The Tragedy of Billy Butcher and Why He Works As The Final Villain

Butcher about to be on DEMON TIME next season, LIKE THE VIDEO Discord Server: discord.gg/ghNvD6WD

Just notice how he looks like a healthy man after he agreed to completely break bad, that V’d up, sentient tumor (thematically Butcher’s dark side, opposite to Becca’s angel side) will kill him whenever it wants to, and will keep him alive as long as Butcher stays diabolical. But this diabolical notion is what prompts the more fundamental, moral destruction of the character; if we interpret it this way, then it is a pretty good symbol and I’m intrigued to see how they present “we need to stay human to defeat the monsters” (I think the plot of getting the entire Boys V’d up may happen). Also, Butcher’s ending (definitely not a happily-ever-after one) would be totally different from the comics, which is a good thing.

Na Butcher killing Neuman in front of her kid is only the start

I think Becca’s personality will definitely return. She didn’t show up in the finale because that was butcher’s lowest point in darkness. But I believe he hasn’t thrown her away yet&that final decision between good&evil will come when he see’s Ryan again.

Thing is Neumann would betray the boys in a second if homelander just threatened her with killing her daughter. And nobody is stopping her from just popping their heads. So Billie’s actions aren’t actually horrible as it seems.

homelander makes SUCH a good parallel for butcher. i mean there's a reason butcher got laser eyes on temp-V instead of some other power

Season 5 may not end as the comic did, but I truly believe it will be Hughie who will put an end and kill butcher!

Being good and feeling guilt was literally killing him 💀

i have a few thoughts on butcher. so first off when butcher called hughie to say “tell the boys i’m sorry” and that he’s given up, it felt VERY final. i view that as the last time we will see “our” butcher again. butcher has spent the whole season battling kessler. they say kessler is him, but the way he changes when kessler gets in his head is TOO intense. he starts chopping off legs and commuting to total genicide. he hasn’t been this brutal before. the tumor is manipulating him too much for it to just “be his negative urges”. ex. butcher told the boys about the virus bc he “didn’t want that much blood on his hands” yet in the end he is smiling at the thought of it??? kessler tells him to kill ryan and he ABSOLUTELY does NOT want to. he does care about ryan and desperately tries to save him. he gives up when the plan goes south and he does NOT look happily at kessler. also how the tumor refuses to help him fight of noir and the deep and made him get sicker all season as a manipulation tactic. that’s why he looks so healthy in the end, he gave in to kessler. if kessler is him, then why is he hurting him?? that’s why i don’t believe that. why would hurt HIMSELF until he turns evil?? why is he doing things he’s made clear he does really want to have to do? when mallory died kessler completely took over butcher. i think kessler is controling butcher BEYOND it just being what he wants in the back of his head. i think kessler is a v up and dramatic version of butchers negative thoughts instead of genuinely being what butcher wants. basically i don’t believe kessler and butcher are the same person. our butcher is gone and this is kessler now, so butcher ultimately DID die this episode.

Its wild Victoria Nueman spent her time doing the wrong thing for the right reasons to save her child from the horrors she had to go through but ultimately being the reasons why Zoe ends up going to Red River shit hit me sad lowkey but if only she didnt give Homelander the address to Ryans location he would probably be ok with teaming up with Butcher to defeat Homelander....she really did pave the path to her own demise and others one other thing i noticed is when Hughie said we need to start being human it instantly reminded me of Armin in attack on titan saying the exact opposite in order to rise above monsters we have to abandon our humanity. Which is I believe butcher did when grace died. Remember Grace was the one person who gave Butcher a way in for exposing the Sups and avenging his wife and was the start for the boys becoming a group when lamplighter was involved until he betrayed them and was snuffed out as the spy it really does feel like the 1st and last episode of Season 4 were the only ones that feel cohesive in carrying the themes from the last 3 seasons oui

I don't disagree, but it's hard for me to see him as a villain when there's so much about his character that I can identify with and relate to.

Really Butcher is the Necessary Evil. The boys had good intentions, but it’s constantly screwed them over because they only took half measures. To beat Vought and homelander they have to go all the way.

I stand with crashout butcher

i cant believe how many people i have seen say butcher isnt a villain going into season 5, the man is about to commit genocide and will not just kill supes, but is guaranteed to kill innocent civilians as well to fulfill the plan. Acknowledging that he is a villain doesn’t just suddenly undo his character development or who he is, and people need to stop acting like calling him for who he has become is an indictment on themselves as a person because they relate to or like him.

Now. Butcher is good. BUTCHER is good. The villain is the tumor/cancer, it's literally a sentiment tumor, it is mentally self destructive, it almost takes over the host. The tumor is embodied as the Kessler who took him to the bad side. To inflict most (self-)destruction, the tumor needed to do what Butcher did (kill Neuman), so it did it through Kessler. It's fucked. Kinda like the shapeshifter Hughie/Annie thing. When it comes to it, you can't tell if they are in the fault or not. Should've Hughie known? Was it REALLY Butcher? Tumor does the fucked up shit and Butcher gets the blame, lose-lose.

What I love is that originally in the episode where Homelander kills the scientists who raised him, the planned idea was to have him walk in acting like a villain. No smiles, no facade of kindness. Just there to pull wings off of flies. I believe this only got changed because Antony Starr suggested he act nice at first. Now we see Butcher do exactly that. He walks in and pulls Neuman apart, like tearing a fly apart. They are so similar yet so different.

I fully agree. I think the series conclusion will be smth like "you dont fight fire with fire". Smth like that. Hughie even said "If we want to fight this, we might have to start acting human."

Personally, I want butcher to win and kill every supe. Every other show would have butcher stopped, but having butcher win would make things a lot more interesting which fits the show and would be very entertaining to watch.

Great title & agreed with the video. It's a tragedy. The dude tried so hard this season.

Brotha never understood the concept of "Antihero" and mistakes it with "Villain"