The Boys Season 4 Twist Killed A Great Spinoff Idea
Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Boys season 4, episode 6, "Dirty Business."
The Boys season 4, episode 6 features a major twist that unfortunately makes a really cool spinoff idea impossible. The Boys Season 4 is nearing its end, and all the major storylines are starting to come together, especially with the growing tension between Vought and the titular team. Homelander and Sister Sage's plan is getting closer to becoming reality, and Butcher is doing everything he can to take Homelander down, even going as far as to kidnap the Vought scientist Sameer Shah in the hopes of making more of the Supe virus.
It initially seems like Butcher's friend, Joe Kessler, is helping him achieve this goal, but The Boys Season 4, episode 6 drops a bombshell when it reveals Kessler is actually one of Butcher's hallucinations. Kessler is no longer alive in The Boys universe, so it's unlikely that viewers will see him again outside of Butcher's mind. This means a Joe Kessler spinoff is probably off the table, even though showrunner Eric Kripke and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays Kessler, both seem to be on board with the idea.
Why A Joe Kessler Prequel Spinoff Is A Bad Idea
It would be interesting to see how Kessler and Butcher met, but viewers already know how their story ends and have a general idea of what happens in between. So, a Spinoff focused on their time overseas would just be them killing Supes, ending with Kessler's death. It'd be a bleak series with few surprises, and it wouldn't add much to either character.
The Boys already shows how loss and guilt shape Butcher's quest for revenge. It also shows his hatred for Supes and Kessler's character through Butcher's hallucinations. A Spinoff would serve little purpose, and would just be a bleaker version of what we've already seen.
The Boys Has Plenty Of Great Spinoff Possibilities Without Kessler
Amazon has plenty of other backstories it can dig into. The Boys has a fascinating history of Supes and their adversaries, and there are a few key characters whose stories could be explored. Queen Maeve's backstory would be compelling, as would the formation of The Seven. Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy is a fan favorite, and a spinoff about Payback would allow viewers to explore similar dynamics to The Boys during a much earlier time period.
A Butcher prequel could still work, focusing on him meeting Grace Mallory and forming The Boys. That's an unexplored part of his backstory, and it would showcase how he grows as the team's leader. If Amazon goes this route, they can still bring back Kessler in flashbacks. A show primarily focused on him wouldn't work now, but he could be worked into Butcher's story.
Perhaps the Boys franchise will do that in the future, but for now, most viewers are focused on season 5 and Gen V.
