The Boys Season 4's Most Ridiculous Compound V Change Risks Breaking The Entire Show

Summary The Boys season 4 may introduce super-powered animals, pushing the show's absurdity to a new level.

The addition of flying sheep and unkillable chickens risks undermining the show's balance of humor and drama.

The presence of super-animals in season 4 could tie into a larger storyline involving a virus to kill supes.

The Boys is an absurd show, but a new change to the lore about Compound V might just be a step too far. Based on the comic books of the same name, The Boys depicts a world where superheroes not only exist but where most of them are either corrupt or downright evil. Since it debuted in 2019, the show has gained a reputation for its extreme parody and over-the-top style, with The Boys most shocking moments including an octopus love scene and a roomful of people's heads bursting. However, a new change is possibly the most ridiculous thing the show has ever done.

In the first season of The Boys, it was established that superheroes get their powers through a chemical known as Compound V. Manufactured by the evil superhero conglomerate, Vought, Compound V alters a regular person's genetic makeup, granting them special abilities. The serum has played a large role in every season of The Boys. A new teaser for the upcoming season 4 of The Boys, however, suggests Compound V will be used in a new and, frankly, bizarre way.

Related Every Supes Confirmed For The Boys Season 4 So Far The Boys season 4 is shaping up to be the most action-packed yet, with a wide variety of new and old supes to fill out the story and change the world.

Super-Animals May Be A Step Too Far For The Boys Season 4

It's Silly Even By The Show's Own Standards

Flying sheep and seemingly unkillable chickens is possibly where The Boys crosses the line.

The trailer for The Boys season 4 appears to show animals with special abilities. At one point late in the clip, a single sheep, one that is covered in blood and demonic in appearance, can be seen levitating off the ground. Prior to this, a flock of chickens is unfazed and unharmed by bullets being fired at them. It all heavily implies that, at some point during the new season, Compound V will be used to give animals superpowers.

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The Boys, by its nature, is ridiculous. A satire, the series goes to extreme lengths to poke fun at the superhero genre, power structures, and media. While the show has done many outrageous things in the past, flying sheep and seemingly unkillable chickens is possibly where The Boys crosses the line. After all, as well as providing comedy, The Boys makes deep and intelligent points about the things it is mocking. Additionally, the show's humor has always been balanced out by real pathos and drama. Season 4 risks not being taken seriously with its decision to include super-animals.

Why Animals Have Compound V Powers In The Boys Season 4

It Could Prove To Play A Crucial Role

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Elsewhere in the trailer for season 4, Karl Urban's Billy Butcher reveals to the other members of the Boys that he has discovered a virus capable of killing supes, and it certainly seems like this will play a big part in the upcoming season's overarching story. It's likely the virus will be man-made as a weapon to rid the world of superheroes once and for all. It's possible, therefore, that the animals are test subjects for the virus; first, they are injected with Compound V to give them powers, and then they are subjected to the virus.

The Boys season 4 premieres on Amazon Prime Video on June 13, 2024.

While this is merely a theory, it does explain why superpowered farm animals feature in The Boys season 4. Of course, it's entirely feasible that the animals exist purely to give the season a lighthearted sequence, possibly in between the show's weightier moments. And this might not necessarily be a bad thing. After all, many of the show's previous antics would've no doubt looked bad on paper. There's a chance, then, that The Boys' superpowered animals subplot might end up being the show's latest fan-favorite moment.