'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.'
Jan Thijs/Prime Video
- "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 statement says that any similarities to real-world events are "coincidental and unintentional."
"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'
Jan Thijs/Prime Video
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 absolutely having their "Simpsons moment".
— Morgan (@mport25) July 18, 2024
Episode was great. Can't believe we'll have to wait for 2026 now. https://t.co/5YXxSCq09O
the boys is kinda tugging at the simpson’s crown. the parallels are getting a little intense lmaoooo. https://t.co/VZaryJeiRx
— prince like diana (@hermanjohndad) July 18, 2024
the boys releasing its season finale centering around an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate this week after making their main villain an extremely blunt trump allegory for the last 3 seasons pic.twitter.com/m2xP6bY1gB
— t**** o* i* (@therimjobreaper) July 18, 2024
How ironic considering what just happened last Saturday with Trump almost getting taken out.
— Kireina Kerner (@KireinaKerner) July 18, 2024
Episode 8 was wonderfully done and executed to lead off to the final season of The Boys .
Overall Season 4 was pic.twitter.com/9XT5DnPBuH
It's so funny to me that the last episode of Season 4 of The Boys is titled 'Assasination Run' and it has to do with Homelander plotting to kill one of the presidential candidates and now in real life this Trump shit happened. That's why the Boys is peak and so relevant. pic.twitter.com/GPalv1FxvA
— George ???? (@LIS_Enjoyer) July 13, 2024
Right off the bat, The Boys Finale Episode 8 had to deny any likeness with the Trump attempted assassination ???? ???? ???? #TheBoys #TheBoysFinale pic.twitter.com/vjVnvHAct8
— Sama (@rwotsama) July 18, 2024
You know it’s a crazy time when The Boys has to put a disclaimer before the season finale because of the assassination attempt on Trump. Life imitates art. Truth really is stranger than fiction.
— Kyle Moyer (@KyleWMoyer) July 18, 2024
'The Boys' has never been subtle in its satire, but the real-life parallels are even more overt in season 4
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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.