Eric Kripke, showrunner of the hit series “The Boys,” has revealed a surprising twist concerning Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character, Joe Kessler, in the show’s fourth season. The revelation, which came in episode 6 titled “Dirty Business,” has redefined the relationship between Kessler and Billy Butcher, played by Karl Urban.
Contrary to earlier assertions, it was disclosed that Butcher did not rescue Kessler during their mission in Afghanistan, but instead left him to die. However, the most shocking aspect of this twist is that Kessler is not actually alive.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kripke explained that Kessler exists only as a hallucination, a manifestation of Butcher’s darkest instincts brought on by a V-induced brain tumor. “I don’t think he’s like Venom,” Kripke stated. “I think he represents all that’s dark and malignant inside of Butcher.”
This revelation ties into a larger theme of the season, with both Butcher and his nemesis Homelander grappling with their humanity. Kripke elaborated, “Both Butcher and Homelander, in very different ways, are wrestling with whether they’re human or whether they’re monsters. Kessler represents the monster side and Becca represents the human side of Butcher.”
The writing team’s decision to use Kessler as a misdirection was intentional, allowing them to dramatize Butcher’s internal struggle despite his isolation in the storyline. This approach manifested as a literal “angel and devil on his shoulders” scenario.
Despite this twist, speculation about a potential spin-off series featuring Morgan’s character has begun to circulate. Morgan himself fueled these rumors by enthusiastically responding to hints dropped by Kripke in a recent interview.
As “The Boys” main series is set to conclude with its fifth season, the possibility of spin-offs, potentially including one centered on Kessler, offers fans hope for the continuation of this dark and subversive superhero universe.
