Who is Jeffrey Dean Morgan playing in The Boys Season 4? New character explained

In The Boys Season 4, we’re introduced to Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s new character. But who exactly is he playing?

Morgan was first announced as joining The Boys Season 4 in August 2022. Since then, he’s been confirmed to be playing a character who has some shocking moments in the comics.

Prior to learning more about Morgan’s character in Season 4 premiere, the popular Prime Video superhero show teased his name and relationships, prompting many theories.

Now that the first three episodes are out, here’s everything we know about Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character. Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Who is Jeffrey Dean Morgan playing in The Boys?

Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays CIA operative Joe Kessler in The Boys Season 4. This season marks Morgan’s debut on the series.

He first appears in Episode 1 of the new chapter, bumping into Butcher as he waits outside Grace Mallory’s office at the CIA (although this meeting isn’t by chance).

While catching up over a cup of coffee, we learn that Butcher and Kessler used to work together on operations, having last seen each other 11 years ago.

Kessler clearly has an agenda: he thinks Butcher should walk away from The Boys and join him in taking down the supes before they start “rounding them up and dumping them off in camps.”

He later tries to convince Butcher that they need to train Ryan up to help them take down Homelander. “Either we figure out how to train him or we figure out how to kill him,” he says.

His arrival on The Boys also marks his long-awaited reunion with Supernatural creator Eric Kripke. It checks off one of the latest of many Supernatural cameos on The Boys, following Jim Beavers’ multiple appearances as Robert “Dakota Bob” Singer and Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy.

Oh, and let’s not forget Rob Benedict, who appears in a highly explicit Human Centipede homage in Season 4 Episode 2.

Morgan’s character was first seen in a teaser trailer released in December 2023. The trailer shows him and Butcher meeting and shaking hands.

Is Jeffrey Dean Morgan playing a character from The Boys comics?

While there’s no Joe Kessler in The Boys comics, it appears Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character is loosely based on Howard Kessler. In the comics, Howard is known as Monkey, a nickname given to him by Butcher after an encounter with two monkeys who assaulted him.

Howard Kessler is a CIA analyst who is under the thumb of Billy Butcher. He’s constantly belittled, tortured, and, on at least two occasions, sexually assaulted, but Butcher only cares about Kessler’s value as an asset that provides information on Supes.

Kessler eventually finds himself replacing Susan Raynor as deputy director at the CIA.

The Boys Season 4 Episodes 1-3 are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video Now. To find out when the next episode is out, be sure to check out our guide to The Boys Season 4 release schedule.

Until then, you can get to grips with our recaps of Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3. Also, read about all the new supes in Season 4 and our ranking of every season so far.

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