While no-one would ever accuse Billy Butcher of being a saint, the true depths of his depravity are only exposed as true depths of Butcher's depravity throughout its story, but it's his graphic and horrifying attack on Jack from Jupiter that acts as his most disturbing moment. Fittingly, it's an act that sends shockwaves both through the Boys and the Seven, and actually serves to shatter the Homelander's superhero team significantly before his own death.
The Seven are elite heroes who act as the Vought-America corporation's prize assets. Few heroes are selected to the team, which is presided over by Homelander and seen as the most prestigious group, with all other Supes considering their missions 'auditions' to be chosen. While Queen Maeve and Starlight eventually turn against Homelander, and Black Noir is revealed to have been his enemy from the start, the Deep, A-Train, and Jack from Jupiter are sincerely loyal - at least until the last of their number is killed.
When compromising footage of Jack from Jupiter is released to the public, the 'alien' superhero blames the Boys, killing Butcher's dog Terror in an act of petty revenge. Sadly for Jack, he doesn't understand who he's dealing with, and Butcher tracks him down in The Boys #59 (from Garth Ennis and Russ Braun), killing him in Doctor Peculiar's brothel. The scene is one of the most graphic and disturbing in the series, marking the beginning of the end for the stalemate between Homelander and the Boys. However, it also effectively destroys the Seven, as Homelander ceases to trust his teammates after Jack's out of control behavior. In the next issue, the Deep loudly complains to A-Train that in taking no further action against Butcher, Homelander is effectively equating the life of one of the Seven with that of a dog. In issue #63, Butcher confirms that the Homelander has frozen out the rest of his team to the point that they're some of the only major Supes who don't know the plan for his attempted coup.
While Homelander has many other allies in the Supe community, Jack from Jupiter's murder is the end of the Seven. The Deep escapes - one of the only Supes to survive Homelander's fall by getting out early - while A-Train is left without protection and is captured and killed by the Boys. While fans might have expected the Seven to lead the Supes' uprising, only Homelander is involved in the attack on the White House, as his inability to see value in anyone else strips him of the allies he might otherwise have been able to count on most (and who might have helped him against Black Noir.)
Despite starting the series as the ultimate superhero team, the Seven are shattered by Butcher's darkest kill (and, crucially, by Homelander's acceptance of it.) The moment acts as a huge sea change in the rules of engagement, and Homelander fails to act as the group widely acknowledged as Earth's greatest heroes either abandon or outright turn against him (in the case of Queen Maeve, sacrificing herself so that Starlight can escape.) While it was purely a matter of seeking revenge for an unforgivable slight, Butcher and the Boys couldn't have thought up a better way to split up the Seven if they tried, changing the fate of each of its 'heroes' and potentially tipping the balance against Homelander's endgame in humanity's favor.
Amazon Prime - Watch Thousands of Movies & TV Shows Anytime
