Season Four Finale

"Season Four Finale,"^[1] originally entitled "Assassination Run" ^[2] is the final episode of the fourth season of The Boys. It was released on July 18, 2024, on Amazon Prime Video. It is the thirty-second episode overall.

Summary[]

Calling all patriots! We will not allow this stolen election to be certified tomorrow! We must stop Bob Singer’s woke anti-Supe agenda! PREPARE FOR WAR! #WhereWeGoOneWeGoVought

Plot[]

A T.V. clip from Vought's morning show, "VNN Today," broadcasts on January 6th. The cancellation of the "Training A-Train" movie is announced. A disingenuous "All Lives Matter" PSA from The Seven airs alongside a headline about President-elect Robert Singer's impending presidential certification.

The Boys react to this broadcast. M.M. tells Frenchie to hurry up extracting the anti-Supe virus from Kimiko's severed leg. Later, Kimiko tells Frenchie her true feelings for him and they kiss. Meanwhile, M.M. texts Hughie to check if he’s managed to hack federal databases to identify the shapeshifter assassin targeting Singer. Hughie is oblivious to the fact that the shapeshifter is currently posing as Annie. "Annie", aka the shapeshifter, enters the room in a princess-style dress and tries to get Hughie's attention.

"Annie" engages Hughie by recounting a story about her great-grandparents’ engagement and proposes marriage to him. Hughie, overjoyed, fetches a ring he’s been hiding to propose in return. They sleep together after and while lying in bed, "Annie" realizes her disguise is beginning to deteriorate. She makes an excuse to leave, citing the need for quality champagne, and leaves in a rush, leaving Hughie a bit confused by her behavior.

In the hospital, Butcher’s low blood pressure is noted by a nurse, but he remains unconcerned about his deteriorating health. In his head, Joe Kessler berates him for losing focus. Joe offers Butcher the power to unlock the Supe powers inside of him if he agrees to commit Supe genocide. Grace Mallory arrives, expressing disdain for Butcher but still assisting him.

Homelander stares in the mirror at his Vought Tower apartment, disgusted by a jar of his own gray hairs. His irritation extends to the mess left by his son, Ryan. Homelander goes to pick up Ryan's things and in his backpack, discovers a picture of Butcher and Becca, which Butcher had secretly sent to Ryan as a Christmas gift. This discovery triggers Homelander’s rage, leading him to destroy the apartment. When Ryan returns home, he finds the apartment in disarray and Homelander standing among the debris. Homelander demands that Ryan come to him, tossing the photo at Ryan’s feet and declaring himself as Ryan’s only true father. Ryan hesitates, and a falling chandelier startles him, causing him to run away.

Annie remains chained while the Shapeshifter Supe approaches her, claiming she’s there for a "recharge." The shapeshifter mocks Annie’s fears and reveals details about her engagement to Hughie. She shares her own experiences of moral decay, likening Annie to a school teacher she once impersonated. The shapeshifter's taunts push Annie to confront her inner turmoil, ultimately revealing her struggles with superpower impotence. The shapeshifter tells her her plan- to use Annie’s face to kill President Singer.

Butcher receives a call from Hughie, who is distressed about the mission to save Singer. Butcher, believing he's near death, asks Hughie to visit a certain steakhouse in his memory and to apologize to The Boys. Hughie agrees but urges Butcher to keep fighting, but Butcher’s focus remains on the steakhouse and the final goodbye, leaving Hughie worried.

On the set of "TruthBomb," Firecracker coughs while greeting Homelander, a symptom of the medications she's on to produce breast milk. Victoria Neuman arrives and sits next to Homelander. During the broadcast, Homelander, disturbed and barely attentive, challenges Neuman to reveal her Supe status. When Neuman tries to deflect, Homelander uses his laser vision on her, proving she is a Supe when she remains unharmed. Frustrated, she confronts him and he tells her to get in line or risk her daughter's life.

Congress certifies Robert Singer’s presidency despite revelations about Victoria's Supe status. Protests erupt across the country, creating an opportunity for Homelander and his allies to act. M.M. pushes Frenchie to accelerate the virus development while contacting Hughie for any dirt on Neuman. Hughie discovers that the files on her are missing. M.M. instructs Frenchie to continue working and Hughie to go on the defensive since the offensive isn't working.

The Boys work with the Secret Service to protect Robert Singer from a shapeshifter assassin, who is currently posing as Annie. Hughie realizes the impostor’s identity when the shapeshifter references a detail from their first encounter. Hughie tells M.M. but the shapeshifter realizes they know and starts to attack. The real Annie, having escaped her restraints, joins and battles her doppelganger while Kimiko, M.M., and Hughie deal with the fallout. Annie defeats the shapeshifter in a brutal fight and Singer gets away.

As Singer calls for a new election, Ryan visits Butcher, who, with Grace Mallory’s help, tries to convince Ryan to stay hidden. Ryan learns the truth about his father’s actions and finds out that they want to use Ryan to kill Homelander as he's their only hope. Upset, Ryan rejects Butcher’s offer and throws Mallory against a wall after she tries to gas him. Mallory dies instantly. Butcher is left looking after Mallory's lifeless body after Ryan leaves.

Meanwhile, Homelander instructs Ashley to compile a list of potential Vought dissidents, implying that those on the list are in danger. She gives him the list, which Homelander then tells The Seven to eliminate everyone on there. The Deep asks about Ashley and Homelander says to kill her too, but Ashley overhears and rushes to save herself by injecting herself with a vial of Compound-V from Homelander's apartment. She starts to undergo a monsterous transformation.

Frenchie prepares a virus-loaded rifle after successfully extracting the virus from Kimiko's leg. Hughie brings Victoria Neuman, her daughter Zoe, and a security guard into the room. Neuman insists on a deal for her safety and future favors. Butcher arrives, revealing his newfound superpower of unleashing powerful vines from his body. He brutally kills Neuman, ripping her body into pieces. Embracing his darker natures after seeing Ryan kill Mallory without remorse, he leaves to follow his plan to use the virus to commit Supe genocide making it clear to The Boys that he no longer needs any of them. The Boys are forced to let him go, knowing he could and would kill them too, are in disbelief over Butcher's new status. Zoe is locked away in the Red River Institute.

Homelander sits, upset and defeated since Singer's assassination was a fail, as he watches the news. Sister Sage arrives with a balloon and a congratulations to Homelander since their plan worked. Although it didn't go exactly as she originally intended, the end result is still the same. Homelander is confused since he'd assumed her plans had failed, but she explains that her true plan succeeded; she couldn't give him the full explanation at the time lest he ruin it. She has managed to get hold of footage of Singer declaring that he wanted Neuman dead, and as a result he has been arrested for conspiracy to murder, surrendering the presidency. She hands him the phone with the Speaker of the House Calhoun on the line, who is ready to pledge his support directly. Sage tells him he's the next in line to be President and that this is their moment. Homelander, initially shocked by Sage’s revelation, seems impressed and touched, especially given he pushed Sage away before.

At a news conference later, Speaker Calhoun assumes the presidency. He tells the world he is declaring martial law and has appointed Homelander to manage a group, rather army, of superheroes who will help maintain order across the country. Homelander addresses the public and remembers the memory of Victoria Neuman, his dear friend. He warns Starlighters that he's coming for them.

The Boys decide it's time to get out of New York. Each of them attempt to leave, by car, boat, or plane- but they get intercepted by multiple Supes, including Cate Dunlap and Sam Riordan from Godolkin University, who detain them. Dunlap uses her powers on Frenchie to make him forget about Kimiko and leave. A restrained Kimiko speaks for the first time as she begs him not to go. Starlight manages to get her powers working again, and uses them to escape. Butcher is shown driving off with the Supe Virus with Kessler smiling with satisfaction in the rear view mirror.

In a mid-credit scene, Homelander is taken to a bunker by President Calhoun where he happens to find Soldier Boy's containment unit.

Cast[]

Co-Starring[]

Quotes[]

Trivia[]

• The episode was originally named after "Assassination Run", the 62nd issue of the comics. However, upon release, it was retitled to “Season Four Finale” due to the original title bearing similarities to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.^[1]
• The episode is preceded by a content warning: “Viewer discretion advised. This episode contains scenes of fictional political violence. Any similarities to recent events are completely coincidental and unintentional. Prime Video, Amazon, MGM Studios, Sony Pictures Television and the producers of The Boys oppose, in the strongest terms, real-world violence of any kind.”

Media[]

Photos[]

Videos[]

Ryan Needs to Hide from Homelander - The Boys - Prime Video

References[]