Everything that happened in ‘The Boys’ Season 4 Finale and that Mid-Credits Scene

Since the beginning of Season 4 of The Boys, I’ve told the readers that something does not feel right with the writing. It’s still The Boys, which has fun and outrageous moments and a compelling story, but even the finale felt clunky, disconnected, and less energetic. Episode 8 is called “Assassination Run,” but Bob Singer’s life being in danger was hardly something we cared about.

But, regardless of my qualms with Season 4, I enjoyed the finale and everything the ending meant (including that Season 5-defying mid-credits scene). I’ve broken down everything that happened in a digestible recap.

Homelander exposes Victoria Neuman during election certification

Victoria Neuman does not feel safe in the season 4 finale (Credit – Prime Video)

Homelander is not emotionally intelligent enough to handle politics and governance, as proven by Sister Sage’s reveal near the end of Episode 8. As soon as the Supe sees a photo frame of Ryan and his family, he spirals even further in his rage.

And so, on live TV, in front of Vice-President Victoria Neuman, Homelander reveals she is a Supe. He justifies his sudden revelation to Neuman by claiming they will change the world, but he hasn’t precisely thought about the process of removing those who have dirt on them.

Homelander tells the Seven that they will restore order and take over the White House, but first, they need to kill a list of people who will be a problem, including poor Ashley. But the biggest plot twist is that Ashley takes Compound V, making us curious about what Supe she will be in Season 5.

The Boys protect President Bob Singer, not realizing the Shapeshifter Supe is one of them

The Season 4 finale has plenty on the line, including the fate of the US President, Bob Singer, who has always felt like a minor character considering his status. With Frenchie struggling to replicate a virus in time and Hughie realizing all The Boys’ data has been hacked, Mother’s Milk goes on the defense, planning to protect Singer in an underground presidential bunker.

Watching Hughie figure out that Annie is not Annie but the Shapeshifter is almost a comedy. Before this mission to protect the President, he had all kinds of sex with her, including anal, and they got engaged. But it was way too good to be true: suddenly, his girlfriend became a sex freak and was desperate to have a lifelong commitment with him. He should have seen it earlier.

And so The Boys have to fight Shapeshifter “Annie” in the bunker. The real Annie shows up and defeats her.

I feel sorry for Annie, though. After having a few identity issues, privately and publicly, she still doesn’t know who she is. It feels even worse for her that Hughie had fun with the other Annie, which I get into later in this recap.

Do Hughie and Annie stay together or break up?

Hughie and Annie nearly break-up in ‘The Boys’ Season 4, Episode 8 (Credit – Prime Video)

It’s understandable why Annie is furious at Hughie in the aftermath of defeating the Shapeshifter, especially when Hughie explains he had sex at least twenty times. It’s a sucker punch. But Hughie, who has always been a soft soul since the start of this series, highlights the differences between Annie and the Shapeshifter Annie and explains why he loves her vulnerabilities.

Hughie and Annie stay together to end Season 4, but she also wants Hughie to take a Supe STD test for safety. However, they will have more challenges in Season 5, as Annie is struggling with her life purpose.

Butcher makes a final attempt to convince Ryan to leave Homelander

“You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain” comes to mind when I  think about Butcher and Ryan. Both could be heroes by the end of this series, or they could be the very thing they are trying not to be.

I understand why Butcher wants to convince Ryan to leave Homelander for good. He cares about him due to his deceased wife, and he does not want the world to have a Homelander V2. However, his final attempt to persuade Ryan to leave Homelander was obviously not going to work, especially in how he set it all up. It’s like the history of Homelander was not researched at all.

Even Aunt Grace tries to help as Butcher lies on a hospital bed, playing Connect 4 with Ryan. Eventually, Butcher attempts to persuade Ryan one last time to leave Homelander and tells him to go into hiding with Aunt Grace, but Ryan does not want to leave — despite his father’s anger, he likes Vought. Whether that is true (evidence suggests not), it’s likely that Ryan is scared of his father and knows leaving will make things worse.

So Grace tries to assist in the conversation and tells Ryan the truth about Homelander: the Supe’s assassination attempt on Bob Singer, Flight 37, and how he raped his mother. Ryan is super emotional at this stage, at a dangerous level, and he suddenly realizes he’s in a CIA Supe Facility designed to keep Supes inside. Ryan throws Grace against the wall, potentially killing her, and flees.

Of course, Butcher and Grace’s missteps with Ryan led to the end of The Boys Season 4, which will change things forever.

Victoria asks The Boys for help, but Butcher has different ideas

Butcher lets out his monster in ‘The Boys’ Season 4 finale (Credit – Prime Video)

Apart from Butcher dying, we all knew he was harboring something within him, ready to be unleashed. So, none of what we see here is surprising. Butcher has failed to save Ryan, so now he must resort to desperate measures.

Surprisingly, Victoria Neuman rings Hughie, explaining that she wants to resign as Vice President and needs The Boys to help her. It hits Neuman that she no longer feels safe. With Homelander breathing down her neck with ambitious, evil plans, she’s started thinking about her future, especially for her daughter. That’s right, folks. Victoria Neuman, once heralded as the great villain to come, is scared.

This involves Hughie convincing The Boys to show their human side and let Victoria Neuman and her daughter, Zoe, in. Mother’s Milk wants the virus ready to inject into Neuman in case it’s a trap (at this point, Frenchie has managed to replicate the virus).

Victoria Neuman asks The Boys to get her away from Homelander and Singer’s people at the CIA, and she’ll go quietly. In return, she’ll owe them many favors, including taking down Vought and Homelander.

But then, in a blow to all their plans, Butcher returns. He wants no deals. He looks threatening to everyone. The monster inside him grabs Victoria Neuman and rips her apart. She is dead for good, with her body spread across the floor.

The Boys have no choice but to stand down to Butcher, who takes the virus off Frenchie.

From here, I’m unsure what Butcher’s redemption story will be. It feels like a point of no return. This coincidentally all happened when Hughie begged everyone to take a human approach with Victoria Neuman. Butcher did the least human thing in this moment.

Sister Sage’s Plan is the ending of The Boys Season 4

I’m so glad Sister Sage had a plan all along because what’s the point of being the world’s smartest person if Homelander can discard you?

Announced on the news is that Victoria Neuman is dead, and Homelander looks visibly stressed. Sister Sage visits him and tells him that they won, and this was her plan all along: she had recorded the moment that Bob Singer told The Boys that they should have killed Neuman, and now the President is being arrested and blamed for her murder. The Speaker of the House is next in line to be President and wants to pledge his allegiance to Homelander.

Homelander is confused that Sister Sage did all this, but she provides the most casual response to a pivotal situation—she did it to see if she could do it and found it fun. Sister Sage cannot wait for Phase 2.

The Boys Season 4, Episode 8, ends with The Speaker of the House (now US President) declaring martial law, deputizing the Supes, led by Homelander. Homelander rolls out his propaganda statements immediately, saying that “America will be safe again.” Meanwhile, The Boys split up and attempt to go into hiding, but they are all attacked and captured, apart from Starlight, who manages to get away.

What happens in the mid-credits scene?

Will Soldier Boy return in ‘The Boys’ Season 5? Well, that depends on what Homelander wants to do with him (Credit – Prime Video)

If you all thought that was the end, and you switched Episode 8 off before the credits rolled, you’d be interested to know there was a quick mid-credits scene. The President shows Homelander that they have found Soldier Boy. He’s in a cryogenic chamber in a secret facility. Homelander’s eyes well up. Oh, what must he be thinking?

Vought Files #8

Here are some other noteworthy moments that will be important as we move to Season 5:

• Firecracker is struggling with her meds that she uses to produce breastmilk. It’s probably the only thing keeping her useful for Homelander, so it will be interesting to see what happens if she can no longer produce milk.
• Zoe is now at the Red River Group Home for abandoned and parentless, super-powered children.
• Frenchie and Kimiko kiss near the end of the episode, but is Kimiko actually the Shapeshifter? This was a big break in this romantic subplot between the characters, so it would not be surprising if it was ruined by a Supe pretending to be Kimiko.

Read More: The Boys Season 4, Episode 7 Explained