Plans to start filming The Boys season 3 is reportedly set for early 2021. It comes after Amazon Prime renewed the show weeks before season 2 launched in September.
The superhero drama, however, will still be airing its second season finale this Friday, Oct. 9, with Butcher (Karl Urban) apparently at great risk. But theories abound that the superhero-hating character might turn out to be the ultimate villain. Will The Boys season 3 finally reveal the Butcher as the big bad?
According to Digital Spy, Butcher emerged as the ultimate bad guy in the comic book series, the show’s source material. His hate for the supes couldn’t be contained that he murdered his friends, Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), Frenchie (Tomer Capon), and the Female/Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) because they got in the way of his plans.
Last week’s episode of The Boys season 2 seemed like a foreshadowing of such potential character development. Butcher was the only guy to convince Dr. Jonah Vogelbaum (John Doman) to be at the hearing.
Vogelbaum, who created Butcher’s nemesis Homelander (Anthony Starr), was one of the people who ended up getting his head blown off to a pulp.
Production to kick off in February 2021
At this point, however, it’s still unclear if showrunner Erik Kripke will take the same direction as the comic book authors, Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. This plotline is one of the shocking twists in the books that could end up differently in the TV series.
Kripke and the writers of The Boys season 3 are currently preparing the stories. He revealed that they have a virtual writers’ room to work on the scripts.
The scripts should be ready by the time production kicks off on Feb. 1, 2021. A listing in the Toronto’s International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees revealed that principal photography for next season will last until Aug. 1, 2021.
Tell us how you think Season 2 of The Boys will end. The correct person gets nothing because we will not tell you. pic.twitter.com/qSf2WyKHP0
— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) October 6, 2020
Ripple effect from season 2 to 3
However, things will still come to a blow in the second season finale. Speaking with TV Line, Kripke said that Butcher would spiral in the eighth episode, which is the showrunner’s favorite so far.
Kripke said that Butcher’s morals and humanity will be severely tested in the upcoming episode, and he could turn into a person worse than his father. The showrunner said that the anti-hero’s actions will have a ripple effect in the third season.
A showdown will likely happen between Butcher and Homelander. As teased in the promo for the upcoming episode, Butcher looks determined to get back at his mortal enemy. His once noble cause could become a full-blown vengeance, which could backfire on him.
The Boys season 2’s finale will drop on Amazon Prime on Friday, Oct. 9. The Boys season 3’s filming will start in Feb. 2021, with a likely mid-2022 release.
Image courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)