'The Boys' finale added a trigger warning for eerily depicting a presidential assassination attempt. Viewers say the show is predicting the future like 'The Simpsons.'
- "The Boys" season 4 finale includes a warning following the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.
- The finale centers on an assassination attempt on a newly-elected fictional president.
"The Boys" has always been inspired by real-world politics, but the premise of season four hits so eerily close to home that the show issued a disclaimer for the finale.
The eighth and final episode of the season, released Thursday, has been renamed from "Assassination Run" to simply "Season Four Finale." The finale comes five days after former president Donald Trump was wounded during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
"The season finale of 'The Boys' contains scenes of fictional political violence, which some viewers may find disturbing, especially in light of the injuries and tragic loss of life sustained during the assassination attempt on former President Trump," reads the statement posted on the show's official Instagram account on Thursday. "'The Boys' is a fictitious series that was filmed in 2023, and any scene or plotline similarities to these real-world events are coincidental and unintentional. Amazon, Sony Pictures Television and the producers of 'The Boys' reject, in the strongest terms, real-world violence of any kind."
A similar message advising viewer discretion plays before the finale.
Fans online are comparing the show's eerily prescient storylines to 'The Simpsons'
Fox's long-running animated series "The Simpsons" has developed a reputation for predicting future real-world events.
In light of the recent assassination attempt and the timing of "The Boys" season four finale, some viewers are noting that the superhero show seems to be following in the footsteps of "The Simpsons."
'The Boys' has never been subtle in its satire, but the real-life parallels are even more overt in season 4
Since its premiere in 2019, the comic-book-based series has never shied away from satirizing the political climate.
Politician Victoria Newuman (Claudia Doumit) takes inspiration from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and showrunner Eric Kripke has said that Homelander (Antony Starr), the show's main antagonist, draws comparisons to Trump.
"When he got elected, we had a metaphor that said more about the current world," Kripke told The Hollywood Reporter. "Suddenly, we were telling a story about the intersection of celebrity and authoritarianism and how social media and entertainment are used to sell fascism. We're right in the eye of the storm. And once we realized that, I just felt an obligation to run in that direction as far as we could."
Season four of "The Boys," which premiered in June on Prime Video, pushes the real-world comparisons further.
The season kicks off with fictional President-Elect Bob Singer and VP Victoria Neuman celebrating their win on Election Night and shows Homelander on trial for murdering a protester at the end of season three. Homelander is found not guilty, to the delight of his rabid supporters. Throughout the season, the titular rag-tag group of vigilantes tries to prevent Singer from being assassinated so supes can gain world power by infiltrating the White House. This culminates in a supe-led assassination attempt on Singer in the finale, coincidentally on January 6, as Congress certifies the election results.
Season four of "The Boys" is streaming on Prime Video.