The Boys Season 5’s Trailer Was Lying To Us

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Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Boys season 5.

It looks like the initial trailer for The Boys season 5 was misleading. The seventh episode of the season set up the finale by showing The Boys recommitting to taking down Homelander. However, this came with a heartbreaking cost: Frenchie’s death. Based on footage from promotional materials we haven’t seen yet, this loss will motivate Butcher to convince the team to make one final push.

The finale of The Boys leaves several questions unanswered, particularly regarding Billy Butcher’s storyline. It appears the show’s initial marketing was misleading. The teaser trailer suggested the season would continue directly after the events of season four’s finale – with Butcher having killed Victoria Neuman and becoming an enemy to his own team. This setup hinted at a dramatic final season filled with internal conflict as Butcher seemingly turned to the dark side.

I got chills watching the teaser! They ended it with Butcher saying, “Even if I have to drag your broken fing carcasses over the finish line, we are going all the way, no matter the cost. Til the job’s fing done,” and it was so intense. They showed quick shots of the team looking really concerned while he said it, which makes me think Butcher’s going to be even more ruthless in season 5. Honestly, it feels like he might be just as dangerous as Homelander this time around.

Considering the comic book storyline where Butcher kills several key characters – including the superpowered MM, Frenchie, and Kimiko, before being stopped by Hughie – many viewers expected season 5 of The Boys to portray Butcher as a complete villain. However, the way the season has unfolded suggests this won’t happen, meaning the initial teaser trailer was misleading.

Surprisingly, Butcher Hasn’t Been A Villain In The Boys Season 5

So far in season 5 of The Boys, Butcher hasn’t acted like a typical villain, despite hints from the end of season 4 and the season 5 trailer. The key line from that trailer actually appeared in episode 7. Butcher says it to Hughie while they’re being held captive by one of Homelander’s mind-controlling allies, and Hughie even points out how surprisingly optimistic it sounded coming from him.

The meaning of that line is quite different when you see it in the full episode, compared to what the trailer suggested. More broadly, Butcher’s character has proven to be more relatable and human than many viewers initially thought. This was especially clear in season 5, episode 5. For example, he let Hughie keep some of the V-One to potentially create a cure for Kimiko and Starlight. We also saw a softer side of Butcher as he cared for his dog, Terror.

This development brought Butcher back to the character we first met in season 1. He’s always been a flawed character, capable of terrible acts, but previously, his sense of right and wrong usually prevailed. The last two seasons suggested a complete moral breakdown was coming, but that hasn’t happened. Butcher still retains some of his original goodness.

Ryan’s part in the story reinforces this idea. Even though Butcher initially seemed ready to sacrifice Ryan to expose Homelander to the Supe Virus, he actually followed Ryan and intervened when Homelander was near. This shows Butcher was ultimately there to protect Ryan, bring him to safety, and help him recover. Because of this, as we head into the final episode of The Boys, Butcher doesn’t appear to be the outright villain we thought he was.

Why The Boys Season 5 Retcons Butcher Becoming A Villain

This leads to the question of why The Boys seems to be pulling back from making Butcher a truly dark character in its fifth season. The biggest reason is likely that this is the show’s final season. It might feel like too much of a shock to have the main hero of the past four seasons become the villain in the last season. After all, Game of Thrones showed us how poorly that kind of storyline can turn out if it isn’t handled carefully and given enough time to develop.

As a huge fan of The Boys, I think it makes total sense that they’re keeping the main heroes together for the final season. It would have been weird to fracture the group with Butcher being the cause. Honestly, the show has always been about the conflict between Homelander and Butcher, so it’s no surprise they’re keeping them as enemies. It just sets up a better finale where we can still cheer for Butcher, even if he’s doing questionable things!

There’s Still Time For Butcher To Turn Fully Evil Before The Boys Ends

Despite everything that’s happened, there’s still a chance Butcher could end up becoming the hero we expected. The trailer for the final episode of The Boys season 5 hints at this possibility. The comic book version of the story sees Butcher killing both Homelander and Black Noir (who was revealed to be a clone of Homelander). But the story doesn’t end there – Butcher, still feeling unfulfilled, wants to eliminate all Supes, even his own teammates. Luckily, Hughie manages to stop him.

Season 5 of The Boys has been hinting at a major turning point for Butcher, even though he’s shown more vulnerability than expected. Throughout the series, Butcher has pushed to unleash the Supe Virus, which would kill every person with powers. However, characters like Hughie have repeatedly stopped him from going too far. The trailer for the final episode suggests this time, Butcher might finally cross the line.

In the trailer, Butcher says, “We need to completely eliminate Supes. We’re talking scorched earth, overwhelming force – no more superheroes.” Given the way the comic book series ends, it seems likely the show will also have Butcher commit to destroying all people with superpowers.

This would definitely paint Butcher as the bad guy to Starlight, Kimiko, MM, and Hughie. It’s unclear if things will unfold like they did before – with Butcher eliminating the others before Hughie intervenes. Luckily, with the season 5 finale of The Boys just around the corner, we’ll soon find out if the trailers misled us about Butcher’s true intentions.

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2026-05-18 02:53