Billy Butcher's gang of misfits as returning this September to fight Vought's Supes again in The Boys season 2. Yet, the big question we all have is – where did Butcher go after that climactic, game-changing season 1 ending?
Total Film and 12DOVE spoke to Karl Urban, the actor behind Butcher, about that moment. And while we didn't go into specifics, Urban did tease what to expect from his character in season 2.
"Season 2 is all about humanising Butcher," he said. "You come to understand about who he is, and where he came from, and why he is the way he is. [Showrunner] Eric Kripke came to us at the beginning of shooting season 2, and said, 'Listen, it’s going to be a mistake for us to even try and eclipse season one, and to go just bigger with more action and more special effects. What we need to do is to go deeper.'
"He does that by. He brilliantly does that by taking away an aspect of the character that is most precious to them. Every character across the board. Obviously, for Mother's Milk and Butcher – it’s MM’s family, and for Butcher, it’s his wife. For Starlight, it’s her belief in religion and her faith. For Hughie Campbell, it’s actually Starlight. For Homelander, it’s his position as the alpha at the head of the Seven.
"And so by doing so, by putting all these characters into this situation, you just create this wonderful sort of internal conflict. And so, season 2, for fans of The Boys, is a lot more rich and rewarding. And now having seen it, I feel that Eric Kripke not only achieved diving deeper, but he totally went bigger with more action and more special effects. Season 2 is like season one on Compound V. It’s really, truly, next-level diabolical."
For more on The Boys season 2, pick up the latest issue of Total Film, which features our interview with Kripke, Karl Urban, Erin Moriarty, and Jack Quaid. Available on shelves both real and digital now. The Boys returns September 4 on Amazon Prime.
