One of the most complicated relationships in The Boys is the one between Billy Butcher (played by Karl Urban) and his adoptive son, Ryan Butcher (played by Cameron Crovetti). Ryan is biologically Homelander and Becca Butcher’s son, and after he mistakenly killed his mother, Becca made Butcher promise her that he would keep Ryan safe, away from Homelander. While he did keep Ryan safe all this time, Butcher also pushed him away emotionally to further protect his life.
In The Boys Season 5, Ryan has returned, and Butcher, now hell-bent on killing Homelander whichever way he can, sends Ryan as bait so that he can get Homelander out in the open to inject him with the Supe Virus. While Butcher is known for being ruthless and not very sympathetic, his use of Ryan when he knows he might die is a sharp turn in character, even for him. The Boys creator Eric Kripke has explained how the relationship between Butcher and Ryan is at this point in the show.
Butcher and Ryan’s relationship in The Boys explained
In The Boys Season 5 episode 3, which was released on April 15, 2026, we saw Ryan coming out of hiding and returning to the United States, and Butcher finding him. Butcher then had a meaningful conversation with Ryan and then told him how he wanted Ryan to confront Homelander so that he would come out in the open, and Butcher would have the chance to kill him with the Supe Virus. In an attempt to manipulate Ryan, Butcher doubted his powers for a moment, and that made Ryan determined to prove Butcher wrong.
While he is Homelander’s biological son and confronted Homelander about Becca’s rape, Ryan isn’t a match for his father. Homelander beat him so badly that he almost died, and Butcher found him later, with Ryan surviving by an inch. The fact that Butcher used Ryan as bait is staggering, despite his becoming psychopathic about killing Homelander. When asked by ScreenRant if Butcher was really okay with Ryan dying for the greater good or if he still has some goodness left in him, The Boys creator, Eric Kripke, said,
“Yeah, I think he’s serious about it. I think that conversation he has with Ryan at the bar is chilling because it’s delivered with such warmth and sympathy, but he’s asking the kid to be a suicide bomber.”
Kripke further explains,
“This iteration of Butcher isn’t trying to bulls–t anyone. He isn’t trying to cajole or coerce anyone, and he’s not going to manipulate them. He’s just laying it out straight, but he’s still telling a child, “You have to die.” The kid does not have the maturity to deal with that properly, as we demonstrate.”
As Kripke states, Ryan, not realizing the stakes, willingly goes to confront Homelander and gets almost killed. Despite Butcher finding him alive later, it is going to take Ryan a long time to recover, that is, if he does. Thus, Butcher knowingly sent Ryan to die just because it would help him kill Homelander. Kripke also said,
“I just think it’s messy and complicated. When Butcher shows up at the end, he does have feelings and regret for what he’s put Ryan through, but I think that’s a small spark in a hurricane. I think, were he to do it again… If he has the virus and needs Ryan to do it again, he would do it without hesitation. He’d feel bad, but I don’t think that would stop any of his actions. Which is, of course, what matters.”
Thus, we know that this isn’t a once-in-a-lifetime hard choice Butcher made. It’s a choice he willingly made to achieve his goal and will do so again in a heartbeat, which shows just how far gone he is. But perhaps he is the one who can kill Homelander, who also, as we see, has gone off the rails.
All released episodes of The Boys are streaming on Prime Video. The Boys Season 5 episode 4 will be released on Prime Video on April 22, 2026.
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Edited by Sroban Ghosh