The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke explains the significance of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character in season 4. Kripke and Morgan worked together previously on the CW’s Supernatural. Morgan now makes his series debut in The Boys season 4 as a CIA agent named Joe Kessler who shares history with Billy Butcher (Karl Urban). With only months left to live, and the Boys taking a different approach under the leadership of Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), Butcher finds himself drawn to working with Kessler.

In an interview with Variety, Kripke shares why Kessler is an important addition to the story and to Butcher’s arc, along with why Morgan is the perfect actor to play the series newcomer. He also acknowledges that while there is a character named Kessler in The Boys comics, the character in the show is quite different, with the name being more of a nod than a direct adaptation. Read Kripke’s comments below:

It’s more of a nod and feeling like we’re still in love with the comics and when we can have tie-ins, we’ll take them. The notion came up reasonably early to have a CIA agent who was very much like a Butcher. Almost everyone in Butcher’s life is trying to pull him back and say, “Don’t do that, Butcher!” And we said, well, what if there was someone in his life who was like, “No, you definitely have to do that. And go further, and go harder.”

So in effect, you need another Butcher. And it’s not easy to find someone who can go toe to toe with Karl, in terms of screen presence and charisma and danger. And luckily, that was the same time that Jeffrey Dean had let me know he might be available for that season. And I’m like, “Oh, thank God, because that’s perfect.” You have somebody who’s got Karl’s weight and stature. And since he was a CIA guy, I said, well, we should call them Kessler and just do our version of Kessler.

What Kessler Means For Butcher’s Future

Butcher Is Stuck Between Good And Evil

Jeffrey Dean Morgan sitting against a wall smirking in The Boys season 4

Among The Boys‘ many storylines, the battle for Butcher’s soul has always been at the heart of the series. Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) and Becca Butcher (Shantel VanSanten) are among those who have pushed Butcher to be better and refused to give up on him at vital points. However, Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), the return of Butcher’s abusive father (John Noble), the powers granted by Temporary V, and other factors have caused Butcher to regress into the worst version of himself.

Kessler is now the devil on Butcher’s shoulder, tempting and enabling the worst parts of him. Butcher hasn’t given in yet, including his refusal to follow through with Kessler’s plan to sabotage and control Ryan (Cameron Crovetti). In seasons 2 and 3, Butcher ultimately chose to honor Becca’s wishes and protect Ryan, even in season 3 when he had his best shot yet to kill Homelander (Antony Starr) once and for all. Given this history and his current refusal to betray those he loves, Butcher will likely make the right choice when it counts most in The Boys season 4.

Nevertheless, all members of the Boys, save for Hughie, have given up on Butcher, and Hughie is currently occupied with confronting his own family trauma. This, along with the ticking clock of his looming demise, leaves Butcher more isolated than he’s ever been in this series. With only Kessler to turn to, who is not wrong about the dangerous precipice the world stands on, season 4 may see Butcher ultimately making the wrong choice, setting up the final battle for his soul in The Boys‘ fifth and final season.