The Boys: 10 Unanswered Questions We Still Have About Billy Butcher
It would be downright impossible to talk about some of the most popular shows right now without mentioning the phenomenon that is The Boys. The fact of the matter is that this comic book adaptation has finally taken a fresh and bold approach in a genre that was being diluted with endless Marvel and DC cash-ins, resulting in a unique series that is an absolute must-watch for anyone who's either into the superhero genre or completely fatigued by it — The Boys will cater to both interests.
While there are several reasons as to why the show became such a resounding hit, the characters are clearly a huge driving factor. Each and every member of the cast in The Boys is memorable in their own way, but Billy Butcher is a clear highlight. In an ensemble cast where multiple cast members are important, Butcher separates himself from the rest of the pack with his distinct personality and "charming" attitude. However, there are elements of his character that have yet to be fully explored.
10 Why Does He Unnecessarily Ram His Speedboat Into The Sperm Whale?
One of the goriest moments in the entire show comes when Butcher and the rest of the boys are trying to escape on a speedboat, only to be impeded by The Deep and his aquatic army. However, instead of doing the logical thing and flipping the boat, The Deep decides to park a massive sperm whale on the beach, hoping that the boys will be stopped in their tracks — a plan that fails spectacularly when Butcher decides to speed all the way into the whale instead.
While this moment was cool, it was also somewhat unnecessary — Butcher could've just slowed the boat down and swerved it to park somewhere else.
9 Why Didn't They Try Out Other Ways To Kill Translucent?
Speaking of killing, it seems that Butcher has a penchant for destroying things from the inside out in the most gruesome manner possible. Take Translucent — even with impenetrable skin, someone could've easily poisoned his food or gassed him with some hazardous chemicals.
Instead, what Butcher ends up doing is shoving a bomb up Translucent's rear, which — while hilarious — is just so unnecessary.
8 Was He Really Willing To Kill A Baby?
The end of Season 1 has Madelyn captured in her home by Butcher, who uses her as bait to bring out Homelander. He straps her with bombs and is extremely serious about blowing her up if Homelander doesn't concede to his demands.
However, Teddy Stillwell — Madelyn's infant son — was also in the house. Was Butcher really willing to commit infanticide to accomplish his own selfish goals?
7 Can He Really Get A Clean Slate After Having His Face Broadcasted On National Television?
One of the incentives that propels Butcher's actions in Season 2 is the fact that he would get a clean slate if he did whatever Mallory wanted... but how is that even possible?
After all, it doesn't seem like any of the boys would be changing their names anytime soon, and Butcher's face was even broadcasted on national television! How is the idea of a clean slate even remotely realistic in his mind?
6 Why Does He Rope Hughie Into His Plans In The First Place?
Hughie is not exactly someone who would fit into the plans of someone as ruthless as Butcher, and the only reason why a normal civilian even ended up joining the boys in the first place was due to Butcher's risky plan to use a normal person to plant a bug in one of the most secure places in America.
The fact that Butcher would even consider doing something like this is completely harebrained and unlike him.
5 Why Does He Insist On Treating Hughie Like His Brother?
In Season 2, viewers see Butcher's aunt telling Hughie that he looks like Butcher's deceased younger brother, which might explain why Billy is so weirdly attached to Hughie.
However, Butcher should know better than projecting his brotherly feelings on anyone else. The trauma of losing his sibling might've been a ton, but surely replacing him with Hughie is extremely unhealthy?
4 Was He Really So Unhinged That His Wife Wouldn't Trust Him With A Supe Baby?
Perhaps it's his weird issues with his family and a hatred of all Supes that compelled Becca to hide the existence of Homelander's baby from Butcher... although a closer look at this turn of events also reveals some glaring inconsistencies.
Was Butcher's disdain for Supes so intense that Becca had to go behind his back, contact Vought, disappear from his life, live in the middle of nowhere, and also lie to her child about the outside world? Because that seems like a *major* overreaction.
3 Is His Hatred For Supes So Strong That He Can't Even Love His Wife's Child?
That being said, one can't deny that Butcher's hatred of superheroes is pretty evident, with him bursting out about Ryan and how he's also a monster like the rest of the Supes.
Isn't this a bit extreme from Butcher? After all, he out of all people should understand that preconceived notions about anybody should not cloud one's judgment about a person's actual character.
That being said, he does end up protecting Ryan in the finale of Season 2, which brings another question to mind...
2 Where Did His Random Change Of Heart Even Come From?
Butcher went on about Ryan and all Supes being bad when the kid had literally done nothing wrong aside from being born.
So, when Ryan accidentally ends up killing the love of his life, why does Butcher suddenly have a change of heart and protect a Supe? If anything, his rage should've completely blinded him at that point instead.
1 Is He Finally Going To Inject Compound V Into Himself In Season 3?
In the comics, the boys end up injecting Compound V into themselves in order to fight on equal ground against the Supes, something that everyone was pretty sure that Butcher in the show will never agree to due to his vocal hatred of anything resembling a Supe.
That being said, after the finale of Season 2, one can assume that Butcher will lighten up to the idea of superheroes, which means it's quite possible that he may inject himself and the members of the boys with Compound V after all.