Antony Starr and Cameron Crovetti in “The Boys” Season 4.

PRIME VIDEO/JASPER SAVAGE

Antony Starr’s Homelander is as evil as ever in the Season 4 debut episode of The Boys—creating an ominous feeling that his maniacal energy is going to cause some serious damage as the sprawling narrative of the series continues to unfold.

Homelander, of course, is the seemingly unstoppable leader of The Seven, a megalomaniacal and MAGA-inspired creation by The Boys’ showrunner Eric Kripke. The showrunner has never hid the fact that the series is about Trumpism—which he discussed in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter—and he makes his intentions clear in Season 4’s opening episode.

The fourth season of The Boys—based on the Garth Ennis-penned comic book series of the same name—debuts on Prime Video Thursday with the premiere of episodes 1-3.

To prevent revealing any major spoilers, this article is a recap and review of Season 4 Episode 1 only.

For the uninitiated, The Boys is about a vigilante group (known as The Boys) that is trying to rid the world of so-called “superheroes” manufactured by the mega-conglomerate the Vought Corporation. Vought has engineered a serum called Compound V that turns normal humans into supervillains, and the most elite of them form a powerful group called The Seven.

Unbeknownst to the public, the members of The Seven are marketed as heroes even though most of them have secret, sinister agendas. Thanks to Starlight’s (Erin Moriarty) viral social media post in Season 3, though, the public has finally been exposed to the fraud Vought has been perpetrating on the public.

As for Homelander, his terrorizing ways were finally exposed in public during the Season 3 finale, when a protester hits his son, Ryan (Cameron Crovetti), with an empty can. In a quick retaliatory move, Homelander gruesomely executes the protester in full view of the public.

Season 4 quickly gets into Homelander’s murder trial, where Kripke stages scenes similar to the protests outside of the courthouse during the recent criminal trial of former President Donald Trump. The trial brings out protesters on both sides, from the anti-Supes crowd (aka Starlighters) to Homelander’s faithful supporters (the Home Team).

Homelander, not surprisingly, is professing his innocence in the murder case, and because of Vought’s stranglehold on power, he’s certain that he’ll be cleared of all charges. But that’s not all. Knowing he needs to repair his public image, Homelander stages a horrific crime that targets his own supporters with the intent of making the Starlighters look responsible for it.

Starr is in peak form in the new season of The Boys, as even his subtle facial gestures speak volumes. By the look of Homelander’s piercing eyes and crooked, menacing smile, he’s always on the verge of popping a bolt that will shatter everybody in his way. In short, there’s no face like Homelander’s in The Boys—and the look on his demented face is one of pure evil.

What Else Happens In Season 4, Episode 1 Of ‘The Boys’?

Episode 1 of The Boys’ fourth season starts relatively low-key in comparison to the sexually charged and ultimately explosive opening of Season 3, which due to its ultra shocking (but very funny) nature will not be repeated here.

Instead, the beginning of Episode 1 lays the groundwork for the new members of The Seven since Annie January/Starlight (Erin Moriarty) and Margaret Shaw/Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott) have left the group.

Instead, Starlight has cast her costume and taken up arms with The Boys while Maeve is nowhere to be seen after the climactic events of the Season 3 finale. Joining the group in Episode 1 is Sister Sage (Susan Heyward), whose superpower is being the smartest person in the world. Essentially, Homelander wants Sage in The Seven because, as she puts it, “He’s tired of being surrounded by morons.”

Episode 1 also catches up with the terminally ailing Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), who only has months to live because of his flirtation with a temporary version of Compound V. While The Boys don’t want Butcher’s help because he creates chaos wherever he goes, the group’s new leader, Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), realizes that it’s going to be difficult to keep him away.

In his final days, Butcher makes it clear that he has one mission. He wants to rescue his late wife Becca’s (Shantel VanSanten) son, Ryan (Cameron Crovetti), from the evil grasp of his real father, Homelander (Antony Starr), who is trying to mold the boy in his image.

Apart from Ryan, there are a lot of issues messing with the psyches of the core characters in the debut episode of Season 4 of The Boys. To begin with, Hughie (Jack Quaid) is informed of a dire medical situation in his family.

That’s not the only family drama going on in the debut episode, however. Secret Supe and VP candidate Valerie Neuman (Claudia Doumit) will soon have to deal with the raging behavior her daughter is displaying after she shot the girl up with Compound V in Season 3.

Meanwhile, the dynamic between Frenchie (Tomer Capone) and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) is changing, and despite the support she gives her boyfriend as he explores other avenues in his life.

While on the surface it may feel like The Boys Season 4 is top-heavy with drama in its debut, there’s plenty of gore and subversive humor spread throughout Episode 1 that creates a proper balance during its 61-minute runtime.

The Boys creator Eric Kripke, per usual, is pulling out all the stops when it comes to the excessively gory action in Episode 1, which is enough to make you squirm and laugh out loud at its absurdity at the same time.

If Episode 1 is any indication, fans can look forward to bat-(bleep) crazy and outrageously entertaining season of The Boys. Season 4’s debut episode not only carries the torch from the brilliant seasons 1-3—it’s also blazing bright with more masterful storytelling.

The Boys Season 4 is streaming exclusively on Prime Video