| 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 (The Boys) |
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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 the 2019 Amazon TV adaptation of the comic book series The Boys, the titular protagonist of Butcher: A Short Film, and a minor character in Gen V.
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, who raped his beloved wife Becca and caused her to go missing. Following 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 the Seven and villainous supes, 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.
He is portrayed by Karl Urban (who also played Éomer in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, John Grimm in 2005s Doom, Leonard McCoy in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek films, Judge Dredd in Dredd, and Skurge in Thor Ragnarok), Luca Villacis as a teenager and Josh Zaharia young.
Overview[]
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.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
William "Billy" Butcher was born in the 1970s in the United Kingdom and is the son of Sam and Connie Butcher, and is the older brother to Lenny Butcher. In his childhood, Billy and his brother were abused by their father, who believed that he was making his sons ready for a tough world. While he did his best to protect Lenny from their father's abuse, Billy developed Sam's violent traits such as when he attacked his headmaster when being reprimanded. Having enough of his fathers' abuse, Billy decided to join the military despite leaving Lenny behind with their father. Despite promising his younger brother he would return, Lenny ultimately committed suicide due to their father's abuse, resulting in Butcher having great disdain towards Sam and hadn't seen his parents following his siblings' death.
Military Service[]
Leaving home, Butcher joined the British Royal Marines and the Special Air Services, where he received training marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat. While serving in Afghanistan, he befriended U.S. military officer Joe Kessler, and the two were assign to interrogate and flip Islamic suspects. However, according to Butcher's sentient tumor, he left Kessler to die during a mission in the Panjshir Valley.
Meeting Becca[]
Following his service, Butcher immigrated into the United States where he met Becca Saunders, and the two began a romantic relationship before marrying. However, at some point he had a one-night stand with a waitress while intoxicated, something he kept a secret from his wife and "quit the booze" the next day. While their relationship was strong, Becca was aware of Billy's violent tendencies, noting that he was always one bad day away from pounding someone to death in a parking lot. Additionally, he didn't want children out of fear that he would pass his trauma onto them.
Formation of the Boys[]
In 2011, Butcher attended a Christmas party at Vought International since Becca worked there and was introduced to the Seven's leader Homelander. Sometime after the Christmas party, Becca disappeared and Billy tried to find her to no avail. After Becca's disappearance, Butcher was approached by CIA director Grace Mallory, who showed him footage of Becca with Homelander, which made Billy believe that the "superhero" raped and killed his wife. The revelation fueled Billy's hatred for Homelander and supes, and he decided to work with Mallory to create the Boys, a group within the agency that oversaw the Seven and other supes in case they had to "spank the bastards when they got out of line".
He recruited unique individuals such as Mother's Milk and Frenchie to help him, but the team later disbanded after Mallory's grandchildren were killed by Lamplighter. Despite the failing out between Frenchie and Mother's Milk, Butcher continued to monitor to the Seven so he could find a weakness to use against Homelander. Unbeknownst to Butcher, Becca was actually alive and went to Vought to receive help due to her pregnancy. She survived birthing her son Ryan, and was sent to a disclosed location to raise her son in exchange that Butcher wouldn't be harmed.
The Boys[]
Season One[]
Seeing how Vought International and the Seven have great control over society, Butcher decides to reunite the Boys so he can get his revenge against Homelander. After learning that Hughie Campbell lost his girlfriend to A-Train running through her, Butcher decides to pretend a fake FBI agent to get Hughie to infiltrate Vought and place a bug. When returning Campbell to his place of work, Butcher would save him from Translucent, who managed to discover the bug. Though the two initially think Translucent is dead, they discover that he is still alive, and Butcher recruits Frenchie to help them. With Frenchie's assistance, Butcher places a bomb within Translucent's anus and place him in a crate made of zinc to prevent the Homelander from finding him.
Fearing that Homelander will hear them kill Translucent, Butcher works with Frenchie to distract the supe from discovering his teammates location. Billy and Frenchie return and discover that Hughie has killed Translucent, and place his remains within a zinc box to send as a message to the Seven. Butcher then manages to convince Mother's Milk to return to the Boys, and the group discover a woman named "The Female", who Frenchie releases from her cage. Despite thinking she is dangerous, the Female is brought into the Boys with Frenchie believing she could be one of the Spice Girls. The Boys then work on getting more information on Compound V, attending the Believe Expo where Hughie successfully blackmails Ezekiel, who reveals where its being shipped.
At the hospital, Butcher and Mother's Milk discover that infants are being injected with Compound V, realizing that supes aren't born but instead made with the compound. The two are the attacked by several men, and Butcher uses a newborn to kill them with its heat vision. Needing Campbell to view Starlight differently, Billy takes him to a ACDS meeting where people tell of their terrible experiences with supes. He later reveals to Hughie about Homelander rapping his wife, thus explaining his hatred for superheroes. The two then return to the team, but Butcher learns that Frenchie wants to bring Mesmer in to read the Female's mind. The Boys learn that Vought has been giving Compound V to terrorists to create supe terrorists, which will spark the world's interest in allowing the Seven into the military.
Later on, Billy meets with Raynor with the revelation, but Susan admits that she can meet some of his demands, but couldn't get him Homelander. Butcher then continues to watch Hughie's relationship with Starlight, and later confronts him when he wants the Boys to stop their fight against Vought. During the confrontation, Hughie receives a phone call from A-Train, who wants Campbell to meet him if he wants his father to live. Billy deduces that they've been betrayed by Mesmer, and he tracks and brutally kills him for his treachery. He soon returns to his teammates, where Mother's Milk begs him to take his deal with Raynor for the sake of his wife and daughter. Billy relents and makes the deal by handing her a vial of Compound V, and he later shoots Starlight with a rifle to allow Hughie to escape.
As a result of a recent terrorist attack in Syria, the Boys are labeled fugitives and that the CIA won't reveal Vought's crime to keep them happy. Still wanting to get revenge against Homelander, Butcher meets with Mallory, who reluctantly reveals that the supe has a complicated relationship with Madelyn Stillwell. Seeing an opportunity to hurt Homelander, Butcher leaves to get his revenge despite Mother's Milk and Frenchie being taken by Vought's Black Ops soldiers. Arriving at Stillwell's home, Billy places bombs onto Madelyn and awaits Homelander's arrival. Explaining that he believes Stillwell to be his weakness, Homelander instead kills Madelyn due to her lies. He then decides to detonate the explosives, but awakens to find Becca alive with Homelander's son Ryan, who has inherited the supe's abilities.
Season Two[]
After the reveal, Billy awakes in a middle of a road, and learns there's a manhunt for his arrest since it's believed he killed Stillwell. Butcher manages to return to his teammates several weeks later, reassuming his leadership since Frenchie believes they need him to fight against Vought. He later attends Raynor's funeral where he meets Mallory, who decides to come out of retirement to help them find the one responsible for Susan's death. The Boys are assigned to a locate a supe terrorist and discover that it's the Female's brother Kenji, but Butcher attempts to kill him despite the revelation. When the others refuse to help him chase the Female and Kenji, Billy reveals that Becca is still alive and that Kenji is his way to finding the community she is located. While trying to transport Kenji, the police arrive to arrest the group for stealing a yacht, and later the Deep when he attempts to earn his way back into the Seven.
After ramming into the Deep's whale, Butcher and the team encounter Homelander, but have Kenji bury him under rubble to continue their escape. However, Kenji is killed by the Seven's new member Stormfront, and Butcher meets Mallory at a memorial for the citizens killed at the apartments. She gives him information on someone who knows about Liberty and Becca's location, apologizing to him since he replaced his search for Becca onto wanting to get revenge on Homelander. Billy infiltrates the facility and reunites with Becca, but she refuses to leave her son and fears that he will try to get rid of Ryan any way he can. Upon returning to the Boys' hideout, he works with the team and Starlight to investigate the Sage Grove center. Due to his prejudice against supes, Butcher and Starlight frequently argue but work together to save Campbell after he was injured by a grove prisoner.
Later on, Butcher reunites with Becca, who escaped from the compound to get his help to save Ryan, who was taken by Homelander and Stormfront. While the others work on ways to deal with the Seven, Billy arranges a secret meeting with Stan Edgar, where he makes an agreement to have Becca while Vought secures Ryan. Butcher and Becca rescue Ryan, but Billy changes his mind and decides to have Mother's Milk take Becca and Ryan away to protect them. Before they could leave, Stormfront arrives and attacks the Boys due to them ruining her reputation by revealing her past with the Nazi Party. While Stormfront is distracted by the Female, Starlight and Queen Maeve, Billy and Becca attempt to escape with Ryan before the supe arrives. While trying to save Becca from Stormfront, Ryan heavily injures her with his heat vision but accidently mortally wounds Becca.
Becca has Billy promise to watch over Ryan, and despite grieving over his wife and initially wanting to harm the child, promises to do so. When Homelander arrives, Butcher refuses to allow him to take Ryan, and Queen Maeve manages to blackmail him with a video of the plane incident. Deciding that Ryan needs better protection, Butcher hands him over to Mallory and the CIA.
Season Three[]
Butcher's continues to hunt down corrupt supes, but has to first get the directive from Hughie, who demands that his friends don't kill or torture their targets. Billy works with Frenchie and Kimiko to apprehend the supe Termite, who accidently kills his partner by growing back in size. Butcher also meets with Queen Maeve, who wants Billy to look into Soldier Boy and gives him vials of V24, a modified version of Compound V. While pursuing any information he can on Soldier Boy, Butcher meets with the supe's former sidekick Gunpowder, asking him if his former leader faked his death or was he abused by him. Gunpowder denies this, and later attempts to kill Billy after their conversation in a parking lot.
Once he learns that Termite was released since he overdosed on cocaine that Butcher used to catch him, Billy speaks with Hughie on that doing his way isn't working. However, Campbell reveals that Victoria Neuman is a supe who killed Vogelbaum and is the adoptive daughter of Stan Edgar. Hughie then tells Billy that his methods will have to do for now, as trying to take down Vought the right way isn't working. After their conversation, Billy takes V24 and confronts Gunpowder a second time, but this time defeating him and learning that Mallory was their case officer back in 1984. Despite getting some information, Butcher proceeds to kill Gunpowder by punching him to near death before his heat vision bisects the latter's head.
Billy meets with the Boys to relocate Ryan since Edgar has learned of his location, but confronts Mallory on what happened in Nicaragua with Soldier Boy. She reveals that the military had sent Soldier Boy and his team Payback there to put on the show, but they were spotted when Swatto revealed their location to the Russians. Soldier Boy was supposedly killed and his body was taken, as Swatto was killed and Black Noir was heavily injured. Following the revelation, Butcher hurts Ryan, telling him that he hasn't forgotten what he did to Becca. Afterward, Butcher learns from Frenchie about a woman named Little Nina, and tells his team that they're heading to Russia.
During their mission in Russia, Butcher takes another dose of V24, but is caught by a suspicious Hughie, who secretly takes a dose himself. The group enter a power plant and Butcher reveals his powers to the group alongside Hughie, who teleports to a kill a soldier that was preparing to kill Mother's Milk. While at the plant, they discover Soldier Boy, who proceeds to emits energy from his chest and critically hurt Kimiko, whom is unable to regenerate. Following the incident, Butcher is confronted by Mother's Milk on taking V24, but he rebuffs him since he is evening the playing field against supes. Returning to the states, Billy receives more V24 from Maeve, whom he has a sexual encounter with.
The Boys learn of Soldier Boy's presence in the states due to him using his powers, and they head to the Legend, who reveals that Soldier Boy came to receive his equipment and Crimson Countess' location. Seeing an opportunity to make a deal with Soldier Boy, Butcher goes to Countess' home to ties her down to leave as bait. Outside her home, Billy makes a deal with the supe that he will allow him to confront Countess in exchange for an alliance. Following Countess' death, Billy leaves with Hughie and Soldier Boy to further explain their agreement. Butcher and Hughie agree to help Soldier Boy find his former teammates in exchange they help them kill Homelander, as they intend to use Soldier Boy's ability to remove a supe's power.
After obtaining the address of the TNT Twins, the trio head to the Herogasm event where Butcher distracts Mother's Milk from attacking Soldier Boy. Following the death of the twins, Butcher and Soldier Boy are confronted by Homelander, who calls off their deal and attacks Billy with his heat vision. He survives the attack due to his durability and assists Soldier Boy in fighting Homelander before subduing him with Hughie. The group fail due to Soldier Boy needing to charge his radiation, causing Homelander to knock them off and escape. The trio then decide to leave the mansion, encountering Starlight and Mother's Milk attending to victims of Soldier Boy's energy blast.
Despite the setback, Butcher and Hughie assist Soldier Boy in locating Mindstorm, who has become a recluse since his telepathic abilities caused a sensory overload. In the woods, Soldier Boy sets off one of Mindstorm's traps, and Butcher is entrapped in an endless nightmare by the supe. Within the nightmare, Billy relieves the abuse he and his brother suffered from their father, and later leaving Lenny alone when joining the military. Before being awaken from his nightmare, Butcher is confronted by Lenny, who warns the former that he is dragging Hughie to his level. Billy is then awakened after witnessing his brother commit suicide and begins to apologize. He and Hughie witness Mindstorm be viciously murdered by Soldier Boy, and the group leave the area.
At their hideout, Billy receives a phone call from Annie, who informs him that V24 can lead to the development of lesions that can result in death. He hangs up when she tells him to warn Hughie and decides not to tell Campbell despite feeling some guilt over it. However, he knocks Hughie unconscious in a gas station bathroom and leaves to New York in Soldier Boy, learning that the latter is the father of Homelander. The two discuss about their fathers, and Butcher tells Soldier Boy that Homelander isn't his son since he didn't raise him. He is later confronted by the Boys, who remain angry at him for his behavior excluding Campbell, who is thankful that he saved him from taking another dose. Once Maeve sides with Butcher and Soldier Boy to stop Homelander, Butcher has the Boys and Annie put into a safe.
Heading to Vought's tower, Butcher and Maeve witness Soldier Boy rebuke Homelander and attempt to kill him before being knocked aside by Ryan. When Soldier Boy attacks Ryan, Butcher decides to instead fight off his former ally to protect the child. After Soldier Boy is stopped by Maeve, Butcher attempts to reason with Ryan, but falls unconscious due to the side effects of V24. Taken to a hospital, he learns that he only has twelve or eighteen months to live, and he rudely tells off the doctor. Returning to the Boys, he watches a report that reveals that Neuman has become the new nominee for vice president and tells the others that she needs to go.
Gen V[]
Following the massacre at Godolkin University, Butcher investigated the Woods, a secret facility created by Vought to experiment on supes. He discovers that they were creating a virus to supe under the orders of Indira Shetty, but it was taken by Neuman so she could enhance to control or kill Homelander.
Pre-S4[]
During the six months before the events of the fourth season, the Boys formed an alliance with the U.S. Government and President Robert Signer to eliminate Neuman. Butcher was also demoted from leading the team presumably due to him indirectly leading Ryan to join Homelander's side, and Mother's Milk is given leadership of the Boys. While his conditioned worsened, Billy feared losing his chance to atone to Ryan and injected himself with Compound V in hopes it could cure his condition. However, the compound instead targeted his tumor, giving it sentience and powers from his V24 dosages. In addition, due to either his worsening condition or his tumor, he started to see hallucinations of his late wife.
Season Four[]
At a presidential campaign Neuman's attending, Butcher is tasked by Mother's Milk to stand guard but leaves when he notices Ryan leaving with Victoria's daughter Zoe. He attempts to persuade the boy to leave with him, but is stopped by Homelander, whom makes Ryan aware of Billy's health when noticing his brain tumor. After failing to save his stepson, he finds Hughie confronted by Neuman, and the two fail to kill her with acid and a bullet to the head. The team return to the CIA and inform them of their failure to kill Neuman, and Butcher reunites with Kessler, whom is actually his sentient tumor trying to have the vigilante embrace his darker nature. He later meets with Neuman to make a deal - get Ryan from Homelander in exchange he steals the Red River files Hughie retrieved months before.
After retrieving a copy of the files from Hughie, he prepares to give them to Neuman but is confronted by a hallucination of Becca. Reminded of the promise they made to protect Ryan from Homelander, Butcher deletes the files and sends Neuman a nude photo. The next day, he reveals his sickening health to the team, whom reprimand him for his dishonesty, ending with Mother's Milk kicking him out of the Boys as a result. Still wanting to help, he tracks his former team to TruthCon, where they investigate Sister Suge, a supe recruited by Homelander recently. When ridiculing Marvin for his leadership, Butcher is kicked out of the area and beaten up by the former when he brings up his divorce.
Despite this, Butcher returns when the Boys are almost killed by Splinter, saving them and killing the supe alongside his duplicates. Returning to the Boys' office, Butcher scolds Mother's Milk for walking the team into a trap, and fails to persuade the latter into helping him save Ryan. Out of options, he works with Kessler to save Ryan, deciding to use the opium carfentanil to capture him. Succeeding in having Ryan meet him from a game of Tournament of Heroes, Butcher finally opens up to his stepson and throws away the drugged cookies. His compassion is later scolded by Kessler, and Billy rejects Joe's plan to recruit the boy or kill him if he refuses to cooperate.
Later on, Butcher is invited back into the Boys by Mother's Milk after he and Hughie failed to gather information on Sage, much to Starlight's chagrin. Believing that the Seven's newest member Firecracker could tell them of Sage's plan, Butcher bribes Webweaver with heroin enemas to give them blackmail on the supe. Confronting Firecracker, they reveal photos of her time with an underage boy, but she posts them to the public. Failing in their plan, the team re-strategize by sending Frenchie into Firecracker's trailer while they stayed in the Starlight house. When Frenchie is attacked by Ezekiel, Butcher intervenes but is overpowered, resulting in his tumor taking over and killing the supe.
After the failed operation, Butcher confronts Hughie for getting Compound V from A-Train, but Campbell reveals his intention to give to his ailing father. Billy then warns him not to, revealing that he took the compound months prior in an failed attempt to cure his condition. The following day, Butcher tells the team of a virus that can kill supes, but it was taken by Neuman since it wasn't strong enough to kill Homelander. Believing they can steal it from Neuman, he forms a plan to ally with Stan Edgar in exchange he is released from jail. Meeting with Stan, he refuses to help them until he learns that Neuman gave Zoe Compound V, and works with them to get custody of his adoptive granddaughter.
Reaching his estate, they discover that Neuman turned it into a lab where Vought scientists experimented on animals to test the virus. In the lab, Butcher discovers a rabbit that has been injected with V24, freeing it from his cage and gaining the respect of Kimiko. The team find one vial of the virus left before being confronted by Neuman, and decide to create a temporary alliance with her to find Dr. Sameer Shah. During their search, he finds the rabbit dead until meat-like tendrils erupt from his body, indicating that this will happen to Butcher upon his death. The group are then attacked by sheep empowered by Compound V and locate Dr. Shah, but are able to kill the sheep with the last vial of the virus.
Despite this setback, Butcher secretly formed a plan to re-create the virus by capturing Shah and cutting off the doctor's leg to fake his death. He once again partners with Kessler to force Shah to create a stronger virus, but is left conflicted when he is confronted by another hallucination of Becca. Speaking with the doctor again, he learns that if he creates a stronger virus, it will kill all supes in the world. Butcher is confronted by Becca and Kessler, with the latter revealing that he is figment of Billy's mind via his sentient tumor when yelling at Saunders.
Upon this revelation, Butcher meets up with the Boys and reveals his plans against "Kessler's" wishes, and has Frenchie work with Dr. Shah to prevent the virus from becoming unstable. He is then given leadership of the team by Mother's Milk, and teams up with Hughie and Starlight to gather more information. The trio learn that Sage hired a supe who can shapeshift into anyone to kill President Singer, allowing Neuman to take his place. As Hughie leaves to speak with Neuman, Butcher and Starlight return to the office and are ambushed by The Deep and Black Noir II. While close to asking for his tumor's help, the two are saved by Mother's Milk and the reformed A-Train.
At a local bar, Butcher watches Ryan reject Vought's attempts to increase the public's distrust, rejuvenating his trust in the child before collapsing from his condition. He is saved by Grace and given medical treatment at a safe house, but rejects "Kessler's" deal to heal him in exchange he eliminates all supes. Given a phone by Mallory, he tells Hughie to go to Topless Steakhouse that he and Lenny once went and to tell the others he's sorry. Becoming terrified of his father, Ryan meets with Butcher to say his goodbye, but Grace insists they should tell the child the truth about Homelander. Grace reveals Homelander's past actions and attempts to keep him within the room, resulting the young supe accidently killing Mallory. Horrified by Ryan's lack of remorse (in reality his numbness), Butcher embraces his darker nature and accepts "Kessler's" deal.
Finding the Boys making a teal with Neuman to take down Homelander, Butcher confronts them and tells them they're not making a deal with her. Hughie attempts to persuade Billy to trust him like he did with Lenny, but the vigilante refuses and kills Neuman with his meat tendrils. Having betrayed his team for the sake of committing genocide, Butcher takes the virus from Frenchie and tells them they're welcome and leaves. Butcher's actions indirectly lead to Homelander taking over the United States, as Sister Sage has Singer arrested with footage of him ordering Neuman's assassination. While his former team is captured by deputized supes and Vought security, Butcher and "Kessler" drive away with the virus.
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.
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 warns 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. |
- High 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 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 at the ACDS meeting. |
| “ | Well, well, well, if it ain't the Invisible c**t. | „ |
| ~ 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).
- The only episodes in which Butcher does not say "c**t" are "The Self-Preservation Society" and "Nothing Like It in the World".
External Links[]
- Billy Butcher on the Villains Wiki.
- Billy Butcher on the Boys Wiki.
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 Heroes
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The Boys The Seven Gen V Others See also | ||