Karl Urban as Billy Butcher talking to Ryan in The Boys season 4

Eric Kripke, series creator and showrunner of The Boys, explains why Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) is having hallucinations in season 4. The new season sees Butcher at his lowest point, with only six months left to live, and ousted from the Boys by their new leader, Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso). He’s also struggling to keep the promise he made to his wife Becca (Shantel VanSanten) before she died that he would keep her son Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) safe. As Butcher grapples with these challenges, he is visited by hallucinations of Becca.

In an interview with TVLine, Kripke explained the creative choice behind Butcher’s hallucinations and bringing Becca back to the series this way. After her death in The Boys season 2 finale, Becca did not make any appearances in season 3, although she was mentioned on numerous occasions, and the impact of her loss and the promise Butcher made to her loomed over the entire season. Check out Kripke’s explanation of Becca’s return via hallucinations below:

One, I love Shantel, and I’ll work with her every chance I get. We really wanted to present a Butcher at war with himself this season. He’s only got six months to live. He needs to decide, is he going to fulfill his promise to Becca, or is he going to give into all of his worst impulses? So we thought to really dramatize that promise that he made, to sort of bring her back as sort of the angel on his shoulder that he’s conflicted by, was a good way to show his inner turmoil.

Can “Becca” Save Butcher From Himself?

“Becca” Has So Far Steered Him Away From Doing Anything Terrible.

Billy and Becca looking at each other happy in The Boys

Despite being at his lowest point, Butcher is ultimately making better choices than he did in the majority of episodes in the previous seasons, and that’s largely thanks to his conversations with “Becca.”

The hallucinations of Becca have so far prevented Butcher from giving in to his worst impulses in season 4. She talked him out of betraying Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), the only true friend he has left. Her influence and the promise he made her also convinced him to not go through with drugging Ryan as he and new The Boys character CIA agent Joe Kessler (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) had planned. Despite being at his lowest point, Butcher is ultimately making better choices than he did in the majority of episodes in the previous seasons, and that’s largely thanks to his conversations with “Becca.”

While she is the angel on his shoulder, Butcher’s old friend Kessler is already becoming the devil on his other shoulder. Giving Butcher fentanyl to drug Ryan is only the beginning of his negative influence. Kessler has no moral qualms about what it will take to defeat Homelander (Antony Starr) and other Supes before it’s too late for humanity to fight back. This is the same mindset Butcher has had in the past, and the longer Ryan remains at Homelander’s side, the more desperate Butcher will become.

Becca obviously means more to Butcher than Kessler does. Seeing her and having conversations with her via the hallucinations is a constant reminder of her and of the promise he made. Nevertheless, Kessler is one of the few living people still willing to talk to Butcher, and if he can get Butcher to rationalize that the best way to keep his promise and to protect Ryan is to take some kind of horrific action, even Becca may be unable to save Butcher from himself as The Boys season 4 continues.