Warning: Major spoilers for the season 4 finale of The Boys.
OK, a lot of crazy shit went down in the season 4 finale of The Boys. One of the biggest cliffhangers, though, was what the hell happened to Ashley? She took Compound V after The Deep, Black Noir II, and Firecracker started murdering everyone in Vought HQ who had incriminating intel on them. After injecting supe serum, Ashley’s body started to convulse and transform… maybe. Does she have powers now? Is she dead? WE NEED ANSWERS.
Related: Read our exclusive interview with Karen Fukuhara about *that* Kimiko spoiler
Ashely, played delightfully by Colby Minifie, has had an interesting story arc in season 4. We learn that she’s secretly been pooping in Homelander‘s toilet as an anonymous “fuck you”—the indiscretion is discovered by A-Train, who’s trying to smuggle V out of Vought. They strike up somewhat of an alliance to protect each other’s secrets.
Now, in that batshit crazy finale, we have to wonder about what sort of powers Ashley might have going into the show’s final season.
What powers does Ashley have in The Boys?
We can’t be sure, but boy are there plenty of theories. Minifie told Variety herself that she’s got a few ideas up her own sleeve but even she doesn’t know Ashley’s fate. “As we’ve seen, when V first enters your body, the historic visual on the show is that it enters your bloodstream and things start happening in your blood, and it takes over your body. So what we’re hinting at is something’s going to happen!” she said.
“We don’t know if she survives or dies, but I have pitched some things of what her superpower could be—they’re all humiliating. I don’t know what they’re gonna do, or how they’ll see that to fruition. But it will be something crazy.”
According to fans on Reddit, the most popular theory is that Ashley will be a kind of Hulk equivalent, which makes a lot of sense. In season 2, this does exist, although we don’t see them. Behemoth is a parody of Marvel’s Hulk and Rhino characters—Frenchie takes him out with a Xanax bomb and that’s how he’s recruited to join the boys. Interestingly, the comics do have a She-Hulk parody, so maybe that’s what we’re going to see with Ashley.
“She tends to freak out a lot so her becoming a type of Hulk supe would be fucking hilarious,” one fan speculated on Reddit. “She’d start a website: Smashley Madison,” observed another. “Ashley SMASH” would take whole nother meaning with her 🍆 😭😳 [sic],” commented a third.
Others theorized her hair could have something to do with her powers, given that poor Ashley has been suffering from Trichotillomania due to the stress of working at Vought. “I think it could be hair related, her powers being based on her hair pulling anxiety would certainly make sense, theres a lot of ways that could go thats for sure [sic],” said one fan.
Another thought it could tie into Ashely’s redemption arc, which could be a nice touch for season 5. “Losing her hair from the stress of being a corporate puppet forced to cover up terrible shit. To regaining it once she’s made the decision to fight back and return to who she was when she was a younger woman coming into this world [sic],” they wrote.
The Boys is available to stream on Prime Video.
