From the moment we first saw Karl Urban's superhero hunter Billy Butcher in Season 1 of The Boys, he has lived by one unshakable creed, "The only good supe is a dead supe." Ever since he was led to believe that his wife, Becca, was murdered at the hands of Homelander, Butcher has harbored a hatred for anyone with superpowers. It's what set him on a path of revenge and led him to join the murderous vigilante group known as The Boys. However, now that the outrageous and very gory trailer for Season 3 has dropped, it seems that, for Billy Butcher at least, the game has changed.
In the trailer, we see Billy peering into a bathroom mirror before his eyes suddenly light up. Later, we see him sending an unnamed individual flying with a single punch and finally straight-up firing beams from his eyes, Homelander style. Indeed, as promised by the show's teaser poster, it's official: Billy Butcher is a supe.
Now, as fans count down the days until Season 3's premiere, speculation abounds as to the how and why of Billy's newfound abilities. When the teaser poster was revealed a few days ago, fans got their first glimpse of Billy with glowing eyes, along with an ominous message: "Soon it'll be time to level the playing field." This begs the question, did Billy deliberately give himself powers as a way to even the odds against the supes? Another shot in the trailer seems to lend credence to this theory, showing Billy clutching a vial of green liquid. Later in the trailer, he's also seen vomiting up some green goo, suggesting whatever he took may not have agreed with him.
Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that Billy has gotten his hands on Compound V, the substance developed by Vought International that gives supes their powers. For one thing, as fans of the show know, Compound V is blue, not green. But, Billy Butcher is nothing if not innovative, so it's entirely possible that this is a new compound of his own making or even a gift from Grace Mallory, founder of The Boys and Billy's liaison to the CIA.
Another possibility is that Victoria Neuman is somehow involved. In the final moments of Season 2, it was revealed that Neuman, a congresswoman and supposed Vought opponent, was the one behind a series of violent deaths that hindered the heroes' plans throughout the season. Instead of being a mere political player, Neuman is actually a supe herself, gifted with the ability to make peoples' heads explode. On the surface, she appeared to oppose the Vought agenda, even legitimizing The Boys as the new head of the Office of Supe Affairs.
However, it seems that, in reality, Neuman is a double agent, standing against Vought in public while aiding them from the shadows. Could Neuman have slipped Billy a bad batch of Compound V under the guise of helping his cause, while secretly setting him up for disaster? Granted, Billy turned down the chance to work with Grace Mallory's anti-supes unit under the supervision of the Supe Affairs department. However, the chance to, as the poster promises, level the playing field might be too tempting an offer for Billy to pass up.
However he acquires these new abilities, and whatever the subsequent fallout may be, the fact that Billy Butcher is now a supe has major implications for the character and the entire season. It means that any encounter between Billy and one of the Vought supes is, if not an even match, at least a fair fight. But it also means that Billy has to wrestle with the moral dilemma of becoming the thing that he has devoted the last near decade of his life to hating. Billy Butcher has, even at his best, never been the most stable of characters. This new change could be the thing that sends him, and everyone around him, right over the edge.
Catch up on The Boys Season 1 and 2, streaming on Amazon, before Season 3 premieres June 6.
Source: Trendz OH
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