The Boys Creates A MAJOR Seven Problem For Season 4

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for The Boys season 3's finale

Vought's Floor 99 has problems, and the Seven is definitely one of them after The Boys season 3's ending. Throughout The Boys' entire present-day, the Seven has stood strong as an immovable global institution. A sick parody of DC's Justice League and Marvel's Avengers, the Seven unites Vought's most powerful and popular heroes, plastering their faces on everything from movie posters to children's birthday banners. Supposedly the pinnacle of humanity, Homelander's goons have invariably proved themselves among the most reprehensible super-powered Compound-V test subjects ever created, committing murder, rape, and a veritable smorgasbord of assorted felonies that Vought turns a blind eye toward.

After The Boys season 3's finale ("The Instant White-Hot Wild") the Seven has essentially fallen. Queen Maeve is presumed dead after spearing Soldier Boy from Vought Tower, and while she actually survived the tumble, her opponent's radioactive blast rendered "Brave Maeve" powerless. The departures don't end there. Irked that Black Noir knew Soldier Boy was his father, Homelander ruefully murders his closest ally, splitting Noir open on Floor 99. Finally, Starlight defiantly ditches her superhero persona in exchange for official Boys membership.

Homelander already killed Supersonic earlier in The Boys season 3, retaliating for his involvement in Starlight and Maeve's rebellion, so that means "the Seven" is now "the Three." Homelander stands stronger than ever after ousting Stan Edgar from power and stepping up as Vought's overlord. He's joined by A-Train, who proved his pathetic loyalty by ratting out Supersonic, and The Deep, whose Seven status was restored as a surprise twist in the "American Hero" grand finale... and that's it. Can The Boys solve its recruitment problem? Or is it time to sever the Seven?

The Boys Can't Ignore Its Seven Problem After Season 3

From episode 1 all the way through until The Boys season 3, the Seven has remained the "Beatles" of superhero teams. With hit movies ("Dawn of the Seven") and MM's daughter throwing a superhero-themed party, there's absolutely no sign of the Seven's popularity waning... despite not actually having seven members for an awfully long time. The Seven has been short on numbers ever since Hughie detonated Translucent as early as The Boys episode 2, and The Deep's exile later in season 1 (a punishment for sexually assaulting Starlight) then reduced the team to five. Despite the addition of Stormfront, losing A-Train meant the Seven could once again only muster five or six members through most of The Boys season 2.

For a brief moment in The Boys season 3, the Seven lived up to its name again. A-Train and The Deep were both reinstated, while Supersonic replaced the Nazi elephant in the room. Then the wave of departures began, starting with a Supersonic-shaped pile of gunk, and ending with Farmer Maeve.

The Seven might have only been at full capacity twice since The Boys began - but neither has the headcount ever sunk as low as three before. With five or six members, the Seven still worked as a concept - both in-universe and in narrative terms. After all, most famous superhero lineups stop at six, and the Spice Girls did pretty well as a quintet. But with only Homelander, The Deep and A-Train at the helm, the Seven can't call itself a team for the very first time since The Boys began. Past seasons always got away with glossing over one or two empty seats, but now there are more vacancies than supes on Floor 99, The Boys season 4 has no choice but to tackle the Seven's fate head-on.

Which Supes Could Join The Seven In The Boys Season 4?

The Boys Homelander and Jack From Jupiter

The easiest solution to Homelander's Seven woes would be recruiting four fresh faces when The Boys season 4 begins - but which lucky newbies could he choose? Probably the most obvious new Seven member would be Tek Knight. A significant figure in Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic books, Tek Knight has been mentioned several times in Amazon's The Boys TV series, confirming his canon existence. Though typically a member of Payback, Tek Knight is one of the biggest comic supes yet to grace The Boys on TV, giving him a good shot at a Seven slot in season 4.

Might we finally see Jack from Jupiter? Parodying DC's Martian Manhunter, The Boys ditched this comic book Seven member in favor of Translucent, rightly believing an alien (or, indeed, a man pretending to be an alien) wouldn't work for live-action. Three seasons later, The Boys' fictional world and raucous tone is well enough established to introduce a Seven supe who masquerades as an extra-terrestrial. Homelander's followers will believe anything at this point. With so many spaces to fill, The Boys returning to its comic roots and introducing Jack from Jupiter would help the Seven still feel like the Seven.

The Boys Presents: Diabolical's "I'm Your Pusher" episode introduced a hero known as Great Wide Wonder - not a Seven member, but popular and powerful enough to get a personal introduction from Homelander himself. Though the episode takes place outside of The Boys TV canon, a live-action Great Wide Wonder could prove a fun addition for season 4, his drug addiction and supersonic flight power a natural recipe for disaster.

The Seven's final spot could go to failed "American Hero" contestant Moonshadow. Supersonic won the competition overall, and although Silver Kincaid (Starlight's preferred choice) came runner-up, Homelander's racism means she won't be finding a Seven invitation on her doorstop in The Boys season 4. That leaves Moonshadow as next in line from the rigged competition, and her psychic hacking ability would prove extremely useful to a dictator of Homelander's ilk.

Why The Boys Season 4 Could End The Seven

By the time The Boys season 3's finale ends, Homelander's position has never been stronger. Ryan loves him, his supporters are prepared to cheer actual murder, and Stan Edgar is spending his free time either opening fast food restaurants in New Mexico, or capturing green babies. Even the Seven is now completely subservient to Homelander's whims, with A-Train and The Deep barely able to conjure a spine between them. As demonstrated by Deep's treasonous murder, the two Seven stragglers will do whatever Homelander asks, terrified he'll kill them for disobeying. Enjoying a grip on power tighter than Frenchie's cheeks when he was running away from Termite, would Homelander really risk adding new members to the Seven? After Maeve, Starlight and even Black Noir all betrayed him, why should Homelander trust anyone?

The Boys season 3's finale strongly hints that Homelander may not bother rebuilding the Seven at all. During a final meeting with Ashley, Deep and A-Train, he delivers a damning verdict on the rapidly declining superhero team, admitting, "I wanted so badly for that team [the Seven] to be the family I never got... and then I got YOU." Certainly, Homelander doesn't sound inclined to continue the Seven here. More likely, it'll become the One, turning his band of heroes into mid-2000s Guns N' Roses. Homelander will become the only chair on Floor 99, the only supe who matters, and the Alpha and Omega of Vought.

One small detail in The Boys season 3's ending hints this is the direction Homelander will take in season 4: there's no Black Noir memorial. Queen Maeve gets billboards and news bulletins in her honor, as the public believes she died fighting Soldier Boy. But at no point is Black Noir mentioned, suggesting Vought intends to cover up his demise. Homelander might hire some random actor to wear Noir's suit, giving the outward impression that the Seven is still together, while he pulls every string behind-the-scenes. Imagining The Boys without the Seven might feel strange at first, but makes complete sense as season 4 turns its attention toward Homelander and Victoria Neuman's partnership. Has the Dusk of the Seven finally arrived?