The Boys Should Start Killing Off Main Characters Already
With The Boys entering its fourth season, there have been calls for some major changes; specifically within its main cast. Not including Noir, every big death scene had been at the expense of a single-season soul, not a full-time cast member.
Killing off a prominent character opens endless artistic avenues to explore. The lack of risk taken in the show's writing is wearing thin on fans. In an attempt to understand why the writers have been so scared to take this leap, we need to dig a little deeper.
The Essentials
The list of characters deemed "essential" has narrowed down to Homelander, Butcher, and Hughie. That leaves a lot of options to choose from. An example, courtesy of fan input, is A-Train. After his close call in episode six of the third season, people would have liked him to go out in that same fashion. Maeve is another character whose death could significantly enhance the plot. Had she gone out by Soldier Boy, for example, it would have cemented her as a true hero and added a nice emotional element to the season.
The third season is considered the most boring of the bunch, with everything from the characters to the plot appearing very static. The constant theme of Homelander being able to act like a huge jerk (while having people adore him) is running out of momentum, and the writers can't hide him from scorched earth forever.
The Next Steps
To save the show from its fourth season becoming its final bow, the writers must stop beating around the bush and decide which main's death would spice up the series the most. They need to give the fans a curveball, something out of the left field. To be honest, with how bland the writing was throughout season three, anything other than what we currently have is unexpected.
The essence of why we love The Boys is that nobody is safe. That narrative should extend to the main characters as well. It doesn't matter if you're half-god or mortal, everyone should be eligible to be killed off. With much anticipation for season four as well as the decline in fans' patience, it is almost certain that the show will make some drastic changes — it will have to if it wants to save itself from being killed off of our TV screens.