For the first time since Robin's death, A-Train isn't callous about her loss of life. He doesn't dismiss Hughie and his own culpability for the pain he has caused but is passionately, earnestly remorseful. Some heavy, emotional stuff for the good guy turned slightly more rogue guy. His union with The Boys was born out of the trauma over Robin's death and has shaped his decisions ever since.

Butcher (Karl Urban) was handed a death sentence at the end of season three. The temporary Compound V he's been shooting up has done exactly what Annie (Erin Moriarty) warned it would, turned his brain into Swiss cheese. Ryan, the result of that pregnancy, was revealed to be a natural-born Supe rather than having been injected with Compound V like the others. The secret head-popping Supe is willing to kill anyone who stands in the way of her political campaign to the top — and with Homelander being, well, Homelander, he's always going to pose a major threat. As previously mentioned, comic book Noir was able to kill Homelander because he was a clone and they shared the same powers. Ryan may not be a clone, but he and Homelander share the same DNA and similar abilities. Plus, he's proven himself to be pretty deadly, even when that's not been his intention.

Given Neuman and her daughter are both Supes, it's unlikely she'll want to unleash the infectious virus into the world like Shetty had intended to do. It certainly does seem that way and in turn feels like they're gearing up for a close. Given how the show started, there could be no other possible conclusion than the two of them tearing chunks out of each other until only one remains. But who's to say she can't find a way to isolate Homelander to infect only him — or any other Supe who goes rogue, for that matter?

The extent of his powers was first revealed in the season two finale when he barbecued Stormfront (Aya Cash) after she threatened to kill his mother, though Becca was also caught in the crossfire. Cameron Crovetti's character possesses almost all the same lethal abilities as his dad, including heat vision and, more recently, flying. And this is why he's the ideal opponent. That if the vice president were to take over, they would by all intents and purposes be a Vought plant, which was sort of that lore between Dakota Bob and Neuman in the comics. Becca strived to protect her son from his psycho father, and she did a pretty good job of raising a sweet boy who just wants to make LEGO movies of The Blind Side and Terms of Endearment. Victoria Neuman might have teamed up with Homelander in The Boys season three, but now that he's successfully helped her secure her place as Robert Singer's vice-presidential candidate, we're not sure how long this alliance will last.

Fuelled by vengeance, Shetty has been working with Dr Cardosa to create an infectious virus that kills anyone with Compound V running through their veins. With Soldier Boy down (again), it looks like he's the only other Supe powerful enough to kill Homelander — if he's willing to. The strength of Ryan's lasers — which were surprisingly powerful — are way more powerful than even Homelander's when Ryan gets angry enough," he told TV Guide.

In season one, viewers found out that Homelander had raped Butcher's wife, Becca (Shantel VanSanten), years before, causing her to disappear while pregnant. When a concerned Marie informs Neuman about the Supe-slaying virus, she meets up with Cardosa to collect it... then blows his head off after he assures her he's the only one who knows how to recreate it. For the Seven, options include Homelander (Antony Starr) levitating, as well as Queen Mauve (Dominique McElligott), A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), Translucent (Alex Hassell), and Starlight (Erin Moriarty). Starlight also has a glow chase variant. With this additional pressure, The Boys creator Eric Kripke could be laying the grounds for this to-the-death duel to take place in the coming season. In an interview with Deadline, Kripke alluded to the show heading toward the finishing line when he admitted the following:Neuman's head-popping powers are certainly deadly, but she managed to get her hands on something even more lethal during the show's college-based spin-off series, Gen V. One of the endgame storylines in the books that we always really responded to was this notion that the vice president was literally gunning for the president and that the president was in mortal danger. The whole premise of The Boys is built on the foundation of Butcher's raw, white-hot hatred and search for revenge on Homelander over Rebecca's fate. Finally, FINALLY, Hughie, juiced up on V, felt truly confident enough to tell A-Train what he really thought of him, yet there he was, a poor sap left holding his nuts despite his long-sought-after triumph. After demanding an apology and receiving it in full, Hughie is evidently underwhelmed despite having his request met so willingly. It isn't enough for him. Not now. Not any more.

His shortened lifespan doesn't just mean bye-bye, Butcher – it could also spell the end for The Boys. After all, what is the show without its brute, potty-mouthed, pig-headed leader?