Does Billy Butcher die in The Boys comic? Details explored

With The Boys season 4 set to premiere next week on Thursday, June 13, 2024, on Amazon Prime Video, many fans are wondering exactly what is next in store for the show. With season 3 setting up the series to become more intense following Homelander gaining even more support from the public, the titular group surely will find themselves in a huge pickle.

However, many fans also wonder whether The Boys season 4 will be the final time they will see Karl Urban's Billy Butcher in the show. Given that Butcher does end up dying in the comics, it does look like the show is hinting towards him facing the same fate following his abuse of Temp V in season 3, which heavily deteriorated his health.

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How does Billy Butcher die in The Boys comic?

At the end of The Boys comic book, Butcher was successful in getting revenge on Black Noir for killing his wife. However, he soon realized that by killing Noir, he still didn't feel whole, and rather felt considerably worse. Following an emotional breakdown, Butcher decided to take matters into his own hands again and rid the world completely of supes.

To do so, he decided to seek out the help of Vogelbaum. They came up with a strain of Compound V that could be spread into a cloud, dispersing explosives that could detonate remotely. These explosives would only target those with compound V in their system. This would also mean that millions of innocents would die due to Butcher's maniacal plan.

To make sure that no one would stop him, Butcher then killed Mothersmilk, Frenchman, and The Female, and Hughie was the only surviving member of the group. Hughie then decided to stop Butcher, and they had a climactic battle on top of the Empire State Building.

The fight left Butcher gravely injured, and he forced Hughie to kill him by lying to him that he killed his parents. Hughie followed through with the act, and Butcher died with a smile on his face.

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How The Boys show might change Butcher's death, explored

The Boys season 3 introduced us to Temp V, a drug that gives anyone who consumes it superpowers for 24 hours. However, it also comes with its side effects as whoever takes it, harms their health with it also possibly leading to death. With Butcher abusing Temp V to fight Homelander in The Boys, the end of season 3 saw him left with only months to live.

It seems like season 4 will be building off on this setup as the trailer has also hinted that Butcher doesn't have much time left on his hands. If Butcher is to die in the show, then his death would be quite different than how it was portrayed in the comics. Moreover, the show is known for heavily deviating from the source material to the point that it is telling its own story.

There is also the possibility that Butcher may survive the side effects of Temp V on his body, but nothing is sure as of now. All will be answered when the show returns with season 4 next Thursday with a three-episode premiere exclusive on Prime Video.