The Boys is one of Prime Video’s most popular series, and the show is making an epic comeback on June 3, 2022, with a bloody good season 3. Since the first season’s premiere in July 2019, The Boys has only widened its fanbase. The series, based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, is one of the most critically-acclaimed shows on TV, with seasons 1 and 2 earning 85% and 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The official season 3 trailer was released on May 16, 2022, and gave fans a glimpse at the mayhem to come. The show picks up a year after Becca’s death. Homelander is still dealing with the fallout of Stormfront being outed as a Nazi. In order to take down Homelander, Soldier Boy is revived. Butcher also decides to level the playing field by taking a serum that allows him to be a supe for 24 hours.
The Boys season 3 is going to be one of the biggest shows of the summer. From the release date to the new cast members, these are the latest updates on all things The Boys.
Release Date
The Boys season 3 will premiere on Prime Video. with 3 episodes on June 3. Following the season 3 premiere, additional episodes will launch weekly on Prime Video. The season will consist of 8 episodes, leading to the season 3 finale on July 8.
The third season was officially announced in July 2020 ahead of the season 2 premiere. Filming for season 3 began in early 2021 and came to an end in September 2021. Cast member Karl Urban, a.k.a. Butcher, posted on September 10, 2021, that filming had wrapped.
“And that’s a wrap on @theboystv season 3,” Karl’s Instagram message began. “Massive thanks to our brilliant cast and crew for all the blood sweet n tears and also to everyone involved in the production @amazonprimevideo and @sptv for working so hard to keep us all Covid safe. And of course massive thanks to @therealKripke. For delivering a next level bat sh*t crazy good season 3. I can’t wait for y’all to see it. Be safe y’all.”
‘The Boys’ Season 3 Plot Information
The official synopsis for The Boys season 3 reads, “It’s been a year of calm. Homelander’s subdued. Butcher works for the government, supervised by Hughie of all people. But both men itch to turn this peace and quiet into blood and bone. So when The Boys learn of a mysterious Anti-Supe weapon, it sends them crashing into the Seven, starting a war, and chasing the legend of the first Superhero: Soldier Boy.”
Showrunner Eric Kripke revealed that season 3 is the “craziest” season of The Boys yet. “There’s definitely a lot of madness,” he told TV Insider. “It’s not a secret that we’re doing an episode about Herogasm from the comics [a six-issue limited series from comics writer Garth Ennis], which is a massive superhero orgy. And we’re doing something in the first episode that I think is definitely the craziest thing we’ve ever pulled off…and might be one of the craziest things anybody’s ever tried to pull off.”
Season 2 ended with the tragic death of Becca at the hands of her own son, Ryan. It was a horrible accident, with Ryan only trying to save his mom from being killed by Stormfront. While Becca died, Stormfront was completely dismembered by Ryan’s heat vision. However, Kripke noted to TV Insider that Stormfront is still alive in season 3. “She has been relieved of her limbs and is kind of a charred mess, but she’s not dead,” he said.
Butcher sent Ryan into protective custody to keep him away from his father, Homelander. Butcher and the rest of the Boys had their criminal records cleared and were able to return to ordinary life if that’s what they wanted. Mother’s Milk went back to his family at the end of the season.
“The Boys are not totally disbanded,” Kripke told IGN. “The Boys we will find at the top of Season 3 will actually be very recognizable to the ones in the comic book: officially backed by the CIA now, offices in the Flatiron building. You know, it’s going to be kind of classic Boys but with a couple twists and turns, like Hughie won’t be with them for instance. He’s working with the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs. But drama being drama, the world of safety they think they’re living in explodes pretty quickly and they find themselves with a big new problem.”
A focus of the season will be the introduction of Soldier Boy, played by Supernatural alum Jensen Ackles. “The big season-wide mythology will be about Soldier Boy,” Kripke revealed to IGN. “What’s interesting about Soldier Boy is that he’s been around for decades. He was Homelander before Homelander. So it really gives us an opportunity to not just get into new corners of the story in the present day, but to really explore the past of Vought in the last 60 to 70 years and how they became who they became.”
Kripke revealed the episode title of The Boys season 3 premiere all the way back in October 2020. The episode is titled “Payback.”
#TheBoys Will Return.#Season3 Begins Filming Early 2021
You're Not Fucking Ready.#TheBoysTV @TheBoysTV @PrimeVideo @SPTV #SPNFamily @Sethrogen @antonystarr @JackQuaid92 @KarlUrban @ErinMoriarty_ @lazofficial @KarenFukuhara @The_JessieT @itsNateMitchell pic.twitter.com/sg0CdD74Pc— Eric Kripke (@therealKripke) October 14, 2020
Trailer Breakdown
The first teaser trailer was released on March 12, 2022, during the show’s SXSW panel. The red band teaser — set to the Imagine Dragons hit “Bones” — featured all kinds of blood, guts, and supe craziness. From Butcher getting supe powers to Hughie having his arm broken to the reveal of Soldier Boy, the footage was the perfect tease.
The official season 3 trailer dropped on May 16, 2022. The trailer began with Homelander doing damage control after Stormfront’s drama. “There is something wrong with Homelander. There’s something broken. He’s lost his f**king mind,” Starlight says.
While Mallory thinks Butcher’s been good and hasn’t been killing supes, that’s not necessarily the case. Hughie soon realizes that fighting Vought the right way isn’t possible. They have to do it Butcher’s way. Queen Maeve helps the Boys out and comes up with an idea to hopefully “blow Homelander’s f**king brains out.” This involves Soldier Boy, who makes quite an entrance in the trailer.
Cast Of Season 3
The Boys season 3 includes an incredible ensemble cast. Over the past 3 seasons, the Prime Video has kept this large cast mostly intact. The main cast includes:
- Karl Urban as William “Billy” Butcher — He’s the leader of the Boys who loathes supes, especially Homelander. He was married to Becca, who disappeared after becoming pregnant with Homelander’s child, Ryan. After Becca’s death, Butcher has become a father figure of sorts to Ryan, played by Cameron Crovetti.
- Jack Quaid as Hugh “Hughie” Campbell Jr. — He’s a member of the Boys who joined the group after his girlfriend was murdered by A-Train. He is currently in a relationship with Annie/Starlight.
- Antony Starr as Homelander — He is the unhinged leader of the Seven. While to the public he is a hero, Homelander is actually incredibly narcissistic and a cold-blooded murderer. After Homelander raped Becca, she gave birth to their son, Ryan, who possesses powers similar to his father.
- Erin Moriarty as Annie January/Starlight — She is one of the new members of the Seven. She has the ability to project blinding light and fly. She is dating Hughie.
- Chace Crawford as Kevin Moskowitz/The Deep — He’s a member of the Seven who can breathe underwater and communicate with aquatic life. He also has gills on his chest. Patton Oswalt is the voice of The Deep’s gills. In season 2, The Deep is on the outs with the Seven and has become involved in the Church of the Collective.
- Dominique McElligott as Maggie Shaw/Queen Maeve — She is a longtime member of the Seven and possesses the power of superhuman strength, speed, and durability. She has become disillusioned with the Seven and seeks to take down Homelander. Queen Maeve is bisexual. She previously dated Homelander and has been in an on-off relationship with Elena.
- Jessie T. Usher as Reggie Franklin/A-Train — He is a member of the Seven and has the power of superspeed. He became addicted to Compound V while trying to stay the fastest speedster in the world. A-Train killed Hughie’s girlfriend in the first episode of The Boys. At the end of season 2, A-Train rejoins the Seven.
- Laz Alonso as Mother’s Milk — He’s a member of the Boys. Mother’s Milk initially left the Boys to live a normal life, but he rejoined them in season 1. In the second season, Mother’s Milk continues to try and take down Vought. After his criminal charges were cleared, Mother’s Milk returns to his family.
- Tomer Capon as Serge/Frenchie — He is a member of the Boys. Frenchie has the ability to build weapons that help fight the supes. He cares deeply for Kimiko.
- Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro/The Female — She is a member of the Boys and a mute. She was forced to take part in an experiment to create superpowered terrorists and given Compound V, which caused her to have enhanced strength and more powers. She became a member of the Boys after they rescued her. She is closest to Frenchie.
- Nathan Mitchell as Black Noir — He is a member of the Seven who appears to be mute. He is basically a superhuman ninja. His physical appearance is hidden behind his costume, which he wears every time he’s on screen.
- Aya Cash as Klara Risinger/Liberty/Stormfront — She became a member of the Seven in season 2. Stormfront, a former Nazi, was the first successful Compound V subject and possesses the ability of electrokinesis, flight, and more. She begins a relationship with Homelander in season 2. At the end of the season, Stormfront has her limbs burned off by Ryan’s heat vision.
- Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett — She is a publicist for Vought who is constantly picking up the pieces after Homelander and others make PR messes.
- Laila Robins as Grace Mallory — She is the founder of the Boys and the former deputy director of the CIA. She helps put Ryan in protective custody to keep him away from Homelander.
- Giancarlo Esposito as Stan Edgar — He is the CEO of Vought International.
- Claudia Doumit as Victoria Neuman — She is a congresswoman who claims to be anti-supe, but she’s actually a supe herself. She has the ability to make people’s heads explode.
Elisabeth Shue played Madelyn Stillwell in the first 2 seasons of The Boys. She was the vice-president of Hero Management at Vought and had a very strange romantic relationship with Homelander. At the end of season 1, Homelander killed her by using his heat vision to burn her eyes into her skull. Jennifer Esposito played Susan Raynor in seasons 1 and 2. She was the deputy director of the CIA. She was killed by Victoria Neuman. Shantel VanSanten played Butcher’s wife, Becca. She was accidentally killed by her own son in the season 2 finale.
New Characters
The large ensemble cast will be getting some new faces in season 3. A familiar face to all Supernatural fans is Jensen Ackles, who will be playing Soldier Boy, the world’s first superhero. Jensen and Kripke previously worked together on Supernatural.
Jensen has a pretty interesting description of his character. “It’s as if Captain America gave up superheroism and was just your drunk and inappropriate uncle,” he told EW. Soldier Boy was the leader of the first team of heroes — dubbed Payback — during World War II. When Soldier Boy is brought back into play in the present day, he will cross paths with Homelander. “It doesn’t go well,” Kripke teased about Soldier Boy and Homelander coming face-to-face. “When you have two alpha males who both consider themselves the most powerful, most famous person on the planet, that gets to conflict pretty quickly.”
Jensen revealed on the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum podcast that Soldier Boy is a “bigoted a**hole. He doesn’t age, so he’s this young, 40-year-old superhero who’s really 80 years old or 90 years old. There’s just so much material there, you’ll see what I mean when you see the show but he has a taste for people who were of his era.” As for whether or not Soldier Boy will return in a potential season 4, Jensen said, “I don’t know. The door is not closed, I’ll put it that way.”
Jensen’s Soldier Boy has a more modern and less in-your-face costume than his comic book counterpart. Soldier Boy’s suit on The Boys was designed by Laura Jean “L.J.” Shannon and concept artist Greg Hopwood. The suit is military green. “Our goal was to highlight a bygone era of overt masculinity and grit. With that pedigree we dove headfirst into baking in an all-American quality grounded in a military soldier’s practicality with a heavy dose of old school cowboy swagger,” Shannon told Variety. “We knew that the actor had to have Steve McQueen looks and chops with a John Wayne attitude — luckily Jensen Ackles embodies all of that.” Soldier Boy also has a shield that he uses.
Soldier Boy was first mentioned back in The Boys season 2 premiere. Stan Edgar warned Homelander about how he put Soldier Boy in his place back in the day. A statue of Soldier Boy was also seen in episode 7 of season 2.
The other members of Payback include Crimson Countess, played by Laurie Holden. Her suit is fairly similar to the character’s comic book look. Crimson Countess is set to appear in season 3 and will be showing off her powers, which include heat vision, pyrokinesis, and more. Sean Patrick Flannery has also joined the cast as Gunpowder, one of the former members of Payback. Gunpowder can manifest weapons out of thin air and is an expert with firearms.
Nick Wechsler has also joined the cast as Blue Hawk. Blue Hawk isn’t a character directly from the comics, but he’s likely based on Ground Hawk, who wore a blue hawk helmet. Kristin Booth and Jack Doolan will play Tess and Tommy, a.k.a. the TNT Twins. Ryan Blakely will play Mindstorm in season 3. Miles Gaston Villanueva is playing Supersonic, Starlight’s ex-boyfriend.
Q: @TheBoysTV @therealKripke #AskTheBoys how many more seasons of the boys do you guys have planned?
– @JDG0919— Eric Kripke (@therealKripke) October 12, 2020
The Boys hasn’t been renewed for season 4 just yet, but it’s almost a sure thing. Back in 2020, Kripke admitted that he currently had a plan for 5 seasons of the show. “But I also know better than to say how many seasons a show is going to have because my last show Supernatural I said 5 seasons for sure and that f**ker went 15,” he responded to a fan. He also reiterated that “creatively” speaking 5 seasons was a good number to him.
Spinoffs
Just a few months before The Boys season 3 premiered, the spinoff series The Boys Presents: Diabolical premiered on Prime Video. The animated anthology series features stars like Ben Schwartz, Caleb McLaughlin, Christian Slater, Michael Cera, Awkwafina, Don Cheadle, Xolo Maridueña, and more.
The spinoff did feature one storyline that could be foreshadowing a major season 3 moment. The Laser Baby featured in The Boys Presents: Diabolical could be alluding to a dark turn for Ryan in season 3, ScreenRant pointed out. Ryan could turn evil and start taking after his father, Homelander.
There is another Boys spinoff in the works that will be set at America’s only college exclusively for supes. The cast officially includes Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, and Shelley Conn. Reina Hardesty, Aimee Carrero, and Shane Paul McGhie were originally cast in roles, but they ultimately left the project.
Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Marco Pigossi have joined the cast in recurring roles, according to Deadline. Patrick is set to play Golden Boy, Sean will play Polarity, and Marco will play Dr. Cardosa. The series got the greenlight in September 2021 with Michael Fazekas and Tara Butters set at showrunners.
According to the site, the spinoff is an “irreverent, R-rated series that explores the lives of hormonal, competitive Supes as they put their physical, sexual, and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the best contracts in the best cities. It’s part college show, part Hunger Games— with all the heart, satire, and raunch of The Boys.”
Production began in May 2022. “It’s been a long, winding process but I hope people like it as much as I like it,” Kripke told EW. “It’s a really smart, funny, insane show. It’s totally different than The Boys, but it’s completely within that world and tone.”