The Fan Theory On Who's Behind The Boys Season 2 Courtroom Scene
Contains spoilers for The Boys
The penultimate episode of The Boys season 2 served up the series' most gruesome scene to date when a congressional hearing about Compound-V turned into a literal bloodbath. As heads exploded all around Homelander (Antony Starr), Stormfront (Aya Cash), and Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott), the most pressing question heading into the season 2 finale became, "Who could possibly be responsible for the carnage that took out Jonah Vogelbaum (John Doman), Shockwave (Mishka Thébaud), and a number of seemingly random people in the courtroom?"
While there are plenty of ideas floating around out there, Reddit user u/RushtonIX's fan theory about who's behind the grisly courtroom massacre on The Boys isn't just compelling — it also explains one of season 2's most random plot lines.
While the Deep (Chace Crawford) and A-Train's (Jessie T. Usher) Church of the Collective B-plot has led to some interesting moments on season 2 (Patton Oswalt as the Deep's gills is the definition of an unforgettable cameo), on the whole, it's felt tangential to the overarching story of Stormfront and Homelander pushing a false narrative about the dangers of foreign supervillains. But if Redditor u/RushtonIX is correct, the Church and Vought International may have forged a powerful alliance that will bring season 2's disparate plots together to reveal a conspiracy with far-reaching ramifications for national security and, by extension, the Boys.
The most disturbing part of all? Everything hinges on the charismatic church leader Alastair Adana.
Alastair Adana has a vested interested in the Church of the Collective gaining a foothold in the Seven
In their theory, u/RushtonIX posits, "I think that Alistair Adana was responsible for the head explosion massacre at the end of this most recent episode. He said at the Deep's wedding party that he had a meeting with Stan Edgar before the court hearing. This could have been him planning to kill everyone trying to prosecute Vought so that he can get two church members into the Seven."
So far, The Boys hasn't offered much information about Alastair, but he has shown that he excels at finding and exploiting people's weaknesses. On the sixth episode of season 2, entitled "Down the Road and Back Again," Alastair recruits A-Train by revealing that he knows about the Supe's heart condition and debt. "The Church knows all kinds of things, but don't worry — we also know how to be discreet, especially for our members," he says during his sales pitch to the former member of the Seven.
Alastair's insight into A-Train and the Deep's circumstances could simply be the result of good intel, or he could be a Supe with mind-reading capabilities. Either way, this early scene indicates that he has connections at Vought. It also shows that he and the Church as a whole are determined to infiltrate the Seven with members who have been indoctrinated in their teachings.
Stormfront's comments about the Church of the Collective could offer a major clue about Alastair's true intentions
Earlier on during The Boys season 2, Stormfront mentions that she was a member of the Church when it was still "pure." This means that the Church of the Collective once subscribed to the same white supremacy ideals as Stormfront and her husband, Compound-V creator Frederick Vought. On the surface, the Church seems to have become more inclusive, but it's still pushing its own agenda. So far, that agenda hasn't been fully explained, but it's certainly nefarious — and if the Deep's earnest desire to be "clean" is any indication, it may not be too far removed from its original mission statement.
What fans do know is that the Church, as led by Alastair, wants its superhero members to be part of the Seven. Additionally, Alastair mentions at his birthday party that he has set up a meeting with Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) just a few days before the congressional hearing. What occurred in that meeting is anyone's guess, but it doesn't seem far-fetched to think Alastair may have offered up the talents of one of his superheroes (or himself) to keep Jonah Vogelbaum from testifying. The Church leader looks even more suspicious when you remember that the only Supe whose head is exploded is Shockwave's — you know, the man Vought is preparing to take A-Train's place.
Starlight's song could offer another clue about the Church of the Collective's involvement in the courtroom massacre
The Boys never misses a chance for a bit of foreshadowing (never forget how expertly the writers executed that Almond Joy long game), so it can't be a coincidence that the song played over the end credits of episode 7's "Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker" is "Never Truly Vanish," Starlight's (Erin Moriarty) religious-themed tribute to Translucent (Alex Hassell). The anthem, which isn't referenced at all in the episode, feels like a giant, blinking sign pointing back toward Alastair and the Church as the show heads into the season 2 finale.
Add in the fact that the Church once subscribed to the same white supremacy nonsense that drives Stormfront, and you have all the makings of an unholy collaboration between Alastair and Edgar for the greater good of preserving Vought's reputation. Furthermore, if the fan theory proves to be true, there's sure to be a big Alastair reveal coming soon — perhaps even one that will connect him directly to Stormfront and her desire to fulfill her late husband's dreams of creating a world run by a race of perfect, super-powered beings.