Billy Butcher

William J. "Billy" Butcher is a fictional character and antihero in the comic book and Amazon Prime series The Boys, created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. He is the leader of The Boys, a group of CIA-sponsored vigilantes (consisting of Wee Hughie, Mother's Milk, Frenchie, and the Female) who employ murder, kidnapping, extortion, coercion, threats of violence, and torture against superheroes deemed as stepping out of line of government interests. He is the Homelander's archenemy, who he blames for the rape and death of his wife Becky, while also developing an intense hatred for all superhuman beings. He is the final antagonist of the comic book series.

Billy Butcher
The Boys character
Billy Butcher armed with a crowbar, as portrayed by Karl Urban in the television series The Boys
First appearance
Last appearanceDear Becky #8 (December 2020)
Created byGarth Ennis
Darick Robertson
Adapted byEric Kripke
Portrayed byKarl Urban
In-universe information
Full nameWilliam J. Butcher
Alias
  • The Butcher
  • Monsieur Charcutier
  • British Guy
  • The Guy
  • The One in Charge
NicknameBilly
GenderMale
Occupation
Family
SpouseBecky Saunders (comics)
Becca Butcher (television)
Significant otherSusan L. Rayner (comics)
NationalityBritish

In the Amazon Prime Video streaming television adaptation, Butcher is portrayed by Karl Urban.

Appearances

The Boys and Herogasm
Main articles: The Boys (comics) and Herogasm

Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker

In Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker, Butcher's background is explored, as he reminisces on his life whilst attending his father's funeral, talking to his corpse about his time spent serving in the British Army and special forces, fighting in the Falklands War, meeting and marrying his wife Becky, and joining the CIA and founding the Supe-focused black ops group The Boys following her death. Concluding with a statement on how much he had always hated his father despite not seeing him in twenty years, Butcher urinates on his corpse.

Dear Becky

In Dear Becky, set twelve years after Butcher's death, Hughie is sent Butcher's diary by an unknown individual, leading him to confront his past actions and killing Butcher. As Hughie reads through the diary, Butcher's past actions and moral justifications are elaborated upon, including torturing and murdering renegade Supes (including children), and how he developed his plans for a genocide focused on Supes. Ultimately, Rayner is revealed to have sent Hughie the diary in an attempt to intimidate him so she could restart her political campaign; Hughie then reveals that Butcher had had proof of the various war crimes she had committed which he kept to himself, instead having chosen to posthumously ruin her career with a sex scandal.

The Boys (2019–present)

In the streaming television series adaptation, Karl Urban portrays the character. Unlike the comic series, Butcher has a beard, although he was clean shaven until his wife disappeared, presumed dead. Butcher’s wife Becca disappeared eight years previously, for which he blames Homelander due to video footage presented to him by Grace Mallory.[1] After discovering Becca to be alive in the first season finale, Butcher promises to protect her son Ryan after her actual death in the second season.[2]

Butcher (2020)

The short film Butcher, set between the first and second seasons, follows Butcher on the run after being framed for Stillwell's murder. After seeking help from his old friend Jock, Butcher beats him to death after Jock calls the police on him.[3][4]

Powers and abilities

Billy Butcher is a physically fit former SAS special forces operative later employed by the CIA, possessing no superpowers or extraordinary abilities, unless injected with a shot of the enhancement drug Compound V.[5] Each dosage applied to Billy and other members of The Boys is worth 19 billion dollars, allowing Butcher superhuman levels of strength and durability, allowing him to casually injure and kill regular humans as well as superhumans. Despite this strength, in the comic books Butcher is most commonly equipped with a crowbar.

Development

Billy Butcher was designed as a parody of The Punisher,[6] a character that series creator Garth Ennis had written, for nine years prior to creating The Boys, both characters being family men who become violent, unhinged vigilantes who allow their constant thirst for revenge to take them over completely. The character was originally owned by DC Comics for its first volume until the rights were reverted to Dynamite Entertainment.[7]

Following the story arc where the corrupt superhero problems are dealt with and Homelander and the Seven are defeated, Billy betrays and murders the other members of The Boys and has them killed in order to eliminate all Supes in the world, establishing him as the final antagonist of the series. Hughie Campbell, enraged by this act of betrayal, kills Billy with a glass shard. Despite dying, Billy praises Hughie and dies with a smile on face, and Hughie tells Annie that Butcher is probably fighting in Hell.[8]

Reception
Urban at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con.

Karl Urban's depiction of Billy Butcher in the Amazon Prime Video streaming television adaptation has been positively received,[9] while his interpersonal relationships with Hughie Campbell (portrayed by Jack Quaid) and M.M. (portrayed by Laz Alonso) have been praised.[10][11]

References
  1. Bedard, Mike (2020-09-28). "The Hughie Detail You Never Noticed In The Boys Season 1". Looper.com. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  2. "The Boys: 10 Things Only Comic Book Fans Know About Hughie". Screen Rant. 2021-04-07. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  3. @TheBoysTV (September 10, 2020). "Wondering what Butcher's been up to? Check out "BUTCHER: A Short Film" while you wait for tomorrow's new episode 👀" (Tweet). Retrieved September 12, 2020 – via Twitter.
  4. Weintraub, Steve "Frosty" (July 7, 2020). "Exclusive: Eric Kripke on 'The Boys' Season 2, Giancarlo Esposito's Role, and a Billy/William Butcher Short Film". Collider. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  5. Pierre, Mekishana (2020-09-07). "The Boys: A Quick Reminder About Why Compound V Matters So Much". POPSUGAR Entertainment. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  6. Riesman, Abraham (2020-06-02). "Why Cops and Soldiers Love the Punisher". Vulture. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  7. "Dynamite® The Boys". www.dynamite.com. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  8. "The Boys: Hughie's Powers in the Comics, Explained". Screen Rant. 2020-12-12. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  9. "The Boys Season 2 finale recap: What I Know". 21 April 2021.
  10. Perry, Spencer (February 25, 2021). "The Boys Star Karl Urban Reveals First Look at Butcher for Season 3". Comic Book. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  11. Perry, Spencer (April 21, 2021). "The Boys Star Laz Alonso Speaks on Mother's Milk Special Connection With Butcher in Official Podcast (Exclusive)". Comic Book. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
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