Butcher Killed Victoria Neuman in 'The Boys' For a Very Important Reason
The fourth season of the Prime Video series left a major cliffhanger for fans ahead of its final installment.
Published Oct. 9 2025, 5:31 p.m. ET

Few streaming television series keep audiences as engaged as The Boys. The superhero drama produced by Prime Video is tense, with the adaptation depicting a dark world in which heroes use their abilities for profit and to conquer power struggles.
One of the most important characters in the series is Billy Butcher (Karl Urban). The reluctant anti-hero assembled the titular team in the first place with the hope of the group being able to take down Homelander (Anthony Starr).
Audiences know Butcher from the first episode of The Boys. The character was introduced years before Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) came into the picture. The politician had plenty of hidden motives under her innocent cover.
Why did Butcher kill Victoria? Here's what we know about the shocking development that left fans wanting for more when the fourth season of The Boys was launched. The fate of the entire world was at stake.
Why did Butcher kill Victoria Neuman in 'The Boys'?
There are several factors to take into account when trying to determine why Butcher killed Victoria in the fourth season of The Boys. Karl's character had just lost his faith in heroes after a disastrous interaction with the young Ryan (Cameron Crovetti).
The boy is one of the most powerful enhanced humans from the world of The Boys. When exposed to Homelander's crimes, Ryan's anger causes him to accidentally kill Grace Mallory (Laila Robins).

The friendship between Butcher and Grace can be seen throughout the first four seasons of the series. The intelligence agent helped Butch when he didn't know what to do with his life. Grace made the tormented vigilante feel a bit less lonely after the death of his wife.
Needless to say, a death of that magnitude comes with major consequences. Butcher wasn't in the right mindset to make a decision. This could have been one of the factors that led him towards killing Victoria.
How did Butch kill Victoria Neuman in 'The Boys'?
The world of The Boys is filled with powerful people. In order to even the odds, Butcher stole some doses of Temp V, a compound capable of granting a regular person special powers over the course of a day.
The liberating substance comes at a price. Constant use of Temp V slowly kills a person. Butcher didn't care about the consequences, and he used his temporary abilities to tear Victoria apart.

Victoria's death opens up a world of possibilities. The politician was about to become a reluctant ally for the titular group when Butcher made his move. With Victoria out of the picture, Butch got his hands on a virus capable of killing every hero on Earth.
Everyone has secrets. While posing as an anti-hero politician, Victoria was secretly an enhanced assassin. Her desire to sabotage the political fight against corrupt heroes was another reason why Butcher took matter into his own hands.
The stage is set for the final season of The Boys to deliver a satisfying conclusion. Homelander is more powerful than ever, Butcher has the deadly virus in his possession, and the core group was left caught in a trap.