Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Boys season 4, episode 8.
Summary
The Boysseason 4 finale concludes with theunexpected death of VIctoria Neuman, andviewers might be wondering why she doesn’t just pop Butcher’s head before he can kill her. Butcher takes Neuman and The Boys by surprise inThe Boysseason 4, episode 8, interrupting their truce to insist the team can’t make a deal with the vice president.Butcher then uses his newfound Supe powersto get rid of Neuman once and for all. He brutally rips her in half with his tentacles, and there isn’t anything that can be done to stop him.
While it makes sense that The Boys team can’t prevent Butcher from killing Neuman, it’s less clear why Neuman doesn’t defend herself. She’s no doubt caught off guard by Butcher’s sudden appearance, but we know the VP is resourceful when it comes to survival. Unfortunately,even Neuman’s impressive powers can’t save her from Butcher’s wrath. With a little more warning, she might have been able to pop his head — but The Boys' former leader doesn’t give her the chance to pull that move in the finale.
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Butcher Covered Neuman’s Eyes With His Tentacle Before Killing Her
Her Supe Powers Depend On Being Able To See Her Target
The reason Neuman doesn’t pop Butcher’s head inThe Boysseason 4 finale is because he covers her eyes almost immediately after confronting her.Victoria Neuman’s power only works when she’s able to see her target, so taking away her sight is the ideal way to stop the Supe from tapping her ability. Butcher picks up on this and uses it to his advantage, wrapping his tentacles around Neuman’s head as soon as he attacks her. She doesn’t stand a chance after that, which is why Butcher makes such quick work of her.
The reason Neuman doesn’t pop Butcher’s head inThe Boysseason 4 finale is because he covers her eyes almost immediately after confronting her.
The saddest part is that Neuman’s eyes look white whenThe Boysshows her body, meaning she probably attempts to use her ability anyway. It seems Neuman does go down fighting, but the extent of that isn’t visible to viewers. Butcher ensures Neuman can’t actually hit back against him — though it’s questionable that her powers would work on Karl Urban’s character even if she could see him.
Neuman May Not Have Been Able To Kill Butcher Anyway
Even if Butcher and Neuman had a fair fight,the latter’s powers might not have worked on The Boys' former leader. Neuman’s head-popping ability doesn’t work on Homelander, proving that there are limits to what she can do — and they seem to depend on how strong the other person’s body is. We don’t know how powerful Butcher is now that he’s a Supe, and it’s possible he’s nearing Homelander’s level in terms of strength. If that’s the case, there’s a chance Neuman couldn’t have saved herself either way. This would make her fate inThe Boysseason 4’s endinginevitable.
The Boys
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The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
