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TL;DR:

  • The ending of The Boys Season 3 features a massive showdown.
  • The finale pushes Starlight, Butcher, and Homelander in new directions.
  • It looks like Victoria Neuman will be a problem in The Boys Season 4.
Antony Starr as Homelander in 'The Boys' Season 3, which had an action-packed ending. He's standing in front of an empty conference room with his hands on his hips.
Antony Starr as Homelander | Amazon Studios

The Boys Season 3 Episode 8 just dropped on Prime Video, and the finale may go down as one of the series’ best chapters yet. Not only does “The Instant White-Hot Wild” feature a massive showdown between the show’s main characters, but its ending places several of them on different paths. So, what exactly happens during The Boys Season 3 finale — and how does the ending set up season 4?

[Warning: Major spoilers ahead for The Boys Season 3 finale, “The Instant White-Hot Wild.”]

‘The Boys’ Season 3 ending, explained

The ending of The Boys Season 3 sees Butcher (Karl Urban), Maeve (Dominique McElligott), and Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) taking on Homelander (Antony Starr), something this outing has been building to since the beginning. The group locks the rest of The Boys team in a vault after some disagreement on how to handle the situation. They all end up at Vought Tower eventually, but the trio hellbent on revenge gets a headstart.

After his conversation with Soldier Boy last week, Homelander expects his father to side with him during the finale’s confrontation. He even brings Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) to meet his grandfather. He also kills Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell) for keeping secrets all these years. Clearly, Homelander has strong feelings about his parentage — and he expects Soldier Boy to mirror those.

Unfortunately for him, the other Supe proves much less sentimental. After wishing his son wasn’t such a wuss, Soldier Boy moves forward with their fight. And he’s even willing to bring Ryan into it.

That turns Butcher against him rather quickly, while Maeve and Homelander get into a one-on-one match of their own. The two pairs are locked in combat by the time the other characters arrive. And their only hope of stopping Soldier Boy is to have Frenchie (Tomer Kapon) remake the gas that put him to sleep in the first place.

Frenchie does so successfully, and the team is able to get the mask on Soldier Boy’s face without winding up like Noir. He does attempt one attack to fend them off. But The Boys Season 3 concludes with Maeve saving the others, tackling Soldier Boy out of Vought Tower. Both survive the drop, but they’re out of commission. Soldier Boy returns to his slumber, while Maeve lets the world believe she’s dead. Finally, she has the chance to retire from The Seven.

Season 3’s ending pushes Homelander, Starlight, and Butcher in new directions

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Fans are likely to regard the fight at Vought Tower as the highlight of The Boys Season 3’s ending. However, the finale features more than action and snark. It also puts several of the show’s characters on new trajectories. The most noteworthy — and obvious — is Starlight.

After the events of season 3, Starlight makes the choice to step down from The Seven. She even throws away her iconic white and gold costume. Of course, she’ll still be fighting for justice. Now going by Annie, she becomes an official member of The Boys during the finale. In fact, the team votes almost unanimously to have her join.

Butcher is the only person who may have reservations about their new member, but he’s got bigger things to worry about. Taking the Temp V one too many times leaves him with mere months to live. Although he remains on the same path of vengeance, it’s looking a lot different. If he wants to kill Homelander, he’ll need to move more quickly. He’ll also need to deal with any regret he has about Ryan.

Speaking of Ryan, Homelander’s son could prove a new problem to contend with in The Boys Season 4. After the fight at Vought Tower, Ryan convinces Homelander to leave before he can hurt Butcher and his friends. However, the very last scene of The Boys Season 3 proves worrisome.

During another one of his rallies, Homelander introduces the world to his prodigy. Naturally, his fans are thrilled by the announcement. But some of the public has had it with The Seven’s leader. One goes so far as to throw something and call him a fascist — and the man quickly finds himself on the receiving end of Homelander’s wrath.

Homelander kills the man in front of a crowd, and that’s not the scariest part of The Boys Season 3’s ending. His followers actually cheer for his behavior. And even Ryan offers a small smile before the credits roll.

Victoria Neuman could be a problem in ‘The Boys’ Season 4

The thought of Homelander and Ryan operating unchecked in The Boys Season 4 is horrifying enough — but it’s not the only bit of trouble The Boys Season 3 introduces. Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) gets more screen time in the latest outing, and the finale reveals why. Her scheming sees her becoming Bobby Singer’s (Jim Beaver) running mate, meaning both she and Homelander will have influence within the U.S. government.

When The Boys learn of Neuman’s candidacy, Butcher notes that they’ll have to take action. That will likely be at least one storyline tackled in the upcoming fourth season — though we’re also expecting Homelander to go off the rails.

Sadly, we’ll have to wait to see how all that plays out. With The Boys Season 3 just ending, fans likely have quite some time before season 4.

For now, they can catch the season 3 finale on Prime Video.

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