most underwhelming fashion with little room to correct its mistake.
Maeve's Reduced Screen Time Was A Problem In The Boys Season 3
Queen Maeve’s screen time in The Boys is glaringly sparse compared to her appearances in seasons 1 and 2, as well as compared to other major characters in season 3. The show also limits her characterization to her disdain for Homelander and hatred of being a Supe, which has already been established prior to The Boys season 3. Maeve's involvement primarily serves toward delivering Butcher the Temp V he consumes to gain super powers and initially informing him about Soldier Boy. Homelander and Black Noir later team up to kidnap Maeve, which sidelines her even further and robs her of the little agency she had. As a result, The Boys season 3 doesn't devote anywhere near enough character development to Mave and reduced her to a plot device. This acts as a massive low point for the Amazon Prime Video series only due to the array of well-written arcs of Butcher, Hughie, M. M., and Kimiko in season 3, but also due to Maeve's previously established complexity that is all but ignored.
The Boys Undermined The Show's Commentary Surrounding The LGBTQ+ Community
In addition to its over-the-top violence, The Boys turns heads thanks to its savvy social commentary around many of the real world's most prevalent issues. As a bisexual woman, Queen Maeve's character has represented the commodification of the LGBTQ+ community by mega-corporations seeking to profit from marginalized people's oppression. As a means to emulate the torrent of LGBTQ+-themed merchandise released during June's Pride Month, The Boys presented its own version of real-life rainbow capitalism through Brave Maeve's Inclusive Kingdom at Voughtland, advertising campaigns touted by Maeve's queerness, and even an effort by Vought to rebrand the character as a lesbian to appear more progressive. The Boys' scathing social commentary surrounding Maeve was balanced by her genuine relationship with Elena in seasons 1 and 2. However, the show rid itself of Maeve's more personal storyline entering season 3. A writing decision that undermines all social awareness, The Boys season 3's simplification of Maeve's arc replicates the series' own criticism by treating her as a convenient prop instead of a fleshed-out character.
The Boys Season 3 Finale Failed To Correct Its Queen Maeve Issues
The Boys season 3 finale gives Queen Maeve something important to do by pitting her against Homelander in an explosive brawl also involving Butcher, Soldier Boy, and Starlight. What appears a moment of reckoning for Maeve, as she lands several punches on her ex-lover, ends up largely pointless because she switches gears and decides to sacrifice herself by taking out Soldier Boy instead. The episode's subsequent reveal that Maeve had survived her leap out of Vought Tower's window attached to an imminently detonating Soldier Boy avoids the harmful "fridging" trope, but it ultimately feels more like a consolation for Maeve's lack of development in The Boys season 3. Maeve's non-death and reunion with Elena would have been the perfect culmination of the character's arc had the series devoted the proper buildup. However, it instead comes across as unearned.
Will Queen Maeve Return In The Boys Season 4 (& Beyond)?
Queen Maeve's staggering lack of involvement in The Boys season 3 raises the question of whether the character will return to the show in future seasons. While casting information for The Boys season 4 is currently unknown, season 3's finale sends Maeve off the grid at least for a while. Of course, a significant time jump between seasons could see Maeve return at some point, especially considering the fact that Homelander still lives. Given that Maeve has lost her powers and the public's belief of her death, her re-entrance in the series appears unlikely and she seems content to finally live in the world as a mundane individual. Perhaps the most convincing reason of Maeve's exit from The Boys lies in that the show refuses to set up a future for her that wouldn’t rehash her previous plot line involving her opposition to Homelander and her relationship with Elena. Maeve actually dies in the comics defending Starlight from Homelander and Black Noir, so it's likely that The Boys opted to end her story on a similar note, although concluding with her survival instead. Regardless of Maeve's future, The Boys cannot justify ignoring her for an entire season, as it falls short of delivering the payoff of her arc in a way that feels earned.
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