The Boys Season 4: What does Sister Sage do to her brain?

The Boys Season 4 introduced Sister Sage as a new supe with high intellect, but one scene in Episode 3 left fans confused about what she did to her brain.

Homelander is surrounded by idiots, according to him. To have someone in The Seven who will challenge him and his decisions, he recruits Sister Sage, who is the smartest person in the world.

In The Boys Season 4 Episode 3, she’s winding down after a tough day with Homelander. While indulging in Chinese food and a Blooming Onion from Outback, the Deep comes to talk to her.

In a surprising moment, she kisses the Deep while the scene pans out to show a metal surgical instrument on the side table covered in blood. The Boys fans were left scratching their heads at what the instrument was and what Sister Sage used it for.

What happened to Sister Sage at the end of episode 3?

Sister Sage used the tool on the side table to give herself a lobotomy. Many fans were left confused about what the bloody tool on the table was used for, but a few viewers were able to clue the masses in.

“Sister Sage performs a lobotomy on herself because ignorance is bliss, hence the fast food, reality shows and fucking The Deep. As an intellectual supe, she can’t unwind like others do. If you notice, she mostly surrounds herself with books,” explained a fan on X/Twitter.

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A lobotomy is a medical practice that was often used in the 1950s. It involves inserting a metal object through the eye and into the brain that disrupts the frontal lobe from the thalamus.

The procedure was often done on mental health patients to reduce tension and aggression. In most cases, the effects of a lobotomy cause apathy, lack of emotion, passivity, and sometimes memory loss.

However, lobotomies fell out of favor in the 1960s and 1970s in the US by “the advent of effective psychiatric drugs, which enabled behavioral control of difficult patients and made the drastic step of lobotomy seem unnecessary.”

Why does Sister Sage lobotomize herself?

After dealing with Homelander and the gravity of his actions, Sister Sage likely lobotomized herself to take a break from her own brain.

Sister Sage’s vast knowledge about everything would mean she knows how to perform a lobotomy on herself. She did so because, as the fan said, “Ignorance is bliss,” and the lobotomy lets her take a break from her own powers.

In a way, Sister Sage becomes normal in terms of her intellect, which is likely a relief for her. The effects of the lobotomy would make her less prone to emotions and prevent her from feeling guilt or pain from her actions with Homelander.

As for how it impacts her, she’ll be fine. Her file, shown in Season 4 Episode 1, says she has moderate healing abilities.

The Deep relationship explained

The Deep and Sister Sage’s relationship is little more than a fling. Due to the lobotomy, Sister Sage’s inhibitions are lowered, and she’s in a relaxed state.

Because of this, she doesn’t have her “know it all” attitude, and the Deep is able to talk to her openly. Even he says he thought she was a “b*tch,” now he thinks she’s cool.

The lobotomy likely let her stoop down to the Deep’s level of intellect and led to them having sex. But fans will have to see what happens when Sister Sage’s brain fully heals and she’s back to her old self.

Black Noir relationship explained

The Deep isn’t the only member of the Seven that Sage has been sleeping with. In Episode 7 it’s revealed she has also been having a sexual relationship with Black Noir, but the catch is, she doesn’t lobotomize herself for this.

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When Homelander fires Sage from the team, Black Noir declares his love for her and asks her whether their time together meant anything. He does this in front of Deep, who is mortified to learn he has been played.

But, it’s even worse when Deep starts discussing the lobotomy process, and Noir has no idea what he’s talking about.

Turns out, Sage had no issue sleeping with Black Noir and was not ashamed of this relationship like she was with the Deep.

The Boys Season 4 is streaming on Prime Video. You can read on whether Mother’s Milk was recast, see our recap of the finale, or look ahead to The Boys Season 5. Now the show is over, you can find other new TV series to stream this month.