Warning! SPOILERS for The Boys comic book.
The Boys season 3 is coming soon, but its showrunners must avoid ruining Billy Butcher by adapting the comic book's final story. The series has taken a number of liberties with its source material, but with the season 3 trailer revealing that the Boys will get superpowers themselves, it could be gearing up to adapt the final arc of its comic book source material. The version of Billy Butcher the show has created is too different for this to work, however, and the ending could prove very controversial.
The comic book version of The Boys seemingly ends with the death of Homelander and his even eviler clone, Black Noir. However, in a shocking twist, Billy Butcher transforms from a morally gray anti-hero into a straight-up supervillain, as he plans to release an explosive strain of compound V to murder anyone with supe DNA, meaning millions of innocents would die. He is stopped and killed by Hughie, but not before he murders the rest of the team, including Frenchie, the Female, and Mother's Milk. The Boys TV series hasn't got to this plot point yet, but season 3 looks to borrow more heavily from the comics, as it a trailer shows Butcher with superpowers, a moment ripped from the comic books. Season 2 ends with Butcher saving Ryan, the supe son of Homelander and Butcher's wife, Becca, but not before Becca is caught in the crossfire and dies in Billy's arms.
It would be a shocking (but ultimately mistaken) move to have Butcher become the series' final antagonist. Karl Urban's portrayal of the character is both charming and endearing, and though his hatred of supes is a major part of his personality, the show hints that there may be something more to Butcher. His promise to protect Homelander's son Ryan, despite him representing all of Butcher's emotional pain, suggests he may be changing. To turn Butcher into a villain would undo this good progress and shock audiences in the worst way possible, particularly as Butcher's plan would presumably include killing Ryan.
However, there are multiple hints that the series may be heading toward this controversial ending. Hughie and Butcher have butted heads for both seasons, and Billy has shown that he is often more concerned with the mission than protecting the other members of the Boys. If Butcher continues down this dark path throughout season 3 and becomes even more obsessed with killing Homelander and the other members of the Seven, adapting the comic book's ending would at least be less surprising.
Yet, the showrunners consistently write Butcher to be likeable, undercutting his more sinister attributes. Combined with Urban's performance, unless season 3 has Butcher do something so drastic, it's impossible for him to redeem himself, the series could wind up frustrating its audience. Just as Game of Thrones' Daenerys Targaryen became the last-minute villain of season 8, Butcher could feel just as undercooked as the final antagonist of The Boys. Given the poor audience reception to Game of Thrones' last season, this would be an incredibly disappointing plot to imitate.
The Boys season 3 looks like it may follow the comic books more closely, but turning Butcher into its ultimate villain would be a mistake. Karl Urban's performance as Butcher and the redemptive arc the character has been enjoying would be undercut and the show would run the risk of frustrating its audience, just like Game of Thrones did with its handling of Daenerys. The Boys can avoid this mistake by taking the story in a new direction — one that makes more sense for this version of Billy Butcher.
The Boys season 3 premieres on June 3.