William J. AKA “Billy Butcher” is the current leader of the Boys. He was recruited by Lt. Col. Greg Mallory and then was integral in the recruitment of the other members of the group. Butcher took the initiative to get The Boys back together after the group was disbanded and Mallory “retired”. But what do we REALLY know about him? (Here's my shot...)
WWK Superpowers: Butcher is reported to have had the same Compound V shot as Mallory, Frenchman and Wee Hughie. This means he has enhanced strength, reflexes and durability. However, Butcher has displayed the ability to detect and block psionics (vs. Mind Droid) and was able to see Stormfront at a greater distance than the other members of the team.
WWDK: One other thing I’ve noticed about Butcher is that he always strikes first against his foes (even when facing Stormfront and Big Game, enemies who are supes and who are fully expecting an attack). Is Butcher’s “initiative advantage” a factor of Butcher’s viciousness and combat training, or does he have extra enhanced reflexes beyond the others? It would be just like Butcher to have made additional enhancements to his abilities that he kept as a personal secret advantage.
WWK Family: Butcher told Hughie a story about his former wife “Becky” who he said was raped by a supe (All but naming Homelander) then killed when the fetus tore its’ way out. Butcher then killed the fetus, but only after getting a scar on his left forearm from its’ “heat vision”.
WWDK: Does Butcher have any other surviving family? He did claim he always wanted a little brother… Other than his “relationship” with Director Rayner, is there anyone else who is “special” in Butcher’s life? Is he truly completely out of contact with Mallory?
WWK Motivations: Butcher is set on a course to get revenge for his wife who he feels was raped and brutally murdered. This revenge comes in the form of the humiliation and destruction of the Homelander. Butcher is convinced the Homelander is responsible for what happened to his wife. What happened to Butcher has left him with a deep hatred of all supes in general (because they each represent the Homelander in his mind). By killing, humiliating and/or subjugating other supes, Butcher is really destroying the Homelander over and over again (in his mind) until he can get his TRUE revenge and personally destroy the Homelander. Butcher has calculated his own goals and has made it clear that his association with the CIA is a means towards his own personal ends. Ultimately it appears he has little loyalty to anything other than his own goals. In fact, he has been repeatedly frustrated by the CIA’s model of “containment”. If Butcher had his way, most supes would be terminated (see what happened to Payback and 200+ supes in Glorious 5 Year Plan). He has even sabotaged “useful” supes equipment which led to their deaths (see Swingwing). Butcher’s obsession with destroying the Homelander has led him to be manipulative and even threatening towards his “allies” in the past.
WWDK: Has Butcher let his desire for revenge truly make him so absolutely callous that he will manipulate and/or destroy anyone who gets in his way?
WWK Experience: Butcher has a history of being a trained expert in hand to hand combat while in the British military (Royal Marine) and appears to know quite a bit about weapons and military tactics. He has no hesitation to use his combat skills to disable, maim or kill his enemies. Although it appears he wants to kill nearly every supe he encounters (Vas “Love Sausage” Vorishikin being a notable exception), Butcher does show restraint because all of his encounters with supes are not fatal. He also has a wealth of experience in running clandestine intelligence operations (research, surveillance, evasion, blackmail, interrogation/torture, special weapons) He also has extensive knowledge about various supes (active and inactive) because of his involvement with the Boys over the years. Butcher was the first person recruited by Mallory and appears to have been influential in decision making within the original group. He also appears to have respected Mallory and the chain of command at that time. Butcher’s leadership style is to tell his operatives only he feels they need to know in order for them to complete their mission.
WWDK: The majority of his activities prior to bringing the current members of the Boys together remains unknown.
WWK Superpowers: Butcher is reported to have had the same Compound V shot as Mallory, Frenchman and Wee Hughie. This means he has enhanced strength, reflexes and durability. However, Butcher has displayed the ability to detect and block psionics (vs. Mind Droid) and was able to see Stormfront at a greater distance than the other members of the team.
WWDK: One other thing I’ve noticed about Butcher is that he always strikes first against his foes (even when facing Stormfront and Big Game, enemies who are supes and who are fully expecting an attack). Is Butcher’s “initiative advantage” a factor of Butcher’s viciousness and combat training, or does he have extra enhanced reflexes beyond the others? It would be just like Butcher to have made additional enhancements to his abilities that he kept as a personal secret advantage.
WWK Family: Butcher told Hughie a story about his former wife “Becky” who he said was raped by a supe (All but naming Homelander) then killed when the fetus tore its’ way out. Butcher then killed the fetus, but only after getting a scar on his left forearm from its’ “heat vision”.
WWDK: Does Butcher have any other surviving family? He did claim he always wanted a little brother… Other than his “relationship” with Director Rayner, is there anyone else who is “special” in Butcher’s life? Is he truly completely out of contact with Mallory?
WWK Motivations: Butcher is set on a course to get revenge for his wife who he feels was raped and brutally murdered. This revenge comes in the form of the humiliation and destruction of the Homelander. Butcher is convinced the Homelander is responsible for what happened to his wife. What happened to Butcher has left him with a deep hatred of all supes in general (because they each represent the Homelander in his mind). By killing, humiliating and/or subjugating other supes, Butcher is really destroying the Homelander over and over again (in his mind) until he can get his TRUE revenge and personally destroy the Homelander. Butcher has calculated his own goals and has made it clear that his association with the CIA is a means towards his own personal ends. Ultimately it appears he has little loyalty to anything other than his own goals. In fact, he has been repeatedly frustrated by the CIA’s model of “containment”. If Butcher had his way, most supes would be terminated (see what happened to Payback and 200+ supes in Glorious 5 Year Plan). He has even sabotaged “useful” supes equipment which led to their deaths (see Swingwing). Butcher’s obsession with destroying the Homelander has led him to be manipulative and even threatening towards his “allies” in the past.
WWDK: Has Butcher let his desire for revenge truly make him so absolutely callous that he will manipulate and/or destroy anyone who gets in his way?
WWK Experience: Butcher has a history of being a trained expert in hand to hand combat while in the British military (Royal Marine) and appears to know quite a bit about weapons and military tactics. He has no hesitation to use his combat skills to disable, maim or kill his enemies. Although it appears he wants to kill nearly every supe he encounters (Vas “Love Sausage” Vorishikin being a notable exception), Butcher does show restraint because all of his encounters with supes are not fatal. He also has a wealth of experience in running clandestine intelligence operations (research, surveillance, evasion, blackmail, interrogation/torture, special weapons) He also has extensive knowledge about various supes (active and inactive) because of his involvement with the Boys over the years. Butcher was the first person recruited by Mallory and appears to have been influential in decision making within the original group. He also appears to have respected Mallory and the chain of command at that time. Butcher’s leadership style is to tell his operatives only he feels they need to know in order for them to complete their mission.
WWDK: The majority of his activities prior to bringing the current members of the Boys together remains unknown.
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