Update: the official trailer for The Boys season 3 has been released. Check it out in our news piece.
Original story follows.
A new poster for The Boys season 3 is teasing that another major storyline from the comics will appear in the satirical superhero show.
Released on various Prime Video social media channels on Thursday, March 10, the one sheet shows Karl Urban's Billy Butcher staring directly into the camera (and our souls by proxy). Ominously, though, Billy's eyes are glowing yellow – a sure fire sign that The Boys' leader is about to get Supe-d up on the hit Prime Video show.
Take a look at The Boys season 3's latest promotional material below:
Soon, it’ll be time to level the playing field. pic.twitter.com/SSbJxgGsutMarch 10, 2022
Unsurprisingly, The Boys' fanbase has been whipped up into a frenzy by the poster. Why? Because the only other individual with glowing eyes is Homelander, one of the Vought International-manufactured 'superheroes' (or Supes for short).
For those unaware: Vought creates its Supes by injecting test subjects with Compound V, a serum that grants superpowers to whoever comes into contact with it. As a child, Homelander was experimented on by Vought with Compound V – tests that gave him powers including Heat Vision, i.e. the ability to shoot lazers from his eyes. Any time Homelander uses this superpower, his eyes glow red.
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Which brings us back to Billy's glowing eyes. Okay, the poster could simple be a marketing misdirect on showrunner Eric Kripke's part. Billy and Homelander are two sides of the same violence-driven coin, after all, so this piece of promotional material could just be a way of signifying this.
In our minds (and in those of many fans of The Boys), though, the one sheet is heavily hinting at one thing only – The Boys, or Billy at least, are about to get their own superpowers.
Mild spoilers follow for The Boys' graphic novel series. Turn back now if you don't want anything ruined.
In Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's graphic novel series, each member of The Boys gain superpowers whenever they take a single dose of Compound V. This was the gang's way of taking on Supes without, well, the prospect of being horrendously maimed or killed.
For Billy, a dose of Compound V would give him superhuman strength and durability. Sure, it's a far cry from the abilities that someone like Homelander possesses, but it gives him a fighting chance when doing battle with a Supe. Billy and his use of Compound V end up having a hugely significant impact on The Boys' universe in the comics, too. We'll refrain from spoiling those plot details here, though, as they're sure to be used in future seasons.
So what does The Boys season 3 poster tell us about the upcoming season, which lands on Prime Video this summer? It looks like Billy, at the very least, will begin taking Compound V in his quest to rid the world of Supes. He could end up becoming a villain – just like his adversary in Homelander, hence his symbolic glowing eyes in the poster – in his own right. That would certainly come as a shock to Hughie and company (and fans of the show who haven't read the comics).
Billy and company's use of Compound V isn't confirmed – as we said, this new poster could be Prime Video's way of whipping up fan discussions about what it means for season 3. Thankfully, we don't have much longer to wait as The Boys' third season arrives in early June.
For more content concerning The Boys, check out our spoiler-free review of The Boys: Diabolical, an animated anthology spin-off Prime Video series that landed on March 4. And, while you're here, read our in-depth chat with showrunner Simon Racioppa about its development and ties to season 3.
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