‘The Boys’ peels back its superhero mask to reveal TV’s most political drama

More than any season before it, “The Boys” Season 4 leans into the political realm thanks new characters and familiar gags.

“The Boys” began with an intriguing question for our superhero-infused pop culture – namely, what would happen if extraordinary powers were wedded with corruption, neuroses and corporate greed. Yet that dark, satirical take on the genre has blossomed into TV’s most political drama, a quality even more overtly on display in its much-anticipated fourth season. Put more simply, don’t let the masks and capes fool you. The fact that the latest episodes drop as the US braces for a presidential campaign only magnifies elements that have existed throughout the show’s run on Amazon’s Prime Video, becoming the service’s signature series, including the spinoffs “Gen V” and “The Boys Presents: Diabolical.” The fourth season features the usual conflict between superheroes in the uneasy employ of Vought International and those who oppose them. The former cohort begins with the near-invincible, psychopathic Homelander (Antony Starr), whose Superman-like public persona is carefully manicured to hide those qualities, while the latter take their lead from Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), even if they frequently question his methods. The Butcher-Homelander standoff is complicated by their battle for the soul of the latter’s biological son, Ryan (Cameron Crovetti), which itself encompasses consideration of the question of nature versus nature. More than any season before it, the new arc leans into the political realm thanks to the involvement of politician Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit), and efforts by Vought and Homelander to impact the political debate. That includes thinly-veiled references to a group clearly intended to represent QAnon, the conspiracy-minded movement, and the use of propaganda tactics to manipulate the public and voters. At one point, the characters attend an event called Truthcon, where a banner that reads “There are no conspiracies – or coincidences” is prominently flown.