The Boys star Karl Urban revealed that Billy Butcher will grapple with temptation in the Prime Video series' third season, thanks to his newfound superpowers.
Urban discussed the foul-mouthed vigilante's internal conflict in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "That's the dilemma: does Butcher become a superhero or a super villain?" he said. "In order to defeat the monster, do you become the monster? And I think that's one of the cool things about this season is every character is faced with that choice. How far are they willing to go? What line are they willing to cross in order to achieve what they want to achieve?"
The Boys teased Butcher's new superpowers in a poster promoting the show's third season. The promo artwork featured a headshot of Billy with glowing eyes similar to those of The Boys' Superman stand-in Homelander when he uses his heat vision. The accompanying caption said, "Soon, it'll be time to level the playing field," hinting that Butcher's unexpected upgrade will finally even the odds in his war on so-called "Supes."
Fans got to see Billy's powers in action soon after when the trailer for The Boys Season 3 dropped. Aside from confirming that Butcher does indeed now have heat vision, the trailer also made it clear that he possesses super strength, too. This represents a marked departure from the original Boys comic book series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, in which Butcher's enhanced abilities were far more modest.
Billy Butcher isn't the only character to undergo changes in The Boys Season 3, either. Wonder Woman analog Queen Maeve will now carry a sword seemingly inspired by the one wielded by her DC Extended Universe counterpart, while speedster A-Train will rock a new costume boasting a different color scheme.
The show will also introduce several new faces to its existing roster, most notably Jensen Ackles as Captain America pastiche Soldier Boy. Ackles recently discussed the behind-the-scenes trauma involved with The Boys Season 3's adaptation of the comics' infamous "Herogasm" storyline. "I walked up to our camera operator... He was eating a sandwich, he had this really troubled look on his face and I said 'Hey man, what's going on? How's it going in there?'" Ackles recalled. "And he goes, 'Man, I've seen some shit today!' And I was just like 'Oh! Oh, no!' So, yeah, good times."
Season 3 of The Boys premieres on Prime Video on June 3.
Source: EW