Fans are wondering why Karl Urban's Billy Bitcher activated instant kill mode at the end of The Boys Season 4 Finale.
During the Season 4 finale, Homelander exposes Neuman as a Supe on live TV, leading to chaos and riots. Despite the revelation, the election is certified, making Singer and Neuman the new leaders.
Sage later returns with a plan to remove Singer from power, install Speaker of the House Calhoun as president, and pledge his allegiance to Homelander. They then declare martial law.
Later in the episode, Butcher unleashes new powers to kill Neuman after she attempts to switch sides and work with Hughie.
Butcher's Shocking Neuman Scene Explained
Before her death, Homelander threatened to kill Neuman’s daughter, Zoe, forcing Neuman to seek Hughie's help in protecting her.
Hughie proposes that The Boys save Neuman and use her against Homelander, gaining agreement from Mother's Milk and a hesitant Annie.
However, Butcher has other plans, appearing out of nowhere and rejecting any alliance with Neuman.
He is now fueled by Compound V-induced powers, gruesomely attacking Neuman with emerging tentacles and keeping back the others in any attempt to stop him.
As he wisely covers up her eyes and holds down her arms and legs, he ignores Hughie's pleas for her life and rips her in half, ending her life.
This left the room in shock, as Butcher had seemingly gone rogue and once again used a form of Compound V to create new superpowers.
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Why Did Butcher Kill Neuman In The Boys Season 4 Finale?
Before Butcher's arrival and eventual murder of Neuman without hesitation, he tried to get his stepson, Ryan, to leave Homelander and go with government agent Grace Mallory, whom he had previously hidden out with during Season 3.
While Ryan didn't seem interested in returning to Homelander, he also refused to run away with Grace. When she tried to stop him, the Supe'd-up teenager fatally pushed her into a wall.
Though not explicitly said, Butcher now believes that Ryan is a lost cause and eliminating dangerous Supes like Neuman is the only viable course of action.
Claudia Doumit, who plays Victoria Neuman, explained to The Hollywood Reporter that after Butcher tried to "play things by the book," he's back to "the old Butcher who is very unforgiving and just needs to get the job done:"
"I think he’s been attempting this season to play things by the book or let them make decisions, or he has begrudgingly attempted to do things the right way or as the team wants to do it. But in this final episode, in this final part of the season, he’s decided that’s not working. And it’s almost as if he’s gone to the old Butcher who is very unforgiving and just needs to get the job done, which is scary Butcher."
She also clarified that Zoe was only knocked out, setting up a potential revenge plot as Neuman's efforts to give Zoe a normal childhood are heartbreakingly undone:
"I would hope she would avenge her mother! The thing with Zoe that’s so interesting to me is that this entire time, Neuman’s goal has been to give Zoe a somewhat normal childhood. To give her a childhood that looks nothing like hers did. She grew up in an orphanage, she didn’t have parents, and all these kind of horrible touchstones from her childhood occurred. And she really did not want that to happen to her daughter. And the heartbreaking thing is that her daughter is most likely going to end up in the exact same situation."
If production goes smoothly, The Boys Season 5 is expected to be released sometime in 2026. Gen V Season 2 should also premiere in 2025 to push the narrative forward.
The first four seasons of The Boys are streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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