| “ | What is real is that piece of you that wants to burn every fucking supe on Earth. How is it you think you ripped Ezekiel into fun-sized little chunks? I'm the one that gave you the juice that you needed. And I can do it again. All you have to do is hold up your end of the bargain. (...) We go all the way. I mean, come on, champ, what's a little genocide between friends?
―Joe Kessler to Billy Butcher.[src]
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Joe Kessler is a major antagonist in Season Four of the Amazon series The Boys.
He was a CIA Case Officer and a soldier during the War on Terror, during which he was acquainted with Billy Butcher, but during a battle in the Panjshir Valley he was left for dead by Butcher and killed. Years later, as a side-effect of overusing Temp V, Butcher began hallucinating both his deceased wife Becca and Kessler, with Becca guiding him on a more benevolent path, and Kessler manifesting his dark conscience to the point of controlling him.
Background[]
Little is known about Joe Kessler. He has a wife named Tanya, a son named Joe Jr., and close ties with Billy Butcher. The two men have shared several missions during the War on Terror,[1] such as "deprogramming" two men from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Joe promised to name his son after Butcher but did not end up following through. In 2013, he and Butcher were on a military operation in Afghanistan. He was killed in action during the mission, leaving his body in the Panjshir Valley.
On Election Night in 2024, Butcher imagines Kessler's return. Kessler seeks to train Ryan to be able to defeat Homelander, before it is too late and the supes begin to subjugate the humans.
The Boys Series[]
The Boys: Season 4[]
"Department of Dirty Tricks"[]
Joe Kessler first appears at the CIA headquarters as a senior case officer, greeting Billy for the first time in eleven years. The two then share a coffee together and discuss the current events, with Kessler also reminding Billy about their past during the War on Terror. Kessler tells Billy they need someone like him to step up, before the Supes start to subjugate and enslave the human race.
"We'll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here"[]
Kessler provides enough carfentanil to "take down ten bull elephants" to Butcher so he can dose Ryan and kidnap him to relocate him to the Hazlet Safe House. Butcher bakes them into cookies to feed to Ryan, but ultimately decides to throw them out instead. After Kessler finds out about this, he says that he would train his own son if it meant saving the world, and gives Butcher an ultimatum that either they will be forced to train Ryan, or they will be forced to kill him.
"Beware of the Jabberwock, My Son"[]
Kessler and Billy arrive at Stan Edgar's farm late at night, entering one of the barns. Billy reveals he has kidnapped Sameer Shah, a doctor who previously worked with a deadly Supe-killing virus. Kessler is unperturbed by Billy's extreme method of severing Sameer's leg, and listens as Billy explains his plans to the doctor; Sameer is going to engineer and replicate more samples of the virus. Billy turns to look at Kessler, who grins at him, with Billy returning a concerning smile.
"Dirty Business"[]
Kessler and Billy continue to threaten Sameer into recreating the Supe-killing virus, with Billy demanding he make it strong enough to kill Homelander. Sameer refuses, revealing that in order to make the virus strong enough for Homelander, it risks becoming highly unstable and airborne, threatening to exterminate every Supe on the planet. Kessler is delighted by this, urging Billy to go forward due to his hatred of Supes, while a hallucination of Becca Butcher in Billy's head opposes it, denouncing it as murder of many innocent people. Kessler suddenly shouts at Becca, revealing that he too was a figment of Butcher’s imagination, shocking Billy. Kessler tells him that the real Joe Kessler died in the Panjshir Valley, after Billy apparently left him behind, revealing that all of Billy's previous conversations with Kessler were just him talking to himself. Kessler states that he is Billy, his V-enhanced brain tumor having chosen Kessler as the manifestation of Billy's darker side. Kessler presses Billy, saying he can't refuse wanting to make the virus, because his own brain is telling him he wants to. He tells Billy not to worry and ends with "Daddy's home", referencing the same thing Billy said to Hughie in Season Two.
"The Insider"[]
Kessler manifests again as Billy returns to the Flatiron Building, pleading for him not to inform his colleagues about Dr. Shaw or the virus. Butcher ignores Kessler's protests as Mother's Milk assigns Kimiko and a newly pardoned Frenchie to watch and assist Shaw with developing the virus. He then smiles as Marvin reinstates Butcher as the leader of The Boys. Kessler later confronts Butcher about his newfound "soft spot" for supes, reminding him of his brief sexual relationship with Maeve and questioning his faith in Ryan. Butcher replies that he promised Becca he would take care of Ryan, to which Kessler reminds him of his infidelity with a waitress. Butcher tells him off before leaving. Irritated by Billy's defiant attitude, Kessler becomes non-responsive when he pleads for him to attack The Deep and Black Noir II, forcing The Boys to retreat with the help of A-Train. He reappears at a bar as Billy watches Ryan's speech during a live broadcast of Avenue V, telling him, "Silent treatment goes both ways." Butcher mocks him for underestimating his faith in Ryan before fainting as he leaves the bar.
"Assassination Run"[]
Kessler reappears by Butcher's bed after he is hospitalized in the CIA Hazlet safe house, lamenting his current state and his refusal to accept his help despite the circumstances. He offers to empower Billy as he did against Ezekiel in return for committing genocide against the supe race, only to be interrupted by Grace Mallory's arrival. He later looms over Billy after Ryan inadvertently kills Mallory, causing Billy to turn toward him with a look of weary resignation. Butcher returns to the Vought Fresh Farms facility to find The Boys arranging a meeting with Victoria Neuman. Butcher, refusing to work with Neuman, pushes Hughie out of the way as Kessler's tentacles suddenly emerge from his chest, restraining Neuman and incapacitating Zoe and their bodyguard. Butcher raises Neuman in the air and uses his newly revealed powers to violently rip her in half, shocking his colleagues. Butcher retracts his tentacles and steals the virus sample from Frenchie before leaving. Kessler is last seen smirking in the backseat of Butcher's vehicle as he drives away, satisfied with their newfound symbiosis.
The Boys: Season 5[]
"Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite"[]
Joe will appear in this episode.
"Teenage Kix"[]
Joe will appear in this episode.
"Every One of You Sons of Bitches"[]
Joe will appear in this episode.
"Though the Heavens Fall"[]
Joe will appear in this episode.
"One-Shots"[]
Joe will appear in this episode.
"King of Hell"[]
Joe will appear in this episode.
"The Frenchman, the Female, and the Man Called Mother's Milk"[]
Joe will appear in this episode.
"Blood and Bone"[]
Joe will appear in this episode.
Personality[]
While the true character of Joe Kessler may never be known, the man Billy Butcher's brain manifested is a striking personality on its own. Cynical, foul-mouthed, and brutally practical, Joe Kessler was the embodiment of Billy's hatred and violent attitude, seemingly unhindered by any moral convictions and sense of empathy, he was bent solely on the completion of his (and by extension Billy's) goal: the extinction of Supes.
Kessler has a twisted sense of humour, often insulting and belittling Billy when he refused to embrace his dark desires, as well as finding entertainment in inappropriate situations, for example remarking that Billy's V-enhanced tumours had become "super cancer!".
Relationships[]
Allies[]
- Billy Butcher - Former Colleague, Former Friend
Enemies[]
- Ezekiel † - Victim
- Victoria Neuman † - Victim
Trivia[]
- Joe Kessler is likely a parody of Tyler Durden from David Fincher's Fight Club. Some also find him similar to Viktor Reznov from Call of Duty: Black Ops.
- Many fans of the series have interpreted Joe Kessler as the series equivalent to Marvel's Venom, as, alike Venom, Kessler is a parasitic being who grants his hosts superpowers, while also encouraging them to give in to their darker nature.
- However, series creator Eric Kripke has stated that Kessler is not actually the tumor itself, but rather a dissociative identity created by the tumor.
- Joe Kessler, at least Billy's hallucination of him, shares a lot in common with the comic's version of Billy Butcher. Most notably, his obsession with killing Supes and finishing with Homelander, even if it means putting Kimiko, Starlight and Ryan at risk just to ensure their deaths.
References[]
- ↑ Amazon Prime Video character summaries