Eric Kripke, the showrunner responsible for Prime Video’s superhero extravaganza, The Boys, believes Karl Urban delivered an Emmy-worthy performance as Billy Butcher in the Season 4 finale. Kripke shared some behind the scenes details on one particular scene that was changed due to Urban’s gut-wrenching delivery of his lines. Originally, the scene in question was structured to cut back and forth between Butcher and Hughie (Jack Quaid), but once the cameras rolled and Kripke, who directed the episode, saw the compelling performance taking place in front of him, he knew that the focus had to stay on Urban throughout.
In Season 4 of The Boys, Butcher is suffering from the effects of consuming copious amounts of Temp V solution in Season 3. Having been diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor as a result of his superhero transformation, Butcher’s time is coming to a close, and while he still delivers plenty of funny remarks, profanity, and fighting in the latest season, his battle with the poison coursing his body comes to the fore in Season 4.
His tumor is so advanced that Butcher finds himself not only hallucinating his dead wife, Becca, but also FBI agent Joe Kessler, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. While the two apparitions pull Butcher in separate directions, Urban’s acting skills throughout the episode are off the chart, something pointed out by Kripke in his post on X/Twitter.
The Boys – Season 4
2.5/5
In season four of The Boys, Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the control of Homelander. With only months to live, Billy Butcher must find a way to work with The Boys if they want to save the world.
Release Date June 13, 2024
Cast Antony Starr , Karl Urban , Jack Quaid , Erin Moriarty , Jessie T. Usher , Laz Alonso , Chace Crawford , Jeffrey Dean Morgan , Colby Minifie , Valorie Curry , Karen Fukuhara , Cameron Crovetti , claudia doumit , Susan Heyward
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In the season finale, Butcher is recovering at the hospital after having an attack that rendered him unconscious in the previous episode. In the scene singled out by Kripke, Hughie and Butcher discuss the latter fighting on against his illness rather than giving up on The Boys and their plans. When asked by Hughie for help, Butcher recounts a story from when he and his brother were children:
“When I was a lad, I heard about this place in Nevada. A steakhouse, where the birds get their baps out when they bring you a rib-eye. Lenny nearly pissed himself when I told him. Thought it was the funniest thing he ever heard. We was gonna go there someday. Well… Funny what you think about when your time’s up, innit?”
Kripke took to his X account to praise Urban’s performance in that scene, which he calls “top shelf, Emmy winning work.” With a couple of screenshots from Butcher’s scene at the hospital, Kripke shares his original idea for the scene and how Urban’s performance made him change his plans:
How Season 4 Set Up the Finale of The Boys
The Season 4 finale, originally titled “Assassination Run,” and then retitled “Season Four Finale” after Donald Trump’s assassination attempt, didn’t have a happy ending. Butcher finally gets his affairs in order and returns to the group just as Victoria Neuman is making a deal with the Boys. In true Butcher style, he rejects Hughie’s calls to not do anything rash, and he kills her with his Supe powers. Butcher then departs with the Supe-killing virus in his possession, and as Homelander moves one step closer to controlling the White House, the Boys attempt to flee the country.
However, they don’t get far, as one by one they are ambushed by Vought’s finest – or perhaps that should be worst. Although all hope is not lost, with Starlight managing to finally rediscover her powers and escape, the rest of The Boys are in quite a predicament leading into Season 5. With just one season of The Boys remaining, the stakes have never been higher, but it looks like fans are going to have to wait two years to discover how the last run plays out.
All four seasons of
The Boys
are streaming on Prime Video.
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