The Boys season 4: Everything we know about the Amazon Prime Video show's return

The Boys season 4
(Image credit: prime video)

The Boys season 4 finally has a release date, so the countdown is on until June when the next installment of the bloody superhero comedy finally returns to our screens. While we wait, there's a trailer to get stuck into, featuring Victoria Neuman inching ever closer to the Oval Office, Jeffrey Dean Morgan's brand-new character, and the return of Black Noir. 

Plus, Eric Kripke has some interesting things to say about the latest installment, while intriguing set pics hint at what might be to come when we next see the Seven face off against Billy Butcher and co.

We've got everything you need to know about The Boys season 4 right here, from plot theories, casting details, and a breakdown of the latest trailer, as well as what that explosive Gen V ending might mean for the rest of the Supe world. 

The Boys season 4 release date

The Boys

(Image credit: Amazon)

The Boys season 4 is officially hitting the small screen on June 13, 2024. That's when the first three episodes will be released on Prime Video, and we can expect subsequent eps to drop every Thursday. 

The Boys season 4 trailer

We finally have a trailer for The Boys season 4, and it looks incredible. You can watch it above, but some of the highlights for us have to be that shot of Homelander at the end, as well as the first look at Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character. We also have an official synopsis too that accompanied it – scroll down for details on that!

The Boys season 4 first look

The Boys season 4 first look posters

(Image credit: Prime Video)

Prime Video also shared two posters, appropriately of arch-enemies Billy Butcher and Homelander. In one poster, Butcher stands defeated, surrounded by deflated balloons. In the other, Homelander stands proudly, arms outstretched, with confetti all around him. Given these images and the fact that we now know that The Boys season 4 picks up days after the events of the Gen V season 1 finale... it's gonna be a doozy. Plus, plot details were revealed about both Billy and Homelander that add a whole lot of context to both images. Scroll on down to find out.

The Boys season 4 first look posters

(Image credit: Prime Video)

The Boys season 4 plot

The Boys season 3

(Image credit: Amazon Prime Video)

The Boys season 4 now has a synopsis! Per Prime Video, the new season sees "the world on the brink". It reads: "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."

Before we get too ahead of ourselves, let's take a look back at what happened at the end of The Boys season 3. In the finale, the Boys were back together and more focused than ever on their plan to take down the Supes. However, it seemed like their major enemy had shifted to Neuman. After making a deal with Homelander, she landed the Vice President ticket in the season finale thanks to The Deep drowning her opposition. This puts her in the running to become the most powerful Supe ever, at least in the political sphere.

In season 4, it seems like the Boys will have a bit of help taking her down thanks to Starlight. After trying to change things from the inside, she’s now firmly on Team Butcher as a fully-fledged member of the gang. And he might need all the help he can get after he was left struggling to deal with the aftermath of Temp V. He’s been told he’s on borrowed time due to the impact of the drug on his body, so Billy will be in serious danger in the new season.

What has The Boys showrunner said about season 4?

The Boys season 4

(Image credit: Prime Video)

Speaking about Billy's Temp V twist to Variety, Kripke teased that they'll be going after Neuman while Butcher only has months left to live. "They’re up against the DeSantis ticket," the creator said. "That’s part of the fun of getting into Season 4, which we’re just figuring out for this, but he’s got a crazy ticking clock. He’s got so much to do that he hasn’t done." 

The showrunner added about Butcher's trajectory: "What we find fascinating about the question we’re asking about Butcher is, is he self-aware enough to realize that he’s causing his own misfortune? Is he self-aware enough to actually see if he can change? Those are some of the interesting conversations we’re starting to have for Season 4."

Then there’s Homelander. He’s just as unhinged as always, and it seems like very little will be able to stop him. The Storm Chasers are just as much in his corner as ever, despite the Supe lasering a bystander and airing his controversial toxic views in a national TV address. He’s now joined by his son Ryan too after he introduced him – and his powers – to the world. 

Speaking about this storyline to IGN, Kripke teased where it could go next. "If allowed to raise Ryan, he will raise Ryan to be a second Homelander, which will have apocalyptic stakes. If he stays in that environment, he's on his way to becoming another Homelander," Kripke said. "And so I think it's a hint at what one of the major conflicts in season four will be, which is Butcher and Homelander having this battle over Ryan."

Gen V has also revealed a little more about what could happen next too. In episode 2, we caught a glimpse of what's been going on with Homelander after his dramatic display at Vought Tower. It seems like it's not fairing so well, as a trial could be on the way. 

There’s no word yet on if we’ll be getting a new big bad for season 4. Soldier Boy is neutralized – but, crucially, not dead. So we may see him taken off the ice once again when the series rolls around. However, our money is on Kripke having a new ace up his sleeve for season 4 – as we might finally meet someone who can take down Homelander once and for all.

Hughie star Jack Quaid promised it will be "very intense". Speaking to Esquire, he said: "It's my favorite season we've ever shot. It's a very intense season. You really get to mine the depth of every character—and it still has those 'What just happened?!' moments. Audiences are still going to be surprised and will be really into the direction that it takes. We take some chances that I think are really awesome. It's our best one yet."

The latest plot update comes straight from The Boys' official Twitter account: "Timeline-wise, it takes place about a month after the events of the finale. Butcher knows about the virus. Do with that lil piece of intel what ya will. Homelander will stand trial for lasering a Starlighter’s head off. Vought even made a hashtag for the occasion #HomeFree. The events of Season 4 will lead into Gen V Season 2. Do you need to watch both shows to understand one or the other? No. Should you? Abso-fuckin-lutely."

What does the Gen V finale mean for The Boys season 4?

Jaz Sinclair as Marie in Gen V

(Image credit: Amazon Prime Video)

Now, let's get into the Gen V finale, and what that could mean for The Boys season 4. Well, first of all, we've got to talk about that Supe virus that was created in the lab under Godolkin University. This has the power to bring any Supe to its knees, and it's contagious, meaning it can transmit like wildfire when unleashed.

On one hand, this seems to have been neutralized by none other than Neuman. Back to her head-popping ways, she killed Dr. Cardosa while Cate took care of Dean Shetty. This means those who know about the virus are few and far between at the moment. However, in the finale, Cate and Sam let the patients in The Woods loose. Could any of them already have been infected?

There are a couple more people who are in the know too, including Grace Mallory, and, given that Gen V episode 8 post-credits scene, potentially Billy too. We saw him snooping around the Woods in the finale, before saying, "What a bunch of c***s." Same old Billy (side note: we're pleased to see him looking pretty healthy).

Then there's the Homelander of it all. In the show's final moments, after Marie, Jordan, Emma, and Andre have done their best to stop Cate and Sam from killing all humans (which even included Cate getting her arm chopped off), they're subdued by Homelander. Calling Marie an animal for killing her own kind, they then wake up in a cell with no doors. Just, where are they? Meanwhile, Sam and Cate have been painted the heroes for trying to stop the Goldolkin massacre. Could one of them be heading to the Seven? The official Vought International Twitter account seems to think so. 

Following the finale, the account shared a rather dramatic poster of Cate and Sam that paints them as superheroes of the highest possible caliber. The caption? "Marie Moreau and Andre Anderson may have betrayed us, but thankfully we have Cate Dunlap and Sam Riordan ready to be the new GUARDIANS OF GODOLKIN. Give them a hand for saving countless lives this past weekend!" Vought then took this a step further, sharing a 30-second news broadcast that praises Cate and Sam – and a montage of clips from the finale cut together in order to make it seem like Marie, Jordan, and Andre were the ones responsible for the on-campus slaughter. If Vought is spearheading the propaganda, it's highly likely they've found their new members – or at least pushing for their candidacy (even though we have a pretty good idea who might be directly influencing Vought).

The Boys season 4 cast

Soldier Boy and Hughie in The Boys season 3

(Image credit: Amazon)

The Boys cast has grown quite a bit in the past few seasons and it seems like almost everyone will be coming back. We expect some casting announcements in the next few months before production picks up on season 4. But in the meantime, we've taken a look at who made it out of the season 3 finale alive.

The Boys will be coming back. That means we’ll see Jack Quaid as Hughie; Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk; Tomer Capone as Frenchie; Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko; Erin Moriarty as Starlight, and Karl Urban as Billy Butcher. 

The numbers of The Seven have been dwindling, but Homelander made it out alive. That means Antony Starr will be back alongside Chase Crawford’s The Deep, Jessie T Usher’s A-Train, and Colby Minifie as Vought suck-up CEO Ashley. Homelander also brought his son Ryan into the limelight at the end of season 3 and that's reflected in the cast list: Cameron Crovetti has been upgraded to series regular.

Victoria Neuman is set to become Vice President of the United States so we should see Claudia Doumit back. Other recurring characters who could return include Paul Reiser as The Legend and Katy Breieras as The Deep’s now estranged wife Cassandra. 

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the biggest newcomer to The Boys season 4 cast. He'll join the show in an undisclosed role. After the news was announced, the actor said on Twitter: "Can’t tell you how excited I am! Big thanks to @therealKripke and @AMCPlus & @TheBoysTV for finding a way with both schedules. No easy task. SO DAMN STOKED!" We even got a first look at his character, next to Urban's Butcher.

Two new Supes are also flying into the new season. Valorie Curry (Detroit: Become Human) and Susan Heyward (Powers) are joining the cast as Firecracker and Sister Sage respectively. We got our first look at them in October 2022, which you can check out below...

Susan Heyward as Sister Sage and Valorie Curry as Firecracker in The Boys season 4

(Image credit: Prime Video)

On the newcomers' arrivals, creator Eric Kripke said, "These new Supes are some of the best & craziest ever written for The Boys. You are going to love them. And by love, I mean be absolutely horrified & a tiny bit nauseous. WELCOME TO THE FAMILY YOU GUYS."

It's unclear whether Giancarlo Esposito will be returning as Vought's disgraced head, Stan Edgar. He was ousted in a pincer movement from Neuman and Homelander and hasn't really been seen since. He may appear in a cameo, or even a bigger role in season 4 – anything's on the cards for him.

We thought that we'd probably seen the last of Nathan Mitchell's Black Noir after he was brutally gutted by Homelander in the season 3 finale. Discussing the character's death, Kripke confirmed that version of Noir was dead, but did reveal he could be recast by Vought. He told Deadline: "Here's what I'll say without spoiling anything, which is that particular individual who is Black Noir is dead. His organs are out all over the place, but when you have a completely silent, completely masked-clad hero, they're reasonably easy to recast."

The Boys

(Image credit: Netflix)

He elaborated on this to Entertainment Weekly, confirming Mitchell will return as a different version of the character. Kripke explained: "[He will play] a different character who wears the Black Noir suit. It's definitely not the last we've seen of Black Noir as a hero. It's just that the guy who was inside [the Noir suit] in season 3, he's gone. But we have Nathan playing a really interesting and hilarious character who wears the suit next season."

Other characters' fates are in the air after the season 3 finale. We said our goodbyes to Dominique McElligott as Maeve after her character went into hiding with her girlfriend Elena. While Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy was put back on ice by Mallory to neutralize his threat.

Kripke explained that it's likely they'll both return at some point. He said to Deadline: "We definitely won’t reach the end of the series without seeing Maeve again. I’m hoping we see Soldier Boy again." In another interview with Entertainment Weekly, he explained they were "100 percent" leaving the door open for Soldier Boy to return. Kripke said: "The old TV adage is like, never kill anyone unless you really, really have to. Never close a door, open a window. We'll all have to wait and see, but I can't imagine the series ending without Soldier Boy making another appearance." He did cameo in Gen V, but that was as a vision of Cate's mind.

Simon Pegg is also coming back to the show as Hughie's dad after his cameo in season 3. Black Mirror's Rosemarie DeWitt has joined the cast as Hughie's mother. Other newbies include Rob Benedict (Supernatural) and Elliot Knight (Once Upon a Time) in unconfirmed roles.

After the Gen V finale too, we bet we'll see some of that cast in the main series too. While they'll likely mostly be preparing for Gen V season 2, we wouldn't be surprised to see cameos from Jaz Sinclair (Marie Moreau), Chance Perdomo (Andre Anderson), Lizze Broadway, (Emma Meyer), Maddie Phillips, (Cate Dunlap), London Thor and Derek Luh (Jordan Li), and Asa Germann (Sam Riordan).

Is The Boys season 4 the final season?

Homelander and Starlight in The Boys season 3

(Image credit: Amazon)

In February 2023, Eric Kripke confirmed that The Boys season 4 won't be the hit series' last.

The showrunner had previously teased his involvement in the upcoming chapter, sharing the title of the fourth installment's last episode and leading some to believe that he was commemorating the beginning of the end. More recently, though, Kripke returned to Twitter to assure worried fans that he didn't mean the last-ever episode: "I'm here to prep & direct the season 4 finale. No, not the series finale, there will be more!"

Not only this, but we know that Gen V season 2 is on the way as well as a potential Mexico-set spin-off.


There's a lot up in the air ahead of The Boys season 4, but we’ll keep updating this guide as soon as any news lands. In the meantime, check out our guides to the best Amazon shows and the best Amazon movies to stream right now.

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.

With contributions from