NOTE: This article is only for the TV version of Billy Butcher. To see the article for the original version of him, go to Billy Butcher (comics)
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Ain't it obvious? Movie tickets, merchandising. Video games, theme parks. A multi-billion dollar global industry supported by corporate lobbyists and politicians on both sides. But the main reason that you won't hear about it is 'cause the public don't want to know about it. See, people love that cozy feeling Supes give them. Some golden c-nt to swoop out of the sky and save the day so you don't got to do it yourself. But if you knew half the shit they get up to? Ooh... f***in' diabolical. But then... that's where I come in.
„
~ Billy to Hughie on why the superheroes' many crimes are constantly covered up.
“
I hated every second. No. The V just made me more... me. With great power comes the absolute certainty that you'll turn into a right c**t. I mean, that's the thing, right? You're all just people. All the V does is just amp up all that s**t that's already inside. Your lot? Just a bunch of walking nuclear erections. You know? And it's not just Homelander. I mean you-you f***ing all got to go. Every f***ing last... one of ya.
„
~ Billy to Queen Maeve, venting his hatred for supes.
“
If I were you lot, I wouldn’t hang about. Oh, by the way... you're all f**king welcome.
„
~ Butcher to his team after killing Neuman, taking the virus and betraying them.
William "Billy" Butcher is one of the two main protagonists (alongside Hughie Campbell) of Amazon Prime's The Boys franchise.
He was a former member of the SAS special forces turned vigilante, as he is consumed by one mission in life: to destroy superheroes. But this personal vendetta is driven by his hatred for one Supe in particular: Homelander, for raping his beloved wife Becca and caused her to go missing. Originally believing her to have been killed by Homelander, the revelation that his wife Becca is alive, Butcher faces a difficult decision when he must choose between searching for Becca or ensuring the security of The Boys.
Despite fighting against corrupt supes and Vought, Butcher has displayed violent and ruthless tendencies to complete his goals. Nonetheless, even with his dark side, Butcher has frequently shown that he does have a heart inside and is dedicated to stopping villainous and dangerous supes.
A rough and caustic rogue superhero hunter, Billy Butcher serves as the de facto leader of The Boys. Likewise, he uses a variety of weapons to level the playing field when against supes, utilizing brutal tactics to rid the world of them.
Personality[]
“
F--k "letting go." You should be out there with a f---ing chainsaw, going after 'em! Just a bunch of scared f-cking rabbits. Supes are all the same. Every f---ing one of 'em.
„
~ Billy at the ACDS meeting, expressing his hatred for supes.
Billy is a complex individual, being considered a ruthless person who will go any lengths just to take down supes, with the supe Mindstorm initially reluctant to awake him due to his violent nature. He is seen for being an angry person, with Becca noting that he was always one bad day away from pounding someone to death in a parking lot. This stems from the abuse he suffered from his father, who believed that the beatings he gave him would toughen him and his brother up. Once he met Becca, Billy became more mellow and soft, as she anchored his anger and pain and allowed him to move forward with his life. However, this was lost when he learned that Becca was raped and "murdered" by Homelander, thus causing him to return to darker personality.
Determined to rid the world of supes and Homelander, Butcher became more violent, ruthless and outright sadistic during his crusade. He showed little remorse for his actions, believing that all supes were the same and hated the fact that the public worshipped them. When speaking with Queen Maeve in season three, he expressed his hatred for supes after taking V24, stating that all of them needed to be erased from the world. Having become consumed by vengeance, he was willing to do whatever it took to hurt his archenemy. This is shown when he abandoned his teammates to take Stillwell as a hostage, despite knowing that his friends would be killed by Vought's Black Ops soldiers. Butcher's also willing to go to great lows to achieve his goals, as he made a deal with Edgar to give Vought Ryan in exchange to save Becca.
“
You are a motherf*cker but you're a motherf*cker with a heart.
„
~ Mother's Milk to Butcher.
Despite his flaws, Butcher has demonstrated many moments that shows he is compassionate, such as calling Hughie a "good lad" when he ripped up Vought's check. His friendship with Campbell is symbolic of a brother-like companionship, as Billy begins to respect his new recruit as the series progresses. Though he hates supes, he works with Kimiko and Starlight, whom he warms up to during their goal to stop Vought. Butcher could be respectful and kind to those he considered friends, such as Mother's Milk and Mallory despite being strained with them. He was also ready to sacrifice himself for others, willing to die to save Becca and Ryan from Stormfront's wrath. Likewise, he kept his word on protecting Ryan from Homelander despite wanting to kill the child, but felt that he wasn't a good enough father figure to raise him.
A year after Stormfront's defeat, Billy has become more calmer than before, deciding to work with Hughie in legitimately stopping corrupt supes. However, he returns to his old ways when Hughie tells him that they have to use his methods. Butcher has become more ruthless, brutally killing Gunpowder due to him being a supe. When confronted on taking the compound by Mother's Milk, he admits that he enjoyed killing Gunpowder, believing that he has finally even the playing field on his war against Homelander. His care for his teammates has also dwindled, as he is constantly accused of not caring about them. Despite this, he shows care for Hughie, stopping his brother-like figure from taking another vile of V24 to prevent him from suffering from brain lesions.
With only a few months left to live, Butcher becomes saddened and regretful of his past mistakes, but focuses on fixing what he can before he dies. He becomes empathetic and more open to revealing his true feelings, revealing his condition to the Boys or his fear of death to Ryan. However, his darker nature becomes manifested with his sentient tumor, whom encourages Butcher to return to his ruthless and uncompromising ways. While he shows moments of questionable morals, he keeps them via the guidance of hallucinations of Becca.
While he attempts to stay moral, he still has some of his negative qualities, such as being dishonest and keeping secrets from his allies. These traits damages his relationship with the Boys, mainly Mother's Milk, whom is finally fed up with Butcher's actions and later kicks him from the team. After the last vial of the virus is used to kill empowered sheep, Billy returns to his violent nature by kidnapping, mutilating and torturing Dr. Sameer Shah into re-creating the virus.
Upon the revelation of "Kessler" being a hallucination, Butcher attempts to subvert his darker side by being honest with his team much to tumor's chagrin. However, he embraces his nature upon witnessing Ryan unintentionally kill Mallory, believing that the child can't be saved. Healed from his condition by "Kessler", Butcher returns to his violent pragmatic personality, rejecting the Boys' deal with Victoria and killing her without hesitance. Finally becoming a ruthless monster with unshakable determination, he leaves the season determined to eradiate all supes from the face of Earth.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
“
Unless of course you've got a big, old, fat V-d up brain tumor, you c-nt - which is why you are seeing me in the first place. I killed Ezekiel for you. I am inside of you. I am you.
„
~ The sentient tumor/Joe Kessler to Butcher.
Compound V: With only a few months to live, Butcher injected himself with Compound V in hopes it could extend his limited time to stop Vought and save Ryan. However, the substance targeted his brain tumor he received from his final V24 dosage, granting it sentience and powerful abilities. Additionally, the tumor could take over Butcher if put into a life threatening situation, and caused the vigilante to see hallucinations of Becca and Joe Kessler. Once he embraced his darker nature upon seeing Ryan unintentionally kill Mallory, he gained full control of his tumors' powers.
Tendril Manifestation: He can manifest several meat tendrils from his chest, which are capable of eviscerating supes such as Ezekiel and the near-invulnerable Victoria Neuman with little effort.
Superhuman Durability: Butcher is highly resistant to damage and is bulletproof, evident when he was unharmed from a secret service agents' bullets.
Regenerative Healing Factor: Upon returning to the tendrils into his chest, it was instantly healed.
Superhuman Hearing: Like all supes, Butcher can hear higher frequencies than the average human.
Former Powers[]
“
For once, I leveled the f---ing playing field.
„
~ Butcher to Mother's Milk on taking V24.
V24: A modified version of Compound V that gives the user super powers for twenty four hours, Butcher was given a vial of them by Queen Maeve in case he wanted to use them. Once taking it, he was granted superhuman abilities to fight against anyone who is in his way. This combined with his impressive combat skills and aggressive personality ended up making Butcher much stronger and far more dangerous than he was previously.
Heat Vision: Butcher can emit golden colored energy from his eyes, which can cut through bone and metal. His vision was strong enough that he could knock Homelander backward, much to his archenemy's surprise and leave a cut on Soldier Boy's face. However, Butcher strains with his vision, as shown during his fight against Homelander at Herogasm.
Superhuman Strength: Butcher's strength has been increased beyond a human being, allowing him to punch Gunpowder into a car with one punch, and land blows against Homelander. His strength was enough to hold down Homelander alongside Soldier Boy and Hughie, but the supe was able to escape at the last moment. Butcher’s strength was also enough to fend off Soldier Boy momentarily, albeit acting as just a minor annoyance to the far more powerful supe rather than it actually hurting him.
Superhuman Durability: Butcher has enhanced durability, as Gunpowder's and Russian soldiers bullets couldn't penetrate his skin. When fighting against Homelander, he doesn't suffer any severe injuries against his heat vision or punches. The same cannot be said for Soldier Boy’s attacks however, as Soldier Boy’s superior strength allowed him to easily bypass Butcher’s durability level, and knock him out cold with a series of severe punches to the face.
Superhuman Reflexes: Butcher displayed enhanced reflexes during his fight against Homelander, being able to dodge his attacks. He was also able to temporarily dodge and counter Soldier Boy’s attacks, despite him also having enhanced reflexes.
Superhuman Hearing: Like all supes, Butcher can hear higher frequencies than the average human.
Abilities[]
“
Look, Butcher's the guy you want in a shooting war. No question. But we're in peacetime.
„
~ Victoria Neuman to Hughie Campbell.
Gifted Intelligence: He is a highly intelligent individual, using his observational skills and military training to fight against the Seven. He also shows himself to be quick thinking, as when he was cornered by Gunpowder in a parking lot, he shot at the cars to mask his escape. Butcher's deduction skills are impressive, and he was quick to unravel that Homelander was in a relationship with Stormfront, and that Soldier Boy was alive. Able to think far ahead to than most people, he was the first to come up with a plan to make a deal with Soldier Boy, knowing that he would want to hunt down his former teammates.
Indomitable Will: A fearless man, Butcher is determined to rid the world of supes and get his revenge against Homelander. Even when things look dire, Butcher uses his intelligence and military training to get himself out of dangerous or impossible situations. His fearlessness also impressed the likes of Homelander, referring to him as "dark" when he wanted to kill Stillwell just to hurt the supe. His willpower and sheer bloodlust is further extended by hallucinations of Becca, whom encourages to keep fighting when being overpowered by Ezekiel.
Manipulation: Having great charisma and military tactics, Butcher can manipulate any individual he comes across. He was able to manipulate Hughie's anger at A-Train into helping him bug the Seven's tower, persuade Mother's Milk to return to the Boys by lying that Frenchie wasn't returning.
Intimidation: Butcher is able to bring sheer terror to others when needed, such as Mesmer and Jonah Vogelbaum, who felt threatened by him.
Leadership: He is a capable leader, having successfully led the Boys on missions.
Master Tactician: Butcher is an excellent tactician, utilizing his blood to locate Translucent during their fight and use a baby supe to kill henchman.
Peak Human Condition: Due to his training from the SAS Special Forces and the Royal Marines, Butcher is in top tier shape.
Marksmanship: He is a skilled marksman, showing great accuracy when hitting Starlight twice, and killing a Sage Grove center prisoner after being stunned by his shockwave.
Master Combatant: Having been trained in the military, Butcher is a master hand-to-hand combatant, capable of fighting trained officers and individuals on Compound V. His intelligence allows him to be quick thinking in combat, such as using his blood to locate Translucent during their fight, using an infant injected with Compound V to kill several men, and utilizing a crowbar against his opponents. His military background proved fruitful in fighting Homelander, but he needed the assistance of Soldier Boy and Hughie to overpower his archenemy.
Stealth Expertise: Billy is skilled in stealth, as he was able to sneak into Madelyn Stillwell's house and the community Becca was kept.
Medical Knowledge: Due to his military background, Butcher could treat any wound he suffered, as shown when he treated his bullet wound from Gunpowder.
Quotes[]
Season 1-2[]
“
Goes to show you, doesn't it? The bollocks people will believe if you get them scared enough.
„
~ Butcher upon meeting Hughie.
“
All right, listen, I have worked for the Feds. I've worked for loads of people. I'm what you might call an independent contractor. You got a problem, you call me, I solve the problem.
„
~ Butcher to Hughie.
“
Hughie... you're a good lad.
„
~ Billy to Hughie on ripping up the check from Vought International.
“
Billy Butcher: See, people love that cozy feeling Supes give them. Some golden c**t to swoop out of the sky and save the day so you don't got to do it yourself. But if you knew half the s**t they get up to? Ooh... f***in' diabolical. But then... that's where I come in. Hughie Campbell: Come in to... to do what? Billy Butcher: Spank the bastards when they get out of line.
„
~ Billy and Hughie.
“
Hughie, calm down, all right? This is like that scene in The Matrix. Now, you could take the f---ing red pill, right? Spend the rest of your life jacking off, crying into your chai tea green latte what the f--k. Or... you could take the blue pill. Or is it the red pill? Anyway, take the other pill, and quit being a c--t.
„
~ Butcher to Hughie.
“
You're a bunch of pathetic Supe-worshipping c---s. I bet you'd thank a Supe if they shat on your mum's best china. Did it ever occur to you that they split your spine or broke your dick just for a laugh? Where's your f---ing rage?! Your self-respect?! Sitting here in your little share circle. Having a little whinge and a moan. F--k "letting go." You should be out there with a f---ing chainsaw, going after 'em! Just a bunch of scared fucking rabbits. Supes are all the same. Every f---ing one of 'em.
~ Billy about Translucent, as well as one of his more famous quotes.
“
Yeah, o-okay, so, look, technically, I'm not a Fed.
„
~ Butcher to Hughie.
“
Just remember who your friends and who your enemies are.
„
~ Billy Butcher.
“
I'm sayin if there is some geezer up there with a big white beard, he's a world heavyweight c**t.
„
~ Butcher using vulgar language when speaking of God.
“
Yeah, he's got a hard on for mass murder and giving kids cancer, and his whole solution to the existential clusterf**k that is humanity is to nail his own bleeding son to a plank. That is a c**t move, c'mon even you have got to agree with me on that one. We should lob a f***ing nuke at him and get it over and done with, you know what I'm say'in?
„
~ Butcher on God.
“
Making clothes for anorexics. Right? Not exactly a growth market. And Baby? You know what she's doing? F**k all. Not even page six of the Daily Mail. And Scary Spice? Up to her eyeballs in lawsuits and sex tapes. Ginger, on the other hand, has released three albums. 'Passion', 'Schizophonic', and 'Scream If You Want To Go Faster'. They'll all make your ears bleed. You see, when they're apart, they're absolute f***ing rubbish. But, you put them together... they're the goddamn f***ing Spice Girls.
„
~ Butcher to Mother's Milk and Frenchie.
“
Holy f**k! That was diabolical!
„
~ Butcher after using a suped baby to kill men.
“
Billy Butcher: Where are you? Mother's Milk: Shake Shack. Billy Butcher: Really? F-ck'in magic that place. What'd you get? Mother's Milk: -Shack Burger, cheese fries, cookie dough concrete. Billy Butcher: Sounds good. Does it taste like lies? I got your phone linked to my 'find your s-ithead friends app'. Now where the f-ck are you?
„
~ Butcher and Mother's Milk.
“
This is a f**cking mess, son. We've got a Supe terrorist, Raynor's blown her canister, and we're the most wanted c**ts in the country. But don't you worry... Daddy's home.
„
~ Billy to Hughie after rejoining The Boys.
“
I'll tell you what. When we're all done here, I'll buy you a nice, big, family size bottle of top-shelf lube and I'll tickle your balls till you beg me to stop and even then I won't. I just won't do it.
„
~ Butcher to Hughie.
“
What was I before you? Nothing.
„
~ Butcher to Becca.
“
Your family's already in trouble. 'Cause I'm about to go into that room next door to your daughter, and I'm gonna bash her brains out. And then I'm gonna find your two sons and their wives and their little kiddies. Your whole f*cking family dies today. Or... you help me. What's it gonna be, Doc?
„
~ Billy to Jonah Vogelbaum.
“
I promised.
„
~ Butcher to Homelander on protecting Ryan.
“
This here... belonged to your mum. This is St. Christopher. She gave it to me a long time ago, and told me... it would keep me safe. And it has. Mostly. Now your mum... is gonna help keep you safe.
„
~ Butcher to Ryan.
Season 3-4[]
“
Go on, son. Have a bump.
„
~ Butcher to Termite.
“
I know you did. But it don't change what you are.
„
~ Butcher to Gunpowder, moments before killing him.
“
For once, I leveled the f---ing playing field.
„
~ Butcher to Mother's Milk on taking V24.
“
Scorched Earth.
„
~ Butcher to Homelander on his powers in Herogasm.
“
It don't matter; you didn't name him, didn't raise him. Vought grew him in a f-cking test-tube to take your place. He's the f-cking reason they left you to rot with the Ivans. Look, mate. We had a deal.
„
~ Butcher to Soldier Boy after learning he's Homelander's father.
“
Well...that b-tch...has definitely got to go.
„
~ Butcher to the Boys on Neuman following being chosen as vice-president elect.
“
Billy Butcher: Bloody hell, you wank to your own voice don't you? Homelander: That's the spirit champ.
„
~ Butcher and Homelander in "Department of Dirty Tricks".
“
"Joe Kessler": Demoted from your own f-cking team. What's your s-itty code name again? Billy Butcher: The Boys. "Joe Kessler: Oof. Who came up with that s-it?
„
~ "Joe Kessler" and Billy Butcher.
“
I look back at my life, and all I see are the messes I've made. I've fucked it up. Every step. And I ain't got time to fix it. But maybe... maybe I can do one thing right with the time I got left. Get Ryan safe.
„
~ Billy to Mother's Milk.
“
Billy Butcher: Now you listen to me. Them horrible things I said… I didn’t mean ’em. I have this, uh… I have this habit, see, of pushing people away. Ryan: Why? Billy Butcher: ‘Cause, uh… ‘Cause I’m a bad man. I ain’t got no business looking after a kid. Ryan: Ah, that’s not true. Billy Butcher: Before, you asked if I was scared. And the truth of the matter… is I’m bloody terrified, mate. I’m leaving this world with nothing to show for it. I lost me bruv… your mum. And I could be leaving without making things right with the one part of her that is still alive. And that… that scares me more than anything.
„
~ Butcher repairing his friendship with Ryan.
“
C**t's narcoleptic!
„
~ Butcher upon seeing Black Noir II fall asleep.
“
And, uh... tell the Boys I’m sorry, would you? Tell the Boys I’m sorry for, uh... Just tell them I’m sorry.
„
~ Butcher to Hughie.
“
C**nt's out of the bag, innit? Now it gets interesting.
„
~ Butcher seeing Neuman be outed as a supe by Homelander on live-television.
“
No deals.
„
~ Butcher to the Boys upon seeing them make peace with Neuman.
Trivia[]
Butcher is based on the Marvel Comics vigilante Frank Castle/The Punisher, a character that series creator Garth Ennis famously recreated for a modern audience. Both were family men who become violent, coldblooded and unhinged vigilantes who allow their constant thirst for revenge to take them over completely. Both Billy Butcher and Frank Castle come from a past in the Marines and the CIA (Though Butcher was in the Royal Marines, not the US Marines) and both share a hatred of superheroes, and a joy of beating them. Both take a sadistic pleasure in dispatching their enemies in painful ways and both frequently use course language.
Interestingly, the first Punisher comic ever written by Ennis was the non-canonical "The Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe", the plot of which, served as a prototype for what would eventually become The Boys decades later. (After Frank Castle's wife and children are killed in collateral damage from a fight involving The Avengers and The X-Men, Frank Castle resorts to hunting down all superhero's with the help of his former CIA Colonel, Nick Fury.
Additionally, with Homelander being a twisted version of Superman, Butcher could be a twisted parody of Lex Luthor.
Butcher frequently speaks with expletives, including (but not limited to) "bollocks," "wanker," "s-it," and more infamously, "c**t" and "f-ck." For the duration of the first season, he says "c***" roughly 19 times (an average of 2.38 times per episode) and "fuck" roughly 139 times (an average of 17.38 times per episode).
Heroes