‘The Boys’: the explained ending of season 3 on Prime Video

Warning: Spoilers for the season 3 finale of ‘The Boys’ below

What an exciting roller coaster has been the third season of ‘The Boys’. The Amazon Prime Video series continues to outperform itself and the end of this season 3 leaves new (and violent) avenues open for the future of its history with Patriot, Butcher, Hughie, Soldier Boy and company. We review everything that has happened in the last episode, and what are the keys to keep in mind from here on out.

Created by Eric Kripke from the comics by Garth Ennis and Darrick Robertson, and turned into one of the best superhero series in history, ‘The Boys’ has explored in its third season a central question for Hughie: if the end justifies the means, if it is worth taking unethical paths and betraying our principles in order to bring down a common enemy. This debate has divided the protagonists in the new episodes, with Butcher and Hughie determined to use Soldier Boy to take down Patriot while Starlight, Mother’s Milk, Frenchie and Kimiko searched for another plan that did not require association with mass murderers.

In the end, all roads lead to Rome. Or, well, Vought tower. After the big reveal at the end of the seventh episode (Soldier Boy is Patriot’s biological father.), all the characters seem to be heading for a final showdown at Vought headquarters.

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Before we get there, three pretty important things happen.. We will first see how Patriot finds Ryan and manages to touch his emotional nerve, something especially easy after the disappointment she experienced with Butcher a few episodes ago. In Patriota he finds that “it wasn’t your fault” that he so much needed to hear, and also a father figure who, maybe not the best, but is the only one he has right now. Second, we will see how Queen Maeve escapes from the cell where they had her put and meets with Butcher. And third, Patriot kills Black Noir when he finds out that his silent partner has known who his father was all this time, thus taking down all members of the Payback group.

Now yes, all characters meet in Vought tower. The group formed by Hughie, Annie, Maternal Milk, Frenchie and Kimiko (who, let’s remember, has regained her powers) manage to evacuate the building to save innocent lives and deploy some tricks to help, while the brute force is brought by Butcher, Maeve and Soldier. Boy, they directly confront Patriota.

This whole paternity thing has left a key question for now: can this family revelation cause Soldier Boy to ally with Patriot and the Boys have a big problem on their hands? Everything indicated that it could be like this, but the result is much better: after Patriot introduces Ryan and tearfully tells him that they can be a family, Soldier Boy mocks his “weakness” and blurts out that he’s ashamed to be his father.. Butcher can breathe easy because they still have him on his side, but his happiness is short-lived when Soldier Boy threatens to kill Ryan as well.

At that point, the battle splits into two: Maeve vs. Patriot, Butcher vs. Soldier Boy. As they fight, the other Boys have come up with a plan to neutralize Soldier Boy, because regardless of which side he’s on he’s still a dangerous guy who needs to be put out of action. Frenchie manages to replicate a gas capable of putting the supervillain to sleep in the Vought laboratories, and together they manage to put the mask on him. However, it seems they won’t be able to stop him from causing an explosion before falling asleep, and everyone is in danger. In her last act of heroism after Annie called her cowardice in her face, Maeve jumps out of the window with Soldier Boy trailing behind and is hit by the blast. Both are alive, but badly injured. Soldier Boy is once again locked up in his gas chamber, and Maeve gets what she’s always wanted: to fake her death so she can leave The Seven and live in peace with her girlfriend..

After this battle, the future of ‘The Boys’ in the fourth season begins to take shape. Annie leaves The Seven and abandons Starlight’s alter ego, throwing even her iconic outfit into the trash. She is now one of the Boys and will continue to fight for justice from the shadows. Butcher is diagnosed with a terminal tumor from the temporary Component V he has been taking, and the doctor gives him between a year and eighteen months to live. Enough to take down Patriota? Wait so.

For its part, the leader of Vought continues to do his thing, now as the father and mentor of a little Ryan who is very soon getting a taste for violence. Both visit a demonstration in favor of Patriota, but one of them throws something at him and calls him a “fascist”. Patriot smashes his head in with his laser eyes and his followers (including Maternal Milk’s daughter’s stepfather…) cheer him on. The season ends with the image of Ryan watching this moment when he realizes that as a superhero, he can do whatever he wants without any consequences, and there are people who will applaud him for it. A smile appears on his lips. Are we facing the next great villain of the series?

Finally, it is worth mentioning another of the challenges that the protagonists will face in the next season: Victoria Neumann. The well-known blow-head was in charge of leading the Department of Superhero Affairs, but now she takes a step higher in the power ladder thanks to a fortuitous murder ordered by Patriot. Now, Neumann is the candidate for vice president of the government, which means that Vought could have a direct connection with the presidency of the country.. Still, within Vought, Patriota no longer has as much support, and that could be his undoing. Ashley, A-Train and Profundo do not seem too happy with their leadership, and in the next season they could change sides. We will have to wait to see it.

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