Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Boys season 4, episode 6.
Summary
The Boysseason 4 introduces Billy Butcher’s old friend, Joe Kessler, butit features a massive twist concerningJeffrey Dean Morgan’s character. Kessler makes his first appearance inThe Boysseason 4’s premiere, catching up with Butcher while MM gets chastised by the CIA. Their initial conversation reveals that Kessler and Butcher know each other from their time in the military, and Butcher even saved the other veteran’s life while at war. However,The Boysseason 4, episode 6 reveals their backstory doesn’t unfold exactly as the premiere suggests.
Kessler crops up throughoutThe Boysseason 4, encouraging Butcher to continue his quest for revenge against Homelander — even if it means sacrificing his humanity. During their first meeting,Kessler tells Butcher that the world needs someone like him, as he’s willing to do what’s necessary. Kessler pushes Butcher to neutralize Ryan, even if it means betraying him. He also suggests The Boys team is “a joke"inThe Boysseason 4, episode 5, and he cheers Butcher’s gruesome treatment of Sameer. Kessler appeals to Butcher’s crueler tendencies, but he isn’t quite what he seems.
Butcher’s Supe Power Gets A Disturbing Clue In The Boys Season 4, Episode 5
The Boys season 4 hints that Butcher is secretly a Supe, and a disturbing scene from episode 5 may contain a clue about his new powers.
Billy Butcher Has Been Imagining Kessler Since The Boys Season 4 Started
Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Character Isn’t Really There
The Boysseason 4, episode 6delivers a brilliant twist when it comes to Joe Kessler. As it turns out,Butcher has been imagining his old friend for the entire fourth season. Kessler doesn’t actually show up to push Butcher back into the game, nor is he the one behind Butcher’s schemes. He’s a creation of Butcher’s mind and a representation of his inner conflict. Butcher is the only one who can see or hear him in the Amazon series' latest episodes.
Becca represents Butcher’s compassion and humanity, while Kessler symbolizes his darker side.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that Butcher is seeing Kessler when he isn’t there, as he also hasvisions of Becca throughoutThe Boysseason 4. Both are physical manifestations of his inner thoughts. Becca represents Butcher’s compassion and humanity, while Kessler symbolizes his darker side.He’s the devil on Butcher’s shoulder, voicing all the things Butcher wants and feels deep down. Meanwhile, Becca is the angel on his shoulder — the part of his mind that questions and criticizes his anger and hatred.
What Happened To The Real Joe Kessler
Butcher Never Actually Saved His Friend
The Joe Kessler Butcher sees and speaks to throughoutThe Boysseason 4 isn’t really there, but he is an existing person inThe Boysuniverse. The real Kessler was Butcher’s friend during the war, butButcher never actually saved him. The story Kessler recounts inThe Boysseason 4, episode 1 is a lie — something Butcher wishes had happened. The ending of episode 6 reveals that Kessler never made it out of the Panjshir Valley. “You never dragged me out,“Kessler tells Butcher during the big reveal. “You left me to die.”
Of course,Butcher doesn’t remember leaving Kessler in the Panjshir Valleybecause his tumor is messing with his mind. It’s causing him to forget things and see people who aren’t there. These people are two incredibly influential figures in his life, both of whom represent vastly different parts of his personality.
Why Butcher’s “Devil” Looks Like Joe Kessler
Kessler Hates Supes & Represents Butcher’s Guilt
It’s obvious why Becca is the angel on Butcher’s shoulder, as she serves as his motivation and conscience throughoutThe Boys.However, viewers may question why Butcher’s devil looks like Joe Kessler. There are two possible reasons this is the person he conjures up. First,Kessler clearly hates Supes just as much as Butcher. Although viewers never meet the real Kessler, the one in Butcher’s mind alludes to conversations between the two of them — and these discussions center on getting rid of Supes. They likely brought out the worst in each other, which explains why he represents Butcher’s worst impulses.
They likely brought out the worst in each other, which explains why he represents Butcher’s worst impulses.
In addition to this,Kessler symbolizes Butcher’s guilty conscience. He obviously feels bad about failing to save his friend, just as he feels conflicted about his desire to kill all Supes and betray his team. Butcher is holding onto a lot of guilt and shame inThe Boys, and Kessler represents all of it. His death is likely something Butcher feels the most guilt over, so it makes sense that he would be the face of this emotion in Butcher’s mind.
How The Boys Season 4 Teased Its Big Kessler Twist
Butcher Is The Only Person He Ever Interacts With
The Boysseason 4 doesn’t reveal its big Kessler twist until Butcher’s friend responds to Becca in episode 6. However,The Boysrepeatedly teases the fact that Kessler isn’t really there. The biggest clue the Amazon series drops is that Kessler never interacts with anyone but Butcher. He waits until MM and the rest of the CIA are in a meeting before approaching his friend in the premiere. And he mostly shows up when Butcher is alone, speaking to him at his apartment or at the park.
The biggest clue the Amazon series drops is that Kessler never interacts with anyone but Butcher.
Kessler does appear during Butcher’s interactions with Sameer inThe Boysseason 4. ButSameer never glances at or responds to Butcher’s friend, a solid signal that he doesn’t see him. Kessler even threatens Sameer, but the scientist doesn’t bother responding. This all makes sense onceThe Boysconfirms that Butcher is the only other person in the room.
How Did Kessler Kill Ezekiel? Butcher’s Powers Explained
Butcher’s Powers Seem To Be Wrapped Up With His Dark Side
In addition to revealing the truth about Joe Kessler,The Boysseason 4, episode 6 alludes to how Butcher killed Ezekiel. Butcher’s confrontation with the Supe nearly gets him killed, but he blacks out while Ezekiel is choking him — and wakes up to the Supe’s blood and body parts scattered across Firecracker’s trailer. Thisall but confirms that Butcher is a Supe, but it seems Ezekiel’s death is also connected to Kessler. Kessler tells Butcher, “I killed Ezekiel for you.” He also claims that he is “inside” Butcher.
These words suggest thatButcher’s powers are connected to the part of his brain that sees Kessler. Perhaps he’s only able to access them when he embraces his darker side. This would explain why he’s not aware that Compound V changed him, even though it seems obvious that he’s different.
Why Butcher Has Been Seeing Becca & Kessler Throughout The Boys Season 4
His Brain Tumor & Guilt Are Behind Their Appearances
Butcher sees Becca and Kessler throughoutThe Boysseason 4 becausehe has a brain tumor from using Temp V. Hallucinating is one possible symptom of this ailment (viaBusiness Insider), and it seems to be one Butcher is experiencing. This is why The Boys' former leader can’t distinguish reality from what’s happening in his mind. It also explains his loss of memory, as he doesn’t recall leaving Kessler to die in the Panjshir Valley.
Butcher’s guilty conscience also plays a role in his hallucinations; it’s no coincidence that he sees Becca and Kessler. Both are representations of his guilt. Becca serves as a reminder that he messed up with Ryan, and she’s the part of his brain that wants to mend his relationship with the boy. Meanwhile, Kessler speaks to Butcher’s guilt on a more general level. He feels sorry for the way he lost his friend, and he also has regrets when it comes to The Boys' fight against Vought.
What The Kessler Twist Means For Butcher’s The Boys Season 5 Story & The Comic Ending
Butcher May Not Die In The Boys Season 4
The Boysseason 4, episode 6’s Kessler twist is one of the show’s better reveals, and it will likely have a significant impact on the show’s future. Butcher believes he’s going to die in season 4, but the existence of Kessler may prevent this from happening. Kessler saves Butcher from dying at the hands of Ezekiel, and it’s possible this part of Butcher will keep him alive forThe Boysseason 5as well. It’s hard to imagine the show ending without one of its biggest characters, soit would make sense if this Kessler twist leads to Butcher’s survival somehow.
The suggestion that Kessler is connected to Butcher’s Supe power — and the fact that he represents the character’s darker side — also meansThe Boyscould be building to the character’s comic ending.
The suggestion that Kessler is connected to Butcher’s Supe power — and the fact that he represents the character’s darker side — also meansThe Boyscould be building to the character’s comic ending. Butcher becomes a full-blown villain by the end of the source material, attempting to wipe out all Supes. Season 4 moves him much closer to this end, with Kessler positively gleeful at the notion of using the virus to eliminate all the Supes. Butcher isn’t on board with this plan, but it’s possible he’ll come to agree with Kessler later inThe Boys.
The Boys
Cast
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
