Let's Put the Christ Back in Christmas

Season of television series The BoysSeason 4Promotional posterShowrunnerEric KripkeStarring Karl Urban Jack Quaid Antony Starr Erin Moriarty Jessie T. Usher Laz Alonso Chace Crawford Tomer Capone Karen Fukuhara Nathan Mitchell Colby Minifie Claudia Doumit Cameron Crovetti Susan Heyward Valorie Curry Jeffrey Dean Morgan No. of episodes8ReleaseOriginal networkAmazon Prime VideoOriginal releaseJune 13 (2024-06-13) –July 18, 2024 (2024-07-18)Season chronology← PreviousSeason 3Next →Season 5List of episodes The fourth season of the American satirical superhero television series The Boys, the first series in the franchise based on the comic book series of the same name written by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, was developed for television by American writer and television producer Eric Kripke. The season is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with Point Grey Pictures, Original Film, Kripke Enterprises, Kickstart Entertainment, and KFL Nightsky Productions. The show's fourth season stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and Cameron Crovetti returning from prior seasons, with Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan joining the cast. Taking place six months after the events of the previous season, the Boys work with the CIA to assassinate Victoria Neuman in an effort to stop her from taking over the government. Concurrently, Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the control thumb of Homelander, who is consolidating his power. With only months to live, Butcher has lost his position as leader of the Boys, who are fed up with his lies, and must find a way to work with them if they want to save the world before it's too late. The season shares continuity with the spinoff series Gen V and is set after the conclusion of its first season. The season premiered on the streaming service Amazon Prime Video on June 13, 2024, with its first three episodes. The remaining five episodes were released weekly until July 18, 2024. The season received positive reviews with praise towards its action sequences, character development, emotional depth, storyline, blend of political commentary and surrealism, unique combination of violence, humor and social commentary, and performances (particularly Urban, Quaid, Starr, and Moriarty), lauding its bold approach to tackling complex themes and pushing narrative boundaries. However, multiple critics and publications have considered it the most darkest and polarizing season yet. On May 14, 2024, the series was renewed for a fifth season. On June 11, two days before the fourth season premiered, Kripke announced that the fifth season would serve as the final season.

[edit] See also: List of The Boys episodes Season four episodesNo.overallNo. inseasonTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date 251"Department of Dirty Tricks"Phil SgricciaDavid ReedJune 13, 2024 (2024-06-13)

The CIA tasks the Boys with assassinating Victoria Neuman, but the plan fails when her superpowered daughter, Zoe, discovers them and launches an attack. Ryan learns that Billy Butcher has only about six months to live due to the effects of V24. At CIA headquarters, Butcher reunites with Joe Kessler, an old ally who attempts to recruit him to fight against the Supes. Meanwhile, Homelander, increasingly frustrated with his aging and tired of his sycophantic followers, recruits Sister Sage, the smartest person alive, to join the Seven and help him take over the world. Under their orders, the Deep and a new Black Noir murder Todd and two other Homelander supporters. Sage later incites a riot outside a courthouse after Homelander is found not guilty of murder, and A-Train frames the Starlighters by dumping the bodies into the crowd. Butcher arranges a meeting with Neuman to obtain the Red River files but backs out after experiencing a hallucination of Becca. Hughie Campbell learns his father has suffered a stroke and reunites with his mother. 262"Life Among the Septics"Karen GaviolaJessica ChouJune 13, 2024 (2024-06-13)

Butcher tells the Boys his remaining time to live and is kicked out. However, Butcher tracks them and helps them to spy on Sage, who is recruiting the alt-right Supe Firecracker at TruthCon. Butcher and M.M. fight, causing the former to leave. Their plan is thwarted when Sage, Firecracker, and Splinter ambush them; Sage leaves and a fight ensues. Butcher returns and kills Splinter, and Firecracker flees in the aftermath. Guilty over his actions, A-Train gives Hughie and Annie January files exonerating the Starlighters accused of murder. Homelander and Sage organize Ryan's first public mission, a scripted rescue. The mission ends disastrously when Homelander appears off-script and shocks Ryan into killing the stuntman disguised as the criminal. Butcher opens up to M.M. in an attempt to rejoin the Boys, to no avail. 273"We'll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here"Fred ToyeEllie MonahanJune 13, 2024 (2024-06-13)

Homelander introduces Sage and Firecracker as new members of the Seven and names Sage CEO, replacing Ashley, who is reduced to a figurehead role. Butcher and Kessler plan to kidnap Ryan, but when Butcher meets him, they instead spend time bonding. M.M. recruits A-Train as a spy, and he reluctantly agrees. Frenchie and Kimiko destroy a Shining Light Liberation Army cell, where a drugged Frenchie experiences hallucinations about his past and Kimiko is confronted by someone she knows. Annie confronts Firecracker, who reveals she resents Annie for a rumor that ruined her career. Hughie and M.M. infiltrate a meeting between Homelander, Neuman, and Sage to plan the assassination of Bob Singer, but Homelander detects Hughie and tries to kill him until A-Train saves him. Hughie's mother, Daphne, explains she left due to postpartum depression and a suicide attempt. Ryan returns home and is confronted by Homelander for visiting Butcher, leading to a breakdown. 284"Wisdom of the Ages"Phil SgricciaGeoff AullJune 20, 2024 (2024-06-20)

[edit] Main article: List of The Boys characters

Main[edit] Karl Urban as William "Billy" Butcher Jack Quaid as Hugh "Hughie" Campbell Jr. Antony Starr as John Gillman / Homelander Erin Moriarty as Annie January / Starlight Moriarty also plays a variation of the Shapeshifter Supe Jessie T. Usher as Reggie Franklin / A-Train Laz Alonso as Marvin T. "Mother's" Milk / M.M. Chace Crawford as Kevin Kohler / The Deep Tomer Capone as Serge Les Saintes / Frenchie Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro / The Female Nathan Mitchell as Black Noir II Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett Claudia Doumit as Nadia Khayat / Victoria Neuman Cameron Crovetti as Ryan Butcher Susan Heyward as Jessica "Sage" Bradley / Sister Sage Valorie Curry as Misty Tucker Gray / Firecracker Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Joe Kessler

Recurring[edit] Laila Robins as Grace Mallory Simon Pegg as Hugh Campbell Sr. Rosemarie DeWitt as Daphne Campbell Derek Wilson as Robert Vernon / Tek Knight Jim Beaver as Robert "Dakota Bob" Singer Matthew Edison as Cameron Coleman Shantel VanSanten as Becca Butcher Will Ferrell as himself portraying Coach Brink Tilda Swinton as Ambrosius (voice) Christian Keyes as Nathan Franklin Maddie Phillips as Cate Dunlap Asa Germann as Sam Riordan Elliot Knight as Colin Hauser David Reale as Evan Lambert Erika Prevost as Tala Frances Turner as Monique P. J. Byrne as Adam Bourke Kimberly-Sue Murray as Kiara Sabrina Saudin as Also Ashley Dan Mousseau as Webweaver Olivia Morandin as Zoe Neuman Omid Abtahi as Dr. Sameer Shah David Andrews as Senator Calhoun

Guest[edit] Giancarlo Esposito as Stan Edgar Matthew Gorman as Todd Ana Sani as Anika Jordana Lajoie as Cherie Rob Benedict as Splinter Malcolm Barrett as Seth Reed Katia Winter as Little Nina Shaun Benson as Ezekiel Murray Furrow as Marty Mark Cowling as Frank Nancy Lenehan as Barbara Liyou Abere as Janine Tyrone Benskin as Elijah Ann Cusack as Donna January Ess Hödlmoser as Cindy Derek Johns as Love Sausage Jensen Ackles as Ben / Soldier Boy

Cameos[edit] In the season premiere, "Department of Dirty Tricks", Rafia Iqbal, Zach McGowan and Jasper Morris appear in separate photographs as Hyperion, Dogknott and Wrangler, respectively, during Ashley's presentation of twenty-five Supes who would be potential candidates for the Seven. Shoshana Bean, James Monroe Iglehart, and Andrew Rannells provide the singing voices of the uncredited figure skaters portraying Queen Maeve, Jesus, and Homelander, respectively, during the "Let's Put the Christ Back in Christmas" rehearsal musical sequence in the third episode.

[edit] Development[edit] On June 10, 2022, Amazon Prime Video renewed the series for a fourth season. According to showrunner Eric Kripke, figuring out a way to save Ryan's soul is a key priority for Butcher in the fourth season, with Kripke saying it's like Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) combined with Avengers: Endgame (2019). On December 4, 2023, Kripke hinted that a scene from the fourth season might include "the batshit craziest thing" ever filmed for the series and expressed his own surprise that he "got away with it". He also teased how each episode this season would play out, saying: "I think every episode has at least one totally fucking bananas moment. I love the ones in episode five. Episode six makes me cover my mouth with my hands every time I watch it. So, I think there's lots of good stuff going on."

Writing[edit] Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Kripke described the inspirations of Valorie Curry's character, Misty Tucker Gray / Firecracker, saying: "I think it's like [politicians] Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert. When we were writing her, [South Dakota Governor] Kristi Noem wasn't in our heads, but then she comes out and she's shooting puppies and then it's like, 'There's Firecracker! She's literally shooting puppies!'" Kripke also spoke with Variety about the development of the character, saying: "Firecracker came from like, 'Hey, isn't Marjorie Taylor Greene scary?' And just that type of personality. Like, you had [Donald] Trump, but now you have these Trump spawn that are trying to outdo each other for how outrageous and sexualized and gun-toting and slavishly obedient they can be. And just that idea — it wouldn't just start and end with Homelander, he would start to create these spores that would grow into these other characters, and she's a version of that." Kripke also revealed that Susan Heyward's character, Jessica "Sage" Bradley / Sister Sage, was conceived out of a conversation about one of Homelander's big weaknesses, saying: "He's generally surrounded by idiots. And so if we gave him someone truly brilliant, that makes him much more formidable. It turns out that that's a really hard character to write! Because you have to write things that the smartest person in the world would think of and we're not the smartest people in the world, so that's really difficult. And then Sage became a really interesting character, so that's really difficult." Setting up the series' endgame, Kripke commented on the season finale's impact, saying: "There's a sort of seismic change at the end of season four; nothing in the world is going to be the same." The season finale is dedicated to Larry Kripke, father of Eric Kripke, who died on February 13, 2024.

Casting[edit] The fourth season featured the addition of Susan Heyward (left), Valorie Curry (middle), and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (right) to the cast as Sage, Firecracker and Joe Kessler, respectively. On July 8, 2022, it was announced Nathan Mitchell (who portrayed the masked Black Noir in the first three seasons), despite his character's death in the third season finale, would continue to portray Black Noir, but as a new entity of the character (Black Noir II) in a main capacity of the fourth season. On August 1, it was revealed that Cameron Crovetti had been promoted as a series regular, while Curry and Heyward were cast as new series regulars for the fourth season. On August 25, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was cast as a recurring guest star for the fourth season. On December 1, Rob Benedict and Elliot Knight joined the cast in undisclosed capacities for the fourth season, alongside Rosemarie DeWitt who was revealed to play Hughie's mother, Daphne. After the three-episode premiere, it was revealed that Benedict and Knight were portraying Splinter and Colin, respectively. On May 3, 2024, the official trailer revealed Maddie Phillips and Asa Germann would appear in the fourth season, reprising their roles from Gen V as Cate Dunlap and Sam Riordan, respectively. Derek Wilson also reprised his role as Robert Vernon / Tek Knight from Gen V. Dan Mousseau portrayed Webweaver / Patrick Whitehall, a drug-addicted Supe and parody of Spider-Man, in two episodes. A first-look image of the character was shared during the fictional V52 Expo, a convention put on by Vought that parodies Disney's D23 Expo.

[edit] On October 10, 2022, during production in Toronto, first-look images of new characters Firecracker and Sister Sage were released on Twitter. On November 8, 2023, two teaser posters were released via Twitter, revealing a first-look at the fourth season appearances of Butcher and Homelander, featuring the caption "Let's light this candle". The teaser trailer debuted at comic event CCXP in São Paulo, Brazil, which teased the introduction of characters Sister Sage, Firecracker and Joe Kessler, and subsequently released on Twitter and YouTube, on December 2. On May 2, 2024, two official posters were unveiled. The following day, the official trailer was released. Sneak peek images were released on May 29 and June 9. Six character posters were released from June 1 to 6 on Twitter. A week before the season was released, the first official clip was uploaded on Twitter and YouTube on June 6. Ahead of the premiere, IGN posted a comedic, heavily censored video of Morgan sharing details about his character, Joe Kessler, on June 9. Promotional materials for the fourth season also included the quotes "Make America Super Again" and "Supe Lives Matter", a parody of the slogans "Make America Great Again" and "Black Lives Matter", respectively.

[edit] On June 28, 2023, Kripke confirmed that he was withholding release of the new season until the WGA strike was resolved. The following year, the season premiered its first three episodes on June 13, 2024, while its remaining episodes were released on a weekly basis up until the season finale on July 18. Upon the season finale's release, the title of the episode was retitled from "Assassination Run" to "Season Four Finale", following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump five days prior. A "viewer discretion advised" warning was added at the beginning of the episode, with Amazon, Sony Pictures Television and the producers of The Boys opposing real-world political violence and clarifying that "any scene or plotline similarities to these real-world events are coincidental and unintentional". These sentiments were echoed by Kripke, stating: "We are a superhero TV show. We're fictional. Obviously, it's a political show with a point of view so there's gonna be some horrible coincidences. But anything real-world we condemn and are against in the strongest possible terms. We're just making our superhero show."

[edit] Critical response[edit] On Rotten Tomatoes, the fourth season holds an approval rating of 92%, based on 142 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.65/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Boxing in the political arena with a bloodied smile, The Boys' fourth season is grim and even a little glum while holding up a cracked mirror towards modern society." On Metacritic, the season holds a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Contributing to The Illuminerdi, Kevin Fenix was exceedingly impressed and ecstatic in his review, awarding it 10/10, writing: "Season 4 is a triumph in every sense, blending sharp social commentary with compelling character arcs and breathtaking production value. It is a brilliant exploration of power, corruption, and humanity, told through the lens of a world where superheroes are anything but heroic. With its perfectly packed and balanced stories, characters, themes, and issues, The Boys continues to be one of the most relevant and entertaining series on television ... A must-watch." Alison Foreman of Empire rated the season 4 out of 5 stars, calling season four the "best yet" and the series "at the top of its game", while also praising its "meaningful" character drama. Paste's Trent Moore gave the season a 9.0 rating, writing: "It's a wild ride, arguably the show's wildest yet, which is saying something ... Season 4 is simply phenomenal ... The Boys has been one of the best shows on television for years now and continues to cement its place in the pantheon with its deft blend of drama, gore, political commentary, and surrealism. The series is a pressure cooker that only gets hotter and tighter as it goes on." Megan Vick of GameSpot commended its "emotional center", though criticized the "slow start". Grading the season a B+, IndieWire's Ben Travers wrote: "It's mostly impressive how deftly The Boys' dramatic side balances its many arcs, while the black comedy's demented inventiveness helps distract from any lingering deficiencies ... My notes on Season 4 are littered with 'oh god's' and 'hoo boy's', all of which denote a particularly gnarly set piece or horrific marvel of creature design." In a mixed review, Matt Donato of IGN graded the season with a 7/10, writing: "Season 4 can't capitalize on all its competing plotlines, but still delivers the show's signature shock and awe entertainment." Also giving the season a 7/10 and mixed review, Garrett Blaney of Collider wrote: "Season 4 goes wilder than ever before, but even that isn't enough to distract from the formulaic approach the show is taking", adding, "No amount of gore or meta-commentary can hide the fact that the story is getting thin." GamesRadar+'s Emily Murray, awarding the season 3 out of 5 stars, was also mixed, writing: "The Boys may be back in town, but the cracks are beginning to show ... at least there's plenty here to enjoy from this wildly entertaining latest chapter." Though praising the season finale, calling it "excellent" and "strong", Erik Kain of Forbes found the rest of the season "mediocre" and considered the season to be "filler, with unsatisfying character development ... and weird side stories that didn't need to take up so much time". Conversely, Startefact's Zoe Wallace gave the overall season an extremely negative review, deeming it the "worst" and "weakest" season so far. She criticized about the low stakes, shock value, and new characters' lack of charisma, summarizing: "The confrontation with Homelander is clearly dragging on and the writers are running out of ideas. Season 4 could have been great if the writers weren't afraid to kill off characters and weren't distracted by secondary storylines – and that's what made Season 4 the worst of all." Reviewing the season finale and season four as a whole, Comic Book Resources' Joshua M. Patton deemed the finale as "the series' most important episode yet" and the overall season as "powerful" television. He concluded by writing: "After faithfully adapting the comic's most important basics and beats during its earliest episodes, The Boys grew into its own beast. Even better, the series' original story was a much better political commentary and character study of superheroes than its source material ever was. Despite its aggression and edginess, The Boys is arguably one of the strongest appeals to humanity and demolitions of toxic masculinity on air today. While the series is best known for its pitch-black humor and send-up of superhero culture, Season 4 proves that The Boys fits into the mold of superhero storytelling more than it doesn't. Using fantastical characters and classic genre conventions, the storytellers held up a mirror to the real-world with a warning about how embracing ugliness, violence, revenge and hatred will only lead to the proliferation of more sadness and suffering. There hasn't been a superhero story as daring and relevant as The Boys Season 4 in quite some time, and it will be an even longer while before any other superhero story can surpass it."

The phrase "Let's Put the Christ Back in Christmas" lands at the intersection of pop culture and tradition, making it a favourite for anyone who enjoys a bit of cheeky provocation during the holidays. Its tongue‑in‑cheek wording reminds listeners that the religious roots of the season can still surface amidst the commercial clutter. For many, the track acts as a gentle nudge to remember the original meaning of the festival, while for others it simply offers a witty lyric to joke about over a mince pie. That duality keeps it relevant year after year, turning it into a conversation starter at office parties and family gatherings alike.

When you slot this track into a festive mix, consider the surrounding mood. Its edgy vibe pairs well with the more upbeat, modern songs – think after‑dinner drinks or a cheeky game night. Start the set with classic carols, then drop the track as a surprise midway to re‑energise the crowd. Volume is key: keep it loud enough to cut through chatter, but not so dominant that it drowns out the laughter. If you have a karaoke machine, the chorus works surprisingly well for a sing‑along, especially when the group is already in a light‑hearted spirit.

A common mistake is assuming the song is a sermon demanding a return to piety. In reality, it uses humour to highlight how commercialism has eclipsed the holiday's spiritual core. Listeners often focus on the provocative wording and miss the underlying reminder that faith can still have a place at the table. Recognising this nuance helps you appreciate the track not as a moral lecture but as a playful prompt to reflect on why we celebrate, making it a more inclusive addition to diverse holiday gatherings.