Victoria Neuman Has Become the Most Dangerous Supe on ‘The Boys’

Editor’s Note: The below contains spoilers for the three-episode premiere of ‘The Boys’.

After a two-year wait, our introduction to Season 4 of The Boys doesn’t open with Butcher (Karl Urban) or Homelander (Antony Starr), but Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit). She’s been a large part of the series since the second season and appeared briefly last year on The Boys spin-off series Gen V to push her campaign for Vice President alongside presidential nominee Robert Singer (Jim Beaver). The real reason she’s become such an integral part of the series is due to her ability to “pop heads” with a glance. Unbeknownst to the public, Neuman is a Supe that has been popping all heads necessary to advance her political positioning. And she’s almost made it to the top. Neuman is already dangerous enough, but if she makes her way to the Oval Office, there’s no telling what she’ll do.

The Boys

A group of vigilantes set out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers.

Release Date

July 26, 2019

Creator

Eric Kripke

Seasons

4

Studio

Amazon Studios

Neuman’s Campaign Trail on ‘The Boys’ Is Marked by Blood

By keeping her powers a secret, Neuman has worked her way into Congress with an anti-Supe stance and pops some heads along the way without raising any suspicion. She also founded The Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, where she worked alongside Hughie (Jack Quaid) at the beginning of Season 3. After Hughie discovered Neuman’s dark side, he passed the info along to The Boys, and she’s had to be a lot more careful about her identity going forward. As the stakes rose in Season 3 between Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) and Homelander, Neuman worked quietly in the shadows to advance her own agenda, even making a deal with Homelander that gave her Compound V for her daughter in return for betraying her adoptive father, Vought CEO Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito). With Edgar locked away, Homelander assumed position as CEO and allied with Neuman. Homelander sends The Deep to kill Robert Singer’s running mate, Lamar Bishop (Graham Gauthier), so Neuman can swoop in as the new one.

Robert Singer is a democratic candidate who was unaware of Neuman’s Supe-identity at the end of Season 3 when they set off on their campaign trail — but he’s not ignorant anymore. After The Boys botch an assassination attempt on Neuman, MM (Laz Alonso) reports back to Grace Mallory (Laila Robins) at the CIA, where we find out that Singer is the one who coordinated the assassination. Singer is playing along for now but is terrified of the ramifications of a Supe like Neuman in the White House and wants her gone before the election is certified.

Singer is terrified and desperately wants Neuman dead before the certification because he knows the moment they are officially in as POTUS and VP she’s, as Singer describes it, “One heartbeat away from the presidency.” After the assassination attempt, Singer is sure Neuman is on to him and has even started looping her out of campaign meetings — but of course, she shows up anyway.

In Episode 3, “We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying,” Neuman meets with Homelander and Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) to discuss her plan to take the White House. Sister Sage assures Neuman that they’ll handle Singer, so she can maintain plausible deniability. Considering how high tensions are between Homelander and Starlight Supporters, it won’t be difficult at all to stage a scenario where a “Starlighter” kills the President to “save America.” After seeing how clever Sage is, and how Todd (Matthew Gorman) ended up, on top of the reveal that all Supe’s first big saves are staged, the politician is right to be terrified. However, in return for taking care of Singer, Sister Sage and Homelander want Neuman to disband the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, condemn the “Defund the Supes” movement, give Supes legal authority over the police and out herself as the head-popping Supe.

Neuman has a lot of hate for the way Supes are treated, having risen through the system at the Red River Institute — (similar to Jaz Sinclair‘s Marie Moreau from Gen V) — and just wants the best for her daughter Zoe (Olivia Morandin), however she can get it. Neuman’s intentions for the White House haven’t been fully revealed yet, but regardless of whether she decides to out herself as a Supe, it’s clear either option that sees Neuman assume power is bleak.

Related

‘The Boys’ Creator on Season 4’s Absurd Cameos and Putting on a Vought on Ice Show

Showrunner Eric Kripke also talks about the unforgettable Splinter sequences, and that text message Butcher sent to Victoria Neuman.

Neuman Is a Bigger Threat Than Homelander in ‘The Boys’ Season 4

Though other antagonists have popped up throughout The Boys, Homelander has always been the largest looming big bad. Every season, The Boys band together to take him down once and for all, and every season they get so close, only to fail. While it seems we’re on the same trajectory this season, it’s possible things could take a turn towards Neuman. We’re already well aware of how dangerously powerful she is (think back to the courtroom massacre in Season 2) but now we know she’s invulnerable. Frenchie (Tomer Capone) spends a long time concocting the acid that Hughie splashes on Neuman and all it does is sully her pantsuit. Shortly after, Butcher swoops in to save the day and puts a gun to her head, cocking it back and pulling the trigger. Neuman falls but there’s no blood or gore (and as we know, The Boys never misses an opportunity to cover their characters in blood) because the bullet ricochets right off her skull.

Sure, she may not have laser eyes or the ability to fly, but Neuman makes up for it in spades with her composure and confidence. Homelander is losing it, picking out gray pubes, and having severe mental breakdowns every episode. While he’s always been insecure and more of a show pony than an actual fighter (see: padded muscle suit), he’s now more gone than ever. At this point, a well-calculated game of psychological warfare would be enough to take him out, no powers necessary. Considering Neuman has already fooled the American population by voting for her anti-Supe stance, she could very likely be the one to take out Homelander.

Combined with The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke’s recent announcement of the series ending after Season 5, it’s possible that Neuman could end up being the final antagonist for The Boys, with Homelander and potentially Butcher (seeing he only has six months left) out of the picture entirely. While it would be a drastic change, it’d also be refreshing and re-ignite the stakes a bit, as a criticism of the series has been the repetitive threat of Homelander. Neuman has been quietly working her way up the chain since Season 2, so it seems apropos that she finally takes center stage to give The Boys the fight of their lives against… The President of the United States!

The Boys is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S.

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