This article contains spoilers for The Boys season 4.
Summary
The Boysseason 4 has faced enormous backlash for its political commentary, but the show’s sharp satire isn’t anything new. In fact, it seems the fourth season’s harshest critics are ignoring crucial elements of the series' first three outings. Developed for TV by Eric Kripke,The Boysseason 4’s storycontinues to take inspiration from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic book source material. In recent episodes,Billy Butcher’s (Karl Urban) titular group of vigilantes continues to take on Vought International’s self-serving, ultra-violent Supes, who are led by the increasingly unhinged Homelander (Anthony Starr).
However, the fourth installment of the hit superhero satire also takes a more political bent. The CIA tasks The Boys with eliminating Vice President-elect Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit), an incredibly powerful and manipulative Supe who’s hiding her head-popping powers from the public. Meanwhile, Homelander is aiming Vought: The head of The Seven even tells his son, Ryan, that humans are toys for their amusement. Between Homelander’s public murder of a civilian to Starlight’s (Erin Moriarty) ardent anti-Homelander supporters,The Boysseason 4 is more politically charged than ever before.
The Boys Has Been A Parody Of Right-Wing Politics & Culture Since Season 1
The Boys Is Ultimately A Satirical Series
Since its first outing,The Boyshas been an incisive critique of right-wing politics and culture. Ultimately, the show takes aim at many things.The Boysis a satire of superhero culture, celebrity worship, and the current political landscape. Given its penchant for leaning into the most grotesque facets of human nature, the series never pulls its punches. If anything, it thrives on being bold and direct. InThe Boysseason 1,Vought’s Supes acted as military stand-ins, while the company — a massive media conglomerate — seemed to have more political swaythan anyone in Washington, DC.
It’s hard to think of a more direct criticism of right-wing politics than that Stormfront quote…
In the show’s sophomore outing,The Boysintroduced Stormfront (Aya Cash) — a fascist who leveraged her position within the Seven to spread her white supremacist ideology. When Starlight confronts her, Stormfront notes, “People love what I have to say! They believe in it! They just don’t like the word ‘Nazi.'” It’s hard to think of a more direct criticism of ultra-right-wing politics than that Stormfront quote, which suggests that bigoted ideologies are at the center of certain political movements. Needless to say, the show’s parody has always existed, even if it was obscured by fictional elements.
The Boys Season 4 Supports A Big Stormfront Theory In The Weirdest Way Possible
The Boys season 4, episode 2 contains a major reference to Stormfront, hinting that this Stormfront conspiracy theory may end up being true.
The Boys Season 4 Is Far More Overt In Its Right-Wing Criticism
Politics Play A Larger Part In The Show’s Plot Now
It’s possible thatThe Boysseason 4has faced such extreme backlash because of its more overt right-wing criticism. Instead of merely dipping its toe into political waters every now and then, the fourth outing puts the American political system at its center. Victoria Neuman is just one facet of that narrative. Firecracker (Valorie Curry), one of the Seven’s newest inductees, takes her conspiracy theory podcast to new heights. Using Vought’s reach,Firecracker doubles down on her misinformation, targeting those who stand against Vought and Homelander. The parallels to today’s political landscape are very much at the center.
Ryan Is Sister Sage’s Real Target: The Boys Season 4 Theory Explained
Sister Sage is clearly working on her own plan in the background of The Boys season 4, and Ryan may just be the key to her secret motivations.
It Makes Sense For The Boys’ Political Themes To Be More Prominent In Season 4
Homelander Is Eyeing Vought — & The White House
The more overt political criticism inThe Boysseason 4 is the inevitable conclusion of the story it set into motion with its very first outing. At first, Homelander was willing to enjoy his god-like celebrity status, but, after getting bored, aimed to seize more power from Vought. In many ways,Vought is now a shell of its former self — a company that’s puppeted by Homelander’s whims. After a civilian throws a drink at Ryan, Homelander kills the perpetrator instantly, prompting onlookers to cheer him on.
Homelander isn’t accountable to anyone…
The Boysseason 3’s endingproves that Homelander can literally kill someone in broad daylight for doing something comparatively minor. Homelander isn’t accountable to anyone. The public encourages him to be more violent and hateful and to leverage that as a kind of platform. As Homelander becomes increasingly bored with his life, he seeks to grab more power and influence. That said,The Boyswas always going to end with Homelander aiming to control the White House. As the stakes get higher, the bigger issues become clearer. The more overt right-wing critique is tied to narrative escalation.
Every Member Of The Boys Shares The Exact Same Story Theme In Season 4
The Boys season 4 sees all of its main characters struggling individually, but the team’s subplots have more in common than it first seems.
The Boys Season 4 Is Airing At An Especially Divisive Time
The Series Is Coming Out During A Presidential Election Year
With 2024 marking a presidential election year in the United States,The Boysseason 4 could not be airing at a more divisive time. Instead of presenting the real-world parallels in its parody,The Boysseason 4 feels like it’s underlining its political satire because of the circumstances surrounding the show’s release— and because it name-drops real-world events and people. That said,The Boysseason 4’s rotten audience scoreis a prime example of viewers seemingly judging a show less on quality and more on whether it boasts what they deem “palatable” political views.
Homelander’s Past In The Boys Explained: Was He Always Evil?
The Boys season 4 reveals more of Homelander’s origins, highlighting the show’s thematic exploration of morality and if the Supe was always evil.
Backlash Against “Woke” TV Shows Is Becoming Increasingly Common
Shows Like Star Wars' The Acolyte Have Also Divided Fans
The Boysisn’t the only recently released series to receive backlash for being too “woke.” Often, shows that attempt to bring more diversity to their casts and stories are deemed “woke,” in a negative sense, by some viewers.While it’s still criticized for including queer characters —The Boysseason 4 overtly reveals Frenchie’s bisexuality—The Boysis mostly being attacked for its criticism of right-wing politics. Ultimately,viewers are taking aim at these series for their more inclusive casting and themes instead of the plot, character, or continuity concerns that most reviewers judge a series on.
New episodes ofThe Boysseason 4 air on Amazon Prime Video on Thursdays through July 07, 2025.
The Boys
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
