Why Does Everybody Seem to Hate Butcher After 'The Boys' S3 Finale?

Warning: the following article contains spoilers for 'The Boys ' season 3 episode 8

Billy Butcher is supposed to be a protagonist in 'The Boys', but the Friday finale premiere has turned many fans against him, and, well, they have their reasons.

People took issue with Butcher before the finale, but episode 8 appeared to show that Butcher is clearly stepping away from his own principles. Despite being on a mission to take down Homelander for good, Butcher seems to totally ditch the plan as soon as he sees Ryan, Becca's kid, by the superhero's side.

Even Soldier Boy does not seem to understand the sudden change of heart, but Butcher is adamant in his desire to protect Ryan, basically sacrificing their entire plan.

Was it a good a noble move, though? Hardly so, because Ryan seems to be entering his villain era as Homelander takes the kid with him on a rally in his support. When a Starlight fan steps out of the crowd and throws a can at Ryan, Homelander lasers his head in half, but the crowd seems to be perfectly OK with it, and so is Ryan.

Now that Butcher's merciful mood appeared to have created a new villain for season 4, fans accuse Billy of becoming a bad guy himself. Clearly, what seems to be him "leveling the playing field" turned out to almost be a shift in sides. Uh-oh.

The extent of Butcher's role in Ryan's downfall remains to be seen. Currently, all things point at Homelander being on a mission to raise his heir – and Butcher has obviously played his part in it.

Many fans have already said that Billy might become a bad guy next season as he is corrupted by temporary V, and his mind is messed up due to the Ryan controversy. To know for sure, we would have to wait until season 4 comes out – something that might happen in the middle of 2023.

'The Boys' season 3 finale is currently streaming on Prime Video.