The Boys: Frenchie Foreranged exactly how [SPOILER] would kill him
Alert! Big hints for The Boys ahead!Among the most emotionally poignant character deaths in The Boys, Frenchie's death was in line with a series noted for its violence; his killer was one that none except Frenchie personally observed. From the epilogue series Dear Becky, a quick conversation between Billy Butcher and Frenchie underlined the weapons expert's keen awareness of Butcher's actual nature early in their time working together.
Garth Ennis's Dear Becky #4, with Russ Braun's artwork, explores the chronology of The Boys while nevertheless setting it over a decade after the main series. This is a view of Frenchie's connection with Butcher during their early years battling superiors. Billy Butcher's transformation into the ultimate villain of the The Boys' comic series ending was among the most startling aspects of it; he slaughtered off his long-time devoted fans, including Frenchie, during this turn-about. Frenchie knew from the beginning the risk involved dealing with Butcher, as Dear Becky advised.
Early in the boys' history, Frenchie Recognised Butcher would be the death of him.
Although Frenchie was mainly shown as a staunch follower of Butcher's war on superheroes, the epilogue series Dear Becky gave more background to show that Frenchie was very early in their history wary of Billy Butcher. Well before Billy Butcher hired "Wee" Hughie Campbell into the CIA-backed anti-superhero club, readers of The Boys knew that "the Frenchman," or "Frenchie," served on the team's first version. In one of The Boys most overtly funny issues, fans were even given a fanciful backstory for the character during the main run of the series. Including Mothers Milk, the Female of the Species, and Frenchie, the last two perishing in one of the most gutwrenching events in the series, part of Billy Butcher's wicked endgame in the last arc included killing his colleagues.
Frenchie passed in an explosion with the Female by his side so he wouldn't be able to stop Butcher from implementing his last plan. Frenchie was mainly shown in the series as a staunch follower of Butcher's war on superheroes, but the epilogue series Dear Becky gave more background to show that Frenchie was indeed early in their history somewhat suspicious of Billy Butcher. Frenchie essentially foresaw Butcher turning on his colleagues aggressively if it suited him.
Butcher's Story From "Dear Becky" Reflects Frenchie's Death
Although Butcher's narrative turned out to be a sinister prediction of his ultimate fate, Frenchie's instincts proved true even if he couldn't know for sure during the period shown in Dear Becky #4. Butcher shared a story about a commander in his unit who got himself murdered by a landmine to illustrate his point—that the line of command isn't always sound—during the boys' argument in Dear Becky #4. Sensing something underneath Butcher's story, Frenchie asked straight forwardly whether Billy planned the Death of his leader.
Butcher denied killing his superior officer, but Frenchie was right to see right away that the kind of thing his new friend could have done. Butcher finally placed explosives in the Boys' stronghold in the Flatiron Building, causing Frenchie to die just as his commander had died. Garth Ennis's probably certainly deliberate analogy makes it abundantly evident that the relevance of this sequence in Dear Becky comes from Frenchie's honest evaluation of Butcher's actual character. This makes it all the more sad that he kept doing Butcher's commands until his leader at last found no more use for him.
Frenchie's Understanding of Butcher's Real Nature Makes Him A More Tragic Character
One terrible reality that became rather obvious throughout The Boys was the gang knew Butcher was truly chilly. They understood his potential for acts of violence and his scant objections to murder. Frenchie's interrogation of Butcher's narrative in Dear Becky #4 revealed that, on some level, he knew he had it within him to kill someone in his own company as well as that Butcher wasn't being honest about his background.
This is maybe why Frenchie spent his last hours in The Boys telling the Female how much he loved her instead of showing outrage at Butcher's betrayal. For fans, the moment was unanticipated, yet Frenchie seemed calm. Anticipating, even. This can be explained by his fundamental knowledge of Billy Butcher, something he placed aside to collaborate with him for what he thought to be a more important purpose. Even at the hands of his own ally, Frenchie always knew he might readily become a casualty in the struggle against superheroes.
The Boys: Further Examining the Series
Garth Ennis's often provocative superhero parody "The Boys" captures, in many respects, the core of Generation X art—best and worst. Among the most tragic tragedies in the series overall, Frenchie and the Female's Deaths marked the turning point in The Boys' final stretch. The knowledge of Frenchie and Butcher's relationship from Dear Becky #4 gives the character a whole fresh perspective, recontextualizing his place in the story in a way that validates the epilogue, and clarifies why Garth Ennis felt the necessity to go back to the world of The Boys one more time.
Eric Kripke developed a superhero/dark comedic satire sitcom based on the same-named comic book franchise. Set in a "what-if" universe honoring superheroes as gods and celebrities with few consequences for their deeds. To expose them for what they are, one squad of vigilantes under the direction of a vengeance-obsessed guy called Billy Butcher will counter these super-charged "heroes".
