Highlights
- Queen Maeve's character in The Boys was often sidelined, disappointing fans who expected more screen time for one of the most powerful members of The Seven.
- In the season three finale, Maeve survives a brutal battle with Homelander and sacrifices herself to save others from Soldier Boy's nuclear explosion.
- Although it appears Maeve dies, it is later revealed that she faked her own death with the help of Billy Butcher's crew. Her storyline concludes with a happy ending alongside her partner Elena, but her return for season four remains uncertain.
Queen Maeve was a prominent member of The Seven throughout The Boys’ three seasons, but her character was often pushed to the side of the action, especially throughout season three. Despite being one of the most powerful members of The Seven, fans were disappointed to see that Maeve only appeared in just five of season three’s eight episodes and was mysteriously absent for much of the action. In combination with the character’s lack of screen time, some fans believe that Maeve’s ending was drastically underwhelming and failed to do her character justice, resulting in an unsatisfactory finale for the supe.
Season three of The Boys premiered last summer, meaning that details of its dramatic finale have become quite hazy for some fans. However, fans have certainly not been starved for content during the wait for season four. The first four episodes of The Boys’ latest spin-off series, Gen V, have now been released on Prime Video. Amid the drama at Godolkin University, Gen V’s first episode featured an interesting detail about Maeve’s fate. During a news broadcast, there is a mention of Maeve’s tragic death, resulting in the supe’s merchandise becoming extremely valuable. The news broadcast included an image of one of Maeve’s Funko Pops, which is now being sold online at an extremely high price. However, this Gen V Easter Egg has resurfaced a lot of questions surrounding Maeve’s fate, mainly: did she really die? With season four of The Boys just around the corner, it’s important to refresh on what actually happened to Queen Maeve at the end of season three.
Did Queen Maeve Survive?
In season 3’s dramatic finale, audiences witnessed Maeve going head-to-head against Homelander. A typical fight scene in The Boys features plenty of gore, as well as a likely outcome of death. Fans were on the edge of their seats during Maeve and Homelander’s battle, with many believing that this was going to be the end of the line for Maeve’s character, largely due to the fact that she is tragically murdered by Homelander in The Boys’ original comics. However, the television series decided to change Maeve’s fate, seemingly for the better. Although the supe is unable to put an end to Homelander’s reign of terror, she manages to escape from the fight alive – albeit without an eye. Impressively, Maeve manages to plunge a metal rod into Homelander’s ear amid the fight, showcasing her renowned strength.
However, this brutal battle is forced to be put on pause when the attention is placed on Soldier Boy, season 3’s deadly villain with explosive powers. In a tense moment, it’s clear that Soldier Boy is about to carry out one of his deadly nuclear explosions, which would kill everyone around him. After looking at Starlight, Maeve decides to carry out a courageous sacrifice. She then tackles Soldier Boy, forcing him out of the window to save the others. As a result, Maeve takes the full force of the explosion, making it seem conclusive that she is dead. In the aftermath of the explosion, Vought shares the news of Maeve’s tragic death, however not all is as it seems. Later on in the episode, it’s revealed that Maeve had managed to survive the explosion, but in order to escape from Homelander’s wrath, Billy Butcher’s crew help the supe to fake her own death.
When Starlight goes to visit Maeve, she evidently looks worse for wear, but she reassures her friend that she’s going to be okay. Due to the nuclear force in Soldier Boy’s explosion, Maeve has been deprived of her powers, however this may not be as awful as it sounds. It’s then revealed that Maeve and Elena are back together. As fans may remember, the pair’s relationship was explored back in season 2, but Maeve was sadly forced to stop seeing Elena out of fear that Homelander might find out. When Starlight asks them where they will go now, Maeve simply responds with “Somewhere Homelander won’t find me”, with Elena adding: “A farm, ideally”.
Starlight and Maeve then bid each other an emotional farewell, giving Maeve’s character a solid conclusion. In an out-of-character decision, Ashley bravely opts to delete the CCTV footage which proves that Maeve is alive, consequently protecting the supe from Homelander. Via Maeve’s ending, The Boys successfully rebel against the ‘bury your gays' media trope. Maeve and Elena finally get their happy ending, but some fans are understandably frustrated at Maeve’s exit from the show, so will the supe be returning for season 4?
Will Queen Maeve Return In Season 4?
It’s currently unknown whether Queen Maeve will be back for season 4 of The Boys, but many fans confer that the character’s story isn’t complete. Due to her lack of screen time throughout season 3, it will be hugely disappointing if Maeve doesn’t return for season 4. Although season 3 provided the supe with a pretty solid conclusion, Maeve was often pushed to the side in favor of her male counterparts. Many fans have dubbed this as a frustrating situation, especially since Maeve was intended to be one of The Seven’s most powerful members, but she frequently lacked her own storylines.
Fortunately, her return hasn’t been completely ruled out by Eric Kripke, the show’s creator. In an interview with Deadline, Kripke stated that: “We definitely won’t reach the end of the series without seeing Maeve again”. To the relief of many, there’s a possibility for Maeve to return to the screen, but there’s still a lingering bitterness in relation to her character’s treatment.