The final episode of The Boys season 4 concludes with a warning following an assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump.
Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday (July 13), grazing his ear and injuring two others before đđžđđing bystander Corey Comperatore.
The fourth season of the superhero series The Boys has drawn numerous parallels to real-life events, ranging from a political figure facing a criminal trial to conspiracy theories circulating on social media, but the season finale of the Prime Video series has warned viewers of its content.
A statement released by the streamer reads: “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.
“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 âThe Boysâ reject, in the strongest terms, real-world violence of any kind.”
The episode was previously titled ‘Assassination Run’, before it was renamed to ‘Season Four Finale’.
It sees the vigilante group The Boys attempting to protect president-elect Robert Singer from an assassination plot by Homelander, who plans for Victoria Neuman to take Singer’s place in office.
Addressing the political messages of the show, which is set to end with season 5, creator Eric Kripke explained how they “push it a little further” with each instalment.
“When we first pitched the show, it was before Trump was elected,” he told Variety. “And the idea that a celebrity would actively want to turn themselves into a fascist autocrat was kind of a crazy idea. I mean, it still is. But it turned out to have happened?
“We sort of lucked into a show whose metaphor is really about the moment weâre living in, which is the cross-section of celebrity and authoritarianism. And so once we realize that, weâre like, ‘Well, we have to go all the way’. And so every season weâve just pushed it a little bit further, but itâs all over.
“I mean, itâs all over season 1. I mean, [Homelander is] giving very George Bush speeches. Heâs being praised by throngs of devout followers. It is there from the beginning.”
The Boys season 4 premieres new episodes on Thursdays on Prime Video, where seasons 1-3 and spin-off Gen V are also streaming.