The Boys pokes fun at real politics and other fictional franchises, but it’s not above mocking itself — and season 4 finally acknowledges one harsh reality about Billy Butcher that everyone has been thinking since the series premiered. Despite this outing unraveling more slowly than previous ones, The Boys season 4, episode 7 moves the needle on the plot and raises the stakes significantly ahead of the finale. Vought’s Supes finally clash with The Boys team, and a shapeshifter takes a massive step towards assassinating Robert Singer.

Despite things getting serious for both sides of The Boys’ central conflict, the Amazon series doesn’t forget to inject humor into its latest installment. Vought’s Avenue V Christmas Special is hilariously absurd, and “The Insider” even parodies all the hype surrounding NFTs. But a later line from The Boys season 4, episode 7 takes aim at one of the show’s main characters — and it says aloud what many viewers realized all the way back in season 1.

The Boys Season 4 Pokes Fun At Karl Urban’s British Accent

The Deep Takes Aim At A Common Criticism Of Butcher’s Character

When the new Black Noir and The Deep first approach Butcher and Annie, Butcher tells the two of them that he’ll let them “leg it right now” because it’s Christmas. In response, The Deep pokes fun at Karl Urban’s British accent, saying, “What, dude? I can barely understand you; your accent’s insane.” Most of the things that come out of The Deep’s mouth are clearly wrong or disagreeable, but this is one element of The Boys he hilariously nails. There have been many questions about and criticisms of Urban’s accent since The Boys debuted, and this season 4 line finally addresses it.

There have been many questions about and criticisms of Urban’s accent since The Boys debuted, and this season 4 line finally addresses it.

Butcher’s accent has become an iconic aspect of the character, but there’s no denying that it sounds unusual. It’s supposed to be British, and more specifically, from East London. However, it doesn’t sound like an ordinary Cockney accent. As NME notes, this has caused confusion over where Butcher is from. The Boys season 4, episode 7 acknowledges this and pokes fun at itself through The Deep’s one-liner. Rather than reach for an explanation or attempt to “fix” Butcher’s accent, The Boys resorts to its signature self-aware humor — and to be fair, this does work.

Why Butcher’s Accent Sounds So Unusual In The Boys

Karl Urban’s New Zealand Accent & Butcher’s History Shine Through

The reason Butcher’s Cockney accent sounds off in The Boys likely has to do with Urban’s own background, as well as Butcher’s history. Urban is a New Zealand actor playing a character from London’s East End, which already complicates matters. Although actors are trained to speak in accents outside their own, it seems like Urban’s New Zealand accent bleeds into Butcher’s English one. This makes it sound like a blend of two different accents rather than just a straight Cockney one.

The other issue is that Butcher’s character grew up in London but has lived in America for a long time. So, Urban shouldn’t be going for a straight Cockney accent in the first place. The Boys star needs to capture Butcher’s history whenever he speaks, ensuring that the character sounds like someone whose Cockney accent has been affected by his time in the U.S. This blend of dialects makes Butcher sound unusual in The Boys, and it’s likely the reason behind the accent criticisms.

Why Butcher’s Bad Accent Doesn’t Really Matter In The Boys

Although Butcher’s accent can be ridiculous in The Boys, it really doesn’t impact the series overall. The Amazon show is obviously popular regardless of Urban’s Cockney accent, and it hasn’t prevented Butcher from becoming a fan-favorite character. Even if Butcher’s accent takes some getting used to, it has become an iconic part of The Boys’ leader. At this point, it would be strange if Butcher didn’t have his unusual blend of dialects, as that’s the only version of him that viewers know.

One could argue that Butcher’s over-the-top accent adds to the meta-silliness of the Amazon show, which is meant to be humorous and excessive in the first place.

Of course, Butcher’s accent would be more distracting in a serious superhero project, like Doctor Strange or The Batman. But within the confines of The Boys, it doesn’t even feel that off. One could argue that Butcher’s over-the-top accent adds to the meta-silliness of the Amazon show, which is meant to be humorous and excessive in the first place. Butcher’s ridiculous accent fits right in with all the other eccentric character traits, and it even gives The Boys another thing to poke fun at. So, while it’s a common source of complaints, it doesn’t hurt The Boys in the long run.

Source: NME