Diksha Sundriyal
Prime Video’s superhero series, ‘Gen V,’ brings a different story from the world of ‘The Boys,’ set in the Godolkin University for young superheroes. The show follows its own series of events, which don’t clash with the events of ‘The Boys’ until the final episode. It’s still not a direct connection, but the presence of two main characters from the parent series proves that ‘The Boys’ Season 4 is going to pick up after the events of ‘Gen V’ finale. If Homelander’s presence in the final moments of the show wasn’t enough, the post-credit scene confirms that the events in Godolkin will have a far-reaching impact on Vought and the Boys. SPOILERS AHEAD
What is Billy Butcher Doing in the Woods?
After the mayhem in Godolkin is cleared up, and Vought has manipulated the narrative to make Cate and Sam the heroes of the day, the post-credit scene takes us back to the Woods. A shadowy figure is seen holding a flashlight and taking a look around things. In the end, the figure comes into the light and is revealed to be none other than Billy Butcher, who calls Vought a “bunch of c-” and smiles. What does that mean?
Vought used Godolkin as the front to continue their illegal activities in The Woods, where they experimented on Supes, particularly those who had immense power but were also plagued by a mental illness. Whatever Vought might have wanted from the research, Indira Shetty turned it around in her favor, which resulted in the creation of a virus that can kill Supes. She shared this info with Grace Mallory, who asked her people to keep an eye on Shetty.
Considering that the virus is a direct link to the events in ‘The Boys’ comics, it’s clear that ‘Gen V’ was set up to create a foundation for the coming events in ‘The Boys’ TV show. For now, the virus is with Victoria Neuman, but it’s not confirmed that Shetty didn’t save some of it for herself. We assume that it will take a while for the Boys to get their hands on the virus, probably the entirety of the fourth season, but the search for it has already started, and Butcher’s appearance in ‘Gen V’ proves that.
The events in Godolkin made national news, and naturally, Mallory and the Boys would be interested in finding out what actually happened there and what Vought is trying to hide by creating a narrative that puts them in a better light. They know that there is never a time when something shady isn’t going on with Vought. So, after the massacre at the university, Butcher would have decided to see the place for himself.
Mallory is expected to have filled him in on the things she found out from Shetty, and the mention of the virus would have certainly intrigued him. By far, he has tried everything he could to kill Homelander but has only realized that the odds are stacked against him no matter what he does. The law won’t help him, and he is too powerless to go up against the Supe on his own. Following the events of ‘The Boys’ Season 3, he is also on a clock.
Knowing that he is going to die soon is bound to make an already reckless Butcher more dangerous. So, when he discovers that there is a virus that targets only Supes, he is bound to go after it because it is the only thing that can kill Homelander for good. Perhaps he wanted to see the Woods for himself, trying to find some clue that could lead him to the virus or at least show him what the virus was capable of. When the dust settled on Godolkin, he found his way to The Woods and looked around, perhaps without the knowledge of the rest of his team, because Mallory didn’t seem too keen on killing all the Supes just because a handful of them were evil.
Butcher’s being alone in the post-credit scene also hints that he will become more of a lone wolf once again, as the rest of the team find themselves at odds with his plan to use the virus and kill all Supes, especially for Hughie, who is in love with a Supe. Butcher’s smile indicates that he has seen enough and knows that the virus is the only way to get what he wants, and he will stop at nothing to do it.
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