The Boys season 4: everything we know about the hit Prime Video show’s return

It’s almost time to get diabolical with The Boys season 4. The popular Prime Video series’ next installment arrives sometime this year – and we couldn’t be more excited to see it.

The Boys is one of our favorite shows, so we’re looking forward to what the R-rated Prime Video superhero show has in store for us with its fourth season. Indeed, we consider it to be one of the the best Prime Video shows around, so we’re expecting sparks to fly (and then some) whenever it makes its return to our screens.

We don’t know when that’ll be yet, but there’s plenty to reading to do in the meantime. Below, we’ve rounded up everything we know so far about The Boys season 4, including its apparent release date on one of the world’s best streaming services, cast details, plot speculation, and more.

Full spoilers follow for The Boys season 3 and its college-based spin-off Gen V season 1. Potential spoilers are also discussed for The Boys 4.

The Boys season 4 release date: what we know

The Boys season 4 is set to punch its way onto Prime Video in 2024. The announcement was made in early November alongside its first teaser art (see the X post above) and comes 18 months after Amazon greenlit The Boys‘ fourth season.

Amazon is yet to confirm when the hit show’s next season will debut, but Prime Video’s Brazilian PR team appeared to jump in and reveal when the series will return. As spotted by a fan and posted on The Boys‘ Reddit page, its alleged launch date is June 13 – it’s unclear, though, if this date is set in stone.

While we wait for official confirmation, showrunner Eric Kripke has revealed two interesting pieces of information. First up, the title of season 4’s first episode, which was announced in August 2022:

Kripke also revealed the name of season 4’s finale in February 2023, which could mean the death of any number of individuals. As we allude to in our plot section below, though, we think it’ll involve the demise of one specific character.

The Boys season 4 trailer

Revealed at CCXP 2023 in Brazil, The Boys season 4’s first trailer is an absolute banger. There’s plenty packed into its 60-second runtime but, to give you an idea of what it shows off, it teases new Supes, Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s mysterious character, and a fan-based showdown between Homelander and Starlight.

There’s plenty more besides in the teaser, so what are you waiting for? Watch it ASAP and then head to our plot section for more on what it possibly tells us about next season.

The Boys season 4 cast: confirmed and rumored

Major spoilers follow for The Boys season 3.

Here’s the confirmed cast for The Boys season 4 so far:

• Karl Urban as William ‘Billy’ Butcher
• Jack Quaid as Hugh ‘Hughie’ Campbell
• Erin Moriarty as Annie January/Starlight
• Anthony Starr as Homelander
• Laz Alonso as Mother’s Milk
• Tomer Capone as Frenchie
• Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro
• Jessie T Usher as A-Train
• Chace Crawford as The Deep
• Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett
• Nathan Mitchell as Black Noir
• Claudia Doumit as Victoria Neuman
• Cameron Crovetti as Ryan Butcher
• Simon Pegg as Hugh Campbell Sr
• Valorie Curry as Firecracker
• Susan Heyward as Sister Sage
• Jeffrey Dean Morgan as TBA

Of the above, the first 11 actors – all of whom appeared in the first three seasons – are back as their respective characters.

The only curious inclusion among them is Mitchell, whose superpowered individual Black Noir was killed by Homelander in The Boys season 3 finale. However, speaking to Entertainment Weekly (EW), Kripke hinted Mitchell will be back as Black Noir 2.0. Based on the first teaser trailer, we know this’ll be the case.

Elsewhere, Doumit is back as Neuman, who – as revealed in season 3’s final entry – has been installed as Robert Singer’s running mate for the next US election. She’ll play a prominent role in season 4, too, given her all-important cameo appearance in Gen V season 1 (more on that later). The teaser trailer also appeared to confirm her daughter Zoe (Olivia Morandin) will appear.

Crovetti, who periodically featured in seasons 2 and 3, has also been bumped to series regular (per The Boys‘ official Instagram account). Simon Pegg will cameo once more as Hughie’s dad, too.

Joining the cast in major roles are Valorie Curry (Veronica Mars) and Susan Heyward (Orange Is the New Black) as Firecracker and Sister Sage. This pair are new members of the Seven, the world’s number one superhero team led by Starr’s Homelander. Neither character exists in Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s graphic novel series, which the show is based on, so it’s unclear how they’ll factor into the plot.

Fresh from his love-to-hate portrayal of The Walking Dead‘s Negan in AMC’s TV adaptation of that comic series, Jeffrey Dean Morgan has also been cast in The Boys season 4. We catch a few glimpses of him in the trailer, but there’s no word on who he’s playing yet.

Rosemarie DeWitt (La La Land, Stand-Off) has been hired to play Hughie’s mom (name TBA). And, for those hoping for Jensen Ackles’ return as Soldier Boy, that remains to be seen (more on why in the next section). The former Supernatural star is eager to reprise the role of Homelander’s dad and human-based weapon of mass destruction, though. After his dream-based cameo appearance in Gen V, we’re as desperate as Ackles is to see the fan-favorite return.

Lastly, we could see some of Gen V‘s young Supes cross over into the main show, especially with the way it ended – read our Gen V season 1 ending explained article for more details on that. Oh, and Kripke has already teased Tek Knight’s possible involvement in the main show’s next installment – he made his live-action debut in Gen V season 1 – so we think Gen V‘s student Supes and other characters will join the main show’s ensemble ranks.

The Boys season 4 story speculation

Here’s The Boys season 4’s official story synopsis, courtesy of Amazon: “In season 4, the world is on the brink. Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the muscly thumb of Homelander, who is consolidating his power. Butcher, with only months to live, has lost Becca’s son as well as his job as The Boys’ leader. The rest of the team are fed up with his lies. With the stakes higher than ever, they have to find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late.”

Based on how season 3 ended, and other clues provided by its cast and crew, we have a better idea of what might play out.

First, the non-spoiler-filled details. The Boys is renowned for being a boundary-pushing TV show from gore, sex, and outrageously funny perspectives, and it sounds like season 4 will be no different.

Speaking to Collider, Jessie T Usher – who plays A-Train – says the level of carnage in season 4 was “a surprise to everyone”. Kripke, The Boys‘ showrunner, also tweeted there’s a wildly over-the-top sequence in season 4 that’s “easily a top 5 moment” for him. Kripke’s comments were echoed by producer Stephan Fleet, who suggests it contains a moment that’s “the most disgusting thing I have seen working in this business thus far.”

Major season 2 and 3 spoilers follow after the X post below.

Okay, so what did The Boys season 3 set up for its successor?

Let’s start with Homelander. The Seven’s deranged leader was last seen taking Ryan – his superpowered son – under his wing following the three-way battle between Homelander, the Boys, and Soldier Boy. After Homelander brutally murders a Starlight fan (the fan throws a drink at Ryan during a political rally) and the crowd erupts with delight, the smiles that spread across Homelander and Ryan’s faces paint a very unsettling picture for what’s to come.

Is Homelander about to raise Ryan as his equally callous, unhinged successor? In a chat with IGN, Kripke was keeping schtum, but suggested it’ll impact Ryan’s fractious relationship with Billy. Remember, Ryan is the illegitimate love child of Homelander and Billy’s deceased ex-wife Becca. At the end of season 2, Billy promised a dying Becca he’d protect Ryan in her absence. However, Billy alienates Ryan over the course of season 3, leading Ryan to disown Billy and seek safety with Homelander. 

Season 4, then, should see Billy and Homelander battle for Ryan’s soul. If Billy wins, his team could have their own Homelander who can go up against his similarly superpowered father. If Homelander is victorious, there may be no stopping the pair from tyranically ruling the US – and maybe even the world.

Ryan won’t be the only weapon Homelander has heading into season 4. He’s still in command of the Seven, which currently comprises himself, The Deep, and A-Train (even if the latter duo has started to see through Homelander’s charade). With Sister Sage and Firecracker joining the Seven next season, and the addition of Black Noir 2.0, the world’s ‘most popular’ superhero team is nearly back to full strength.

Homelander has some issues to contend with, though. Gen V season 1 revealed he’ll be forced to stand trial for murdering the aforementioned Starlight fan. Additionally, The Boys‘ spin-off confirmed the existence of a Supe-killing virus, which is now in Victoria Neuman’s possession. As Gen V and the X post below (which also contains some important timeline and story information) revealed, Billy is also aware of the virus, so it’s possible he’ll try and steal it and use it to wipe out every Supe on the planet. Well, as long as he can find a way to keep Ryan safe from its effects (remember, he’s still trying to keep his promise to Becca to keep Ryan safe).

Speaking of Billy, he’s on borrowed time. In season 3, he became addicted to V24, an experimental Vought-developed serum that grants its user superpowers for a 24-hour period. Unfortunately, V24 causes a highly aggressive form of cancer to develop in its host. In short: Billy only has 12 to 18 months left to live. True to form, he decides to keep his diagnosis secret from the rest of the group, which is sure to cause its own problems.

But that’s an issue for later Heading into season 4, Billy has two priorities: the aforementioned Homelander and Ryan problem, which we’ve already covered, and thwarting Neuman.

In season 2’s final episode, Neuman was revealed as a secret Supe, who possesses the ability to blow up peoples’ heads. Hughie, who is hired by Neuman when the Boys disbanded in season 2’s final episode, learns about this in season 3, digs into her past, and discovers Neuman is the adopted daughter of former Vought CEO Stan Edgar. He helped Neuman political rise to power before she betrayed Edgar in season 3, too.

With so much going on in season 3, the gang were side-tracked by more pressing issues (namely, Homelander and Soldier Boy). This allowed Neuman to infiltrate US Presidential candidate Robert Singer’s – aka Dakota Bob – camp and become his running mate. You know, after Homelander forced The Deep to kill Singer’s former Vice Presidential candidate Lamar Bishop.

In season 3’s final scene, the titular gang learns of this development and that she’s seemingly in cahoots with Homelander, leading Billy to install Neuman as their next target. Expect Neuman to be one of the individuals that the group target in season 4’s finale episode, aka ‘Assassination Run’.

“I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to say that we’re definitely working towards a Dakota Bob presidency with Neuman as a secret Vought plant in the vice presidency, and all the complications that ensue from that,” Kripke told GameSpot. “That obviously was probably Garth’s [Ennis] biggest endgame story. Again, it’s not a spoiler to say that. You’ve seen us maneuver the chess pieces into that place so we can start telling that story.”

The Boys don’t just have the vicious superpowered Kimiko at their disposal now, either. For one, they could break out the imprisoned Gen V student Supes Marie, Andre, Jordan, and Emma – who were locked up in the spin-off’s season 1 finale – and convince them to join their cause, especially after Homelander put them there. It seems Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s mystery character could be on the group’s side, too, based on the fact he knows Billy.

The greatest addition to Billy’s team, though, is Annie January/Starlight (Erin Moriarty), who defected from the Seven and officially joined the group in season 3’s finale, meaning the gang has more Supes to level the playing field.

That doesn’t mean Starlight won’t have her own agenda heading into season 4, however. With Homelander killing one of her fans, Annie could be gunning for him harder than ever, regardless of the consequences.

The escalating conflict between the two Supes was one of the most fascinating subplots in The Boys season 3, and we’ll certainly see more of them lock horns again in season 4. As Moriarty teased on Instagram, season 4 sees Starlight enter her vengeance era. Oh, and she’ll be learning how to master her flying power (as she does in the comics), according to Kripke (per Variety).

And what of Soldier Boy? Following season 3’s climactic battle, Ackles’ nuclear-powered human weapon was put back on ice by the FBI. Unless Homelander or The Boys get truly desperate and need him to fight for their cause, we suspect that’s where he’ll stay.

There are plenty of storylines The Boys can adapt from Ennis and Robertson’s graphic novel series in season 4, but we’ll refrain from spoiling anything else. We’ll leave the last word for Kripke, who told Insider that fans shouldn’t worry about the possibility of Homelander subversively winning the day in The Boys season 4 or the wider context of the series.

“The story’s not over,” he said. “I’ll make a pledge to you right now that I will not end this series with Homelander winning. So, you can hold me to that.”

What does the future hold for The Boys?

The Boys hasn’t been renewed for a fifth season, but Kripke has confirmed that its fourth season won’t be the show’s final entry. As long as The Boys continues to be popular (which it will, in our opinion), more seasons will be on the way.

As the X post above (and an Amazon Studios press release) revealed, Gen V is returning for a second season, too. Gen V‘s sophomore outing will directly follow on from The Boys season 4, so storylines in the main show will carry over into – and impact – the live-action spin-off.

Elsewhere, one of The Boys‘ executive producer Seth Rogen hopes Amazon will renew the show’s other spin-off – The Boys Presents: Diabolical , which debuted in March 2022 – for a second season. Speaking to Collider, Rogen confirmed Amazon had bought some scripts for a second season of the animated anthology series, but there’s no word on if they’ll be produced.

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