The Boys' Character That Should've Just Died Already
The Boys' fans think refusing to kill any main characters is taking the weight out of the show.
Queen Maeve should have died in the finale of The Boys ' season 3. Fans of the Amazon Prime show seem to think this would be a fitting end to the character's arc. But the creators of the show have been really averse to killing off any of the main cast lately. In the final fight of season 3, Queen Maeve showed her hero side at last and saved everyone by dragging the exploding Soldier Boy out of the window, a move that should have obliterated her.
Even if the blast from Soldier Boy didn't kill her, it should have made her a regular woman who's falling 99 stories into concrete. But somehow to fans' confusion and with no logical explanation Maeve survived and disappeared into the sunset with the love of her life, Elena.
For some, it is a satisfying conclusion to Queen Maeve's story. She got what she always wanted – freedom from Homelander. But others feel like Maeve wasn't deserving of that happy-ever-after ending since she's done some serious harm while being Homelander's puppet.
Strangely, Maeve walking away to live a normal life is not that far off from the character. Her whole arc was a jaded superhero who didn't care about humanity. And even though through season 3, Maeve started remembering that she was a hero, her final heroic act should have felt like doing her part. It would be very much in her character to stop fighting now her powers are gone.
Many fans agree that the decision to not kill Queen Maeve was made to keep the show from being accused of the "kill off your gays" trope. Making Maeve the only main cast kill this season would send a poor message, even if it served the story. Hell, even Soldier Boy got to live.
All in all, fans of the show are not some bloodthirsty bad guys and would be ok with Maeve living a happy life with Elena as long as she doesn't return in future seasons. Unfortunately, that is a definite possibility, since the showrunner of The Boys Eric Kripke said (via Deadline) that "we definitely won't reach the end of the series without seeing Maeve again." This feels like lazy writing to many fans.
"I definitely got the sense they wanted to keep their options open so left a lot of storyline lingering (in an annoying way). Maeve, Soldier Boy, etc. Seemed like lazy writing IMO," one fan wrote.