The Boys Season 4 Episode 4’s ending is way more sinister than you think

Homelander made the ending of The Boys Season 4 Episode 4 terrifying enough, but there’s a hidden detail you may have missed that gives it an even more sinister spin. 

The Boys Season 4 Episode 4 saw the milk-obsessed supe head back to the Vought lab where he was “raised,” and we got to learn a little more about why Homelander’s the psychopath he is today. 

Before we go any further, let it be known that we’re about to enter spoiler territory…

Throughout the episode, we learn of the torturous experiments conducted on Homelander as a child at the hands of the secret Vought lab employees, including Marty and Frank under the instructions of director Barbara. 

Homelander goes back there to get his revenge. After recalling being tortured in the oven room, he forces Frank in there and burns him alive. 

He then turns his attention to Marty, who nicknamed Homelander “squirt” as a teen after walking in on him masturbating. As payback, he lasers a hole through Marty’s crotch before crushing his head with his boot. 

When Barbara turns up, it’s clear she’s the only person who Homelander will listen to. She insists that he’ll never be able to overcome his human side, and his need for love and affection. But Homelander tells her she’s wrong. 

In the final scene, we see Barbara inside Homelander’s old bedroom (a vaulted, concrete cell), shaking in fear as she takes in the bloody aftermath. Homelander’s massacred every Vought lab employee but her, with their body parts strewn about the room and blood lining the walls. 

While it’s sinister enough as it is, if you look at the door, you’ll see a couple of patches of melted metal on the side of it. Essentially, it looks like Homelander has lasered the door shut, meaning Barbara can’t escape. 

What’s more, since the Vought lab is top secret, it’s unlikely anyone will find her. In other words, Homelander’s left his surrogate mom to starve to death among the corpses of her team. 

Taking to Reddit, a fan of The Boys shared a screenshot of this detail, writing, “That door isn’t opening anytime soon.”

“Oh, he melted that b**ch shut!?!,” said another, while a third added, “Omg!! I didn’t catch this during the episode. I wonder if we’re to assume this means she dies in there? I didn’t think so at first but now I’m not sure.”

A fourth suggested that the door didn’t even need to be melted shut, as it could’ve just been closed with the wheel. “It’s a hidden Vought lab that basically no one knows. So no one is going to realize anytime soon that anything is amiss,” they explained.

“She ain’t getting out of there before she dies due to dehydration… I mean, technically she could probably survive longer than the normal three days to death period by drinking the human blood there to sustain herself… but I really doubt anyone is going to check the lab.”

And then there’s the fact that Homelander pretty much runs Vought now, meaning even if someone found out Barbara’s strapped down there, they wouldn’t want to risk their life trying to save her. 

“Homelander runs Vought and I don’t think many people are even supposed to know about that place, which is why they were so surprised when someone was coming down in the lift,” said another. 

“Plus, Homelander put her in there and it’s unlikely anyone who would know would risk crossing him to save her.”

The Boys Season 4 Episodes 1-4 are streaming on Amazon Prime Video now. You can find out when the next episode is out in our Season 4 release schedule guide.

You can also read about whether Soldier Boy will return, why Billy Butcher’s dying, and what Make America Super Again means. And find all of the new TV shows coming to streaming this month.