Warning: Major spoilers ahead for “The Boys” Season 5, Episode 8 — “Blood and Bone”
Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) has always walked a fine line between justice and darkness. While his mission is to eliminate the villains, he’s far from embodying the role of a traditional hero. The series finale, “Blood and Bone,” allows Butcher to fully embrace his darker side in a compelling villain arc. After the death of Homelander (Antony Starr) and his beloved dog Terror, Butcher embarks on a final quest: to eradicate all supes.
This leads to a climactic showdown at Vought Tower between Butcher and Hughie (Jack Quaid), echoing the early episodes of “The Boys.” Butcher’s scheme involves unleashing a supe-killing virus with the push of a button, which would quickly spread through Vought Tower and eventually the whole world, annihilating anyone affected by Compound V.
The choice to use a detonator to unleash the virus harks back to the first supe Hughie ever killed, Translucent (Alex Hassell), a character who didn’t originally appear in the comics. In that pivotal scene, Frenchie (Tomer Capone) inserts an explosive device inside Translucent, and Hughie is the one to trigger it, leading to Translucent’s demise. Butcher’s ultimate strategy mirrors this initial plan, suggesting a return to his roots with a significant twist.
The series’ inciting incident, which some viewers might overlook, involves the tragic death of Hughie’s girlfriend, Robin (Jess Salgueiro), at the hands of A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) who accidentally kills her while running at full speed. This event sets Hughie on a path with Butcher to take down supes, beginning with Translucent. Initially, Hughie may have agreed with Butcher’s drastic approach, but much has evolved since those early days.
Today, Hughie is in a relationship with Starlight (Erin Moriarty), providing a personal reason to oppose the virus release that would also endanger her. More importantly, Hughie has come to realize that violence only breeds more violence. Earlier in the season, Hughie encounters Translucent’s son, Maverick (Nicholas Hamilton), and expresses remorse for his father’s death, acknowledging that it wasn’t a solution to his grief.
Hughie has come full circle in trying to save all supes
Jasper Savage/Prime Video
There’s plenty you might not have noticed in the first episode of “The Boys,” but the catalyst of the entire series is when Hughie’s girlfriend, Robin (Jess Salgueiro), is killed by A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) when he runs full force into her. Hughie gets recruited by Butcher in his mission to kill all supes, which starts with Translucent. Back then, Hughie probably would have agreed with Butcher in the finale that they all have to die. But a lot has changed since those first few episodes.
Obviously, Hughie’s in a relationship with Starlight (Erin Moriarty), so for no other reason, he doesn’t want the virus released because it’ll kill her. But Hughie has clearly learned that violence only begets more violence. Earlier in Season 5, Hughie meets Translucent’s son, Maverick (Nicholas Hamilton), and apologizes to him for killing his father, saying that it wasn’t the answer to his anger.
Some supes, like Homelander, are so villainous that there’s no choice but to kill them, and there’s been ample bloodshed throughout Season 5. But it seems Hughie wants to pursue a better path in living with superpowered individuals that goes against Butcher’s genocide. In that moment, Butcher’s no better than Homelander in wanting everyone different than him dead — so Hughie kills him.
Bad supes will undoubtedly still be out there, but luckily, heroes like Starlight are around to combat them. The finale brings Hughie’s arc full circle, from being totally driven by vengeance to seeking a way to work and live alongside supes. And if you go back and rewatch the entire series, there may be a lot more callbacks and foreshadowing that you notice.
