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

The Boys season 4 is edging (double entendre fully intended) closer to its 2024 launch window. Indeed, at the time of writing, we’re less than a month away from next year – so that means we’ll be back in the hit Prime Video show’s hilarious and brutal world very soon.

And, wouldn’t you know it – an official teaser trailer has dropped for The Boys‘ next outing. Based on the footage (more on this later), one of the the best Prime Video shows will be back with an almighty bang, too, whenever that might be.

While we wait for The Boys‘ fourth season to superpower its way onto one of the world’s best streaming services, you’ve got some swatting up to do. Below, we’ve compiled every interesting piece of news (and the odd rumor) to satisfy your season 4 needs. That includes speculation on its possible launch date, official cast list, plot synopsis and rumors, and more.

Major spoilers follow for The Boys season 3 and Gen V season 1. Potential season 4 cast and plot spoilers are also discussed.

The Boys season 4 release date: what we know

The Boys season 4 is coming to 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 Studios greenlit The Boys‘ fourth season.

Filming began not long after it the show was renewed and wrapped in April, just before the now-resolved writers and actors strikes began. Season 4, then, is well into its post-production phase, but it could be a while before we learn about that all important release date.

In the meantime, showrunner Eric Kripke dropped two interesting pieces of information in August 2022 and February 2023 respectively. Firstly, the title of season 4’s first episode:

Kripke also revealed the name of season 4’s finale, 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, season 4’s first trailer is an absolute banger. There’s a ton packed into its 60-second runtime but, to give you an idea of what it shows off, The Boys 4’s teaser, well, 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 trailer, mind you, so what are you waiting for? Watch it ASAP and then head to our plot section for more on what it potentially teases 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 have appeared in the first three seasons – are back as their respective characters.

The only curious inclusion among that contingent 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 official teaser, we know this’ll be the case, too.

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

Joining the show’s eclectic cast in major roles are Valorie Curry (Veronica Mars) and Susan Heyward (Orange Is the New Black) as Firecracker and Sister Sage. This duo are new members of the Seven, the world’s number one superhero team led by Starr’s Homelander. Neither character exists in the graphic novel series, so we’ve no idea how they’ll factor into season 4’s plot. Based on the footage above, however, they’ll have big roles to play.

Fresh from his love-to-hate portrayal of iconic Walking Dead character Negan on 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 sitting with Billy 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. And, after his own 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. You can 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 one of Gen V‘s entries – so you should expect Gen V’s student Supes and potentially other characters to join The Boys‘ ensemble ranks.

The Boys season 4 story speculation

The Boys season 4’s plot is a closely guarded secret, but here’s an 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 delivered by its cast and crew, we have a better idea of what might play out.

Let’s start with the non-spoiler-filled details. The Boys is renowned for being a boundary-pushing TV show for 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 the series’ next installment 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.

But enough of season 4’s potentially hilariously nasty moments. What did season 3 set up for its successor?

Let’s start with Homelander, everyone’s favorite love-to-hate Supe. 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. So, season 4 should see Billy and Ryan’s superpowered dad battle for Ryan’s soul. If Billy wins, his team will 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 assuming dominion over whoever or whatever they want.

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 will be nearly back to full strength.

However, Homelander won’t have things all going his way, with Gen V revealing he’ll be forced to stand trial for murdering the aforementioned Starlight fan. Additionally, the live-action spin-off saw the creation 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) confirm, though, Billy is aware of the virus’ existence, so it’s possible he’ll try and wrestle it from Neuman and use it to wipe out every Supe on the planet. Well, as long as he can find a way to keep Ryan, a half-Supe, safe from harm.

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, one of V24’s worst side effects 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 another time for Billy. Heading into season 4, he has two priorities: the aforementioned Ryan problem and the Boys’ pursuit of Victoria Neuman.

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

With so much going on in season 3, the gang become side-tracked by more pressing issues (namely, Homelander and Soldier Boy). This allows 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, resulting in Billy stating that Neuman is their next target. Expect Neuman to be one of the individuals that the group target in season 4’s finale episode, aka ‘Assassination Run’, which was teased in our release date section.

“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 incredibly vicious, superpowered Kimiko at their disposal now, either. For one, they could break out the imprisoned Marie, Andre, Jordan, and Emma – who were locked up in Gen V’s season 1 finale and likely have a bee in their bonnet over their incarceration – to join their cause. It seems Morgan’s mystery character could be on the group’s side, too, based on his humor-filled interactions with Billy in the official teaser trailer.

The greatest addition to The Boys’ team, though, is Annie January/Starlight, who defected from the Seven and officially joined the group in the season 3 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 it – and its comparisons to the real world’s political climate – in season 4. As actor Erin Moriarty teased on Instagram, too, 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), which was teased in season 3 episode 8, 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. “Hang out, folks. There’s more story to tell and 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 yet been renewed for a fifth season, but Eric 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.

That’s not all, either. As the above X post (and an Amazon Studios press release) revealed, Gen V is returning for a second season. Gen V‘s sophomore outing will directly follow on from The Boys season 4, too, so storylines in the main show’s next installment will carry over into its 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 – for a second season. The animated anthology series debuted in March 2022 and seemed to do pretty well. Speaking to Collider, Rogen confirmed Amazon had bought some scripts for a second season, but there’s no news on if they’ll be produced.

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