This The Boys Theory Completely Changes Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Character

Summary

• Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character Joe Kessler in
  The Boys
  challenges Butcher to make tough decisions, showcasing his dark side.
• Kessler’s presence may be a figment of Butcher’s trauma-induced hallucinations, adding a twist to the storyline of
  The Boys
  .
• Clues in the show hint at Kessler not being real, leading to speculation on his true identity or purpose in
  The Boys
  .

Fans of The Boys were over the moon excited when it was announced that Jeffrey Dean Morgan was joining the cast of the satirical superhero series for its fourth season. Best known for playing the charmingly terrifying villain Negan on The Walking Dead, a role he currently reprises for the spin-off series The Walking Dead: Dead City, the actor has won the hearts of fans.

The reveal of his involvement in The Boys had many fans theorizing who his character would be. The answer to his identity was finally revealed in the first three episodes. But was it really?

Who Is Joe Kessler in The Boys?

In the third episode of the season, Joe Kessler (Morgan) is revealed to be an old war comrade of Billy Butcher’s (Karl Urban). He seems like someone Butcher would have gotten along well with. He’s just as aloof and has a similarly commanding presence. Kessler is now working with the CIA, and Butcher runs into his old buddy at the office, where they catch up over coffee. Butcher explains his plan, and Kessler listens intently. Kessler warns Butcher of the urgency of getting rid of Supes before they take over. “We need someone like you, Billy,” he advises. “Before the Supes start roundin’ us up and dumpin’ us off in camps.”

Butcher agrees it’s essential to wipe out all the Supes. But his gut is also telling him that it’s more important to save Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) from the clutches of Homelander (Antony Starr) and his negative, not to mention dangerous, influence. The pair shares old stories, and it’s clear they have been through a lot together. Kessler tries to convince Butcher that rather than just save Ryan, they need to train Ryan to take down his biological father.

It will be easier said than done, but it’s the only way, Kessler believes. There’s no one more powerful than Homelander except potentially Soldier Boy, who, at this point, is missing in action and presumed dead. Kessler believes Ryan might be the only one who possesses the literal power to do what needs to be done.

But first, Ryan needs to be subdued. Kessler provides Butcher with carfentanil, which he tells Butcher to dose Ryan with, kidnap him, and then bring him to a Safe House. Butcher isn’t exactly enthused by the idea. He’s concerned for the boy’s well-being, feeling that he should honor Becca (Shantel VanSanten) and make sure Ryan is okay. But Kessler is convincing and insistent.

Butcher tries to follow through with the plan, baking the substance into cookies. When push comes to shove, however, he realizes Ryan is just an innocent young boy who didn’t ask for the life he was given. So, Butcher chickens out. He tosses the cookies in the garbage and decides to go about it another way. But he still has Kessler in the back of his mind. Kessler ruthlessly declares that he would train his own son to do what he wants Ryan to do if it meant saving the world. Kessler also warns that if Butcher can’t get the job done, they will kill Ryan to prevent him from becoming even more dangerous while being on the wrong side of the fight.

All in all, Kessler comes across as an ear for Butcher, a mirror who thinks and acts like Butcher, shares a past with him, and wants the same thing. He’s the ally Butcher has needed all along, but he’s also persistent and persuasive, which could get Butcher in trouble.

But…Is Actually Kessler Real?

There’s a familiar trope that has been occurring in some of the best TV shows of late. A character is seemingly like a devil (or angel) on the shoulder of a main character. But it’s later revealed that they aren’t real. It happened in Mr. Robot, for example, when the character of the same name, played by Christian Slater, was merely a figment of Elliot Alderson’s (Rami Malek) imagination. A product of his dissociative identity disorder, Alderson was seeing and talking to a likeness of his father. But everything “Mr. Robot” did was Alderson himself.

Then there was the fourth season of You, where the massive reveal was that Rhys Montrose (Ed Speelers), the captivating author and mayoral candidate Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) confided in then was tormented by, wasn’t actually there. He was indeed a real person at one point in time. But Goldberg had long since killed him. Afterward, Goldberg would see, talk to, and even send messages back and forth with Montrose. But it wasn’t Montrose at all. It was him talking to himself. Montrose was a product of Goldberg’s delusions, the result of his clear psychiatric disorder.

Butcher doesn’t have a psychiatric or psychological disorder like Alderson or Goldberg that would cause such hallucinations or delusions. However, he is suffering from serious trauma as a result of taking too much Temp V24 in Season 3. It is clearly taking a toll on him, with Butcher seen at different moments hunched over in pain, near passing out, and even coughing excessively. It’s entirely possible that one of the many side effects of the drug working its way through his system is that Butcher is starting to see things, too. In fact, he’s already seeing and talking to Becca’s ghost.

Why Kessler? Seeing an old war buddy would make sense, especially one who works for (or did at one point work for) the CIA. If Kessler were as cold and calculating as Butcher back when they went to war together, it would stand to reason that he’s someone Butcher would manifest to represent his darker desires and wishes. Kessler would be someone he associated with that darker part of his life and, thus, the perfect personification of his most nefarious thoughts.

Given how many other shows have used this thematic strategy, it’s entirely possible that this could turn out to be true. And there’s lots of evidence that leans in that direction.

Analyzing the Evidence in The Boys

There are lots of hints pointing to Kessler not really being present. As mentioned, Butcher is already hallucinating by seeing Becca. This would make Kessler the perfect “devil on Butcher’s shoulder” character while Becca is the “angel on his shoulder.” It’s the battle of good and evil in Butcher’s mind as he fights for his life, or rather to stay alive for as long as he can. And it’s manifesting in physical form for both sides. Thinking back to the first scene in which Kessler appears, Butcher is on his own when he runs into his old friend. He hasn’t been seen interacting with anyone else, which is a red flag.

Redditors have noticed even more clues. Snap-Zipper points out that in the first scene, when the pair are sitting in the break room talking, two people walk by in the hallway. “They turn around to look at Billy as if he’s just in there talking loudly to himself.” SteelNyrv notices that in addition to not having interacted with any other person, he hasn’t yet interacted with objects either. Case in point: he isn’t ever seen picking up his cup of coffee, nor is he seen handing Butcher the drugs. Further, Bekensdawrf adds that since Butcher never gave Ryan the cookies, it’s unclear if he even procured the sedative at all in the first place or just hallucinated having it.

There are other more subtle clues that Butcher is seeing things or people in general beyond just Becca. OryxisDaddy says this is implied in another scene when Frenchie asks Butcher who he’s talking to when he is seemingly mumbling to himself. Of course, there’s a possibility that Kessler is very real or that he’s something different entirely. Another completely “out there” theory posted by AwkwardAlol on Reddit guesses that maybe Butcher developed a living tumor as a result of his Temp V overdosing, and that living tumor is none other than Kessler.

That theory seems far-fetched, but then again, considering The Boys doesn’t shy away from pushing the envelope and incorporating sensationalized, deeply disturbing, and unconventional storylines and scenes into the show, nothing is out of the realm of possibility. For now, fans can enjoy Morgan’s presence as Kessler and hope they’ll see much more of him to come, no matter who (or what) he is. Stream Season 4 episodes of The Boys weekly on Prime Video.