The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke broke down the reason why he doesn’t think the charged politics found in Season 4 won’t “change minds.”
A lot will be going on when The Boys Season 4 premieres, as viewers will have to deal with Homelander‘s trial, Billy Butcher‘s attempts to save Ryan, and a whole host of new Supes with questionable motives.
All of these situations will be backed up by the show’s politically charged atmosphere as Kripke and his team are not afraid to showcase their beliefs, even if it gives the series a woke label.
However, while the show does showcase Kripke’s left leaning ideas, he recognizes that Season 4‘s politics won’t alter people’s ideals, telling Entertainment Weekly, “We write about whatever is pissing us off or frightening us at the time. I’m under no illusion that we’re going to change minds or change anything.
“We’re carnies. I get it. But to be able to just have a place to put our feelings and to say the things we want to say is a real gift.”
The showrunner hinted that a lot of real world events will be shown through Season 4’s plot, including former President Donald Trump’s May 2024 conviction and the January 6 riots.
On January 6, 2021, a group of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in order to overturn the 2020 presidential election which the victory of now President Joe Biden.
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“[Janurary 6] was on everyone’s mind when we were in the writers’ room,” Kripke said. “The real sin are these powerful and selfish people using social media to intentionally tear people apart for their own selfish interests. That is just so hateful to me. Our targets are not the people who are racing into these situations. It’s the people who are manipulating them to do so.”
This is not the first time that Kripke has used the former president as inspiration in the show’s seasons, as Season 3’s explosive ending was based on one of Trump’s most famous quotes.
“That quote from Trump, that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and his followers would continue to love him and vote for him, that was the inspiration for that [Homelander] moment, for sure. We wanted to see it for real,” Kripke told TV Guide.
“The more shocking and insane you can be, the more press you get, the more you get the left angry and the right laughing, and it’s just this sort of uncivil discourse that we’re satirizing with what Homelander’s doing. In many ways, every season finale is the pilot for the next season. It’s all reflecting the world we’re living in, and the world we’re living in is just becoming more and more fractured.”
While some members of The Boys audience may empathize with Homelander (thanks to the saddest scene of all time), it’s clear Kripke doesn’t want anyone to forget who he represents.
The Boys Season 4 premieres on June 13. In the meantime, read about whether Queen Maeve will be in Season 4, the missing superhero team fans want to see, and hints about Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s role. You can also check out all the new TV shows streaming this month.
