Spoilers below.
It’s not a season of The Boys without a few shocking and disturbing deaths, but it’s been awhile since a major character has exited the scene in such fashion. However, in the season 4 finale “Assassination Run,” that is how Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) met her end.
For four seasons, Neuman has been playing both sides to gain status and power as the presumptive vice president. Though she secretly wields super-abilities and is allied with Vought, she publicly runs on an anti-supe agenda—an echo of corruption in today’s American political landscape, where politicians often play both sides and align with whatever will help them gain the most power.
Willing to do anything for power, Neuman aligns herself with Homelander in the latter half of season 4, only to be stabbed in the back by the diabolical leader of The Seven in “Assassination Run”: He outs her as a superhero on live television, plummeting the ticket’s chances in the election. When it finally seems like she’s come to her senses and wants to work with Hughie’s (Jack Quaid) vigilante group “The Boys” to bring down Homelander once and for all, their former ringleader Butcher (Karl Urban), who is roided up with Compound V, sprouts a few extra limbs and rips her body clean in half. Ouch.
Doumit broke down the finale in a phone conversation with ELLE.com, discussing everything from Neuman’s political moves this season to where she thinks her death ranks on the show’s list of gruesome kills.
So let’s just get into it: Victoria Neuman is killed in the finale by a Compound V’ed up Butcher. What was your reaction when you first read that outcome for your character and how early did you know that was happening this season?
It’s funny because from the moment I joined this show, I thought that she was going to die. Not because anyone told me, but because I knew what show I was coming onto. I honestly thought it would be sooner, so I just feel lucky that I got to walk around in Neuman’s pantsuits and Louboutins as long as I did because she’s such a fascinating character to play. No part of it was shocking to me, oddly enough, because I’ve been anticipating it since starting the show. The day it happened, it felt like another day at work, if I’m being honest. I’m not new to being drenched in fake blood or pretending that there’s some gruesome thing happening in front of me. The only difference was that day it was my fake blood.
It didn’t really hit me until I walked back to my trailer and I realized there was no next scene to prepare for. I knew it was coming for a while—I had come into the season thinking that Neuman was going to die, but I do that with every season. Then Eric [Kripke, The Boys’ showrunner]’s assistant asked if I could get on the phone with him somewhere around episode five and I was like, “oh, this is the call.”
Kind of like when a boss puts a meeting on your calendar and you’re like, “I don’t like the sound of this.”
Yes! It was almost like a breakup and it felt like he was more heartbroken than I was. I wasn’t upset about it in any way because it’s the right time for it to happen. You have one season left and so many characters to wrap up stories for. It actually felt right for Neuman to die at the end of the season.
Claudia Doumit (right) as Victoria Neuman.
The Boys is known for its graphic violence and unique ways of killing characters. Where do you feel like your character’s death lands in the pantheon of the show?
There have been some more gruesome deaths than mine. I think she died in the most elegant way that she could’ve, in some weird messed up way. [Laughs]. In terms of deaths on the show, I think she scores pretty low on the gruesome factor. It’s one nice, clean tear in half, you know?
The Boys is arguably the most political show on TV right now. I know you’re not American but how do you think Victoria, and the show at large, reflect our current reality?
The show has always had a pretty in-depth approach to both social and political commentary. I think our show very much reflects the world that we’re currently living in. It’s always skewed political, but the current events that are unfolding in America’s political landscape are, oddly enough, a fucked up but perfect opportunity to comment on what’s going on—especially with a character like Homelander. He mirrors a lot of rhetoric that is out there at the moment. I think he mirrors a lot of human behavior and personalities that have come to light in the past couple of years, and he’s this horrific but perfect representation of what’s really happening in our world right now, and I think Eric saw that opportunity and took it.
I also think that sometimes people take things in more when it’s shown through the medium of film or TV—something that offers an escapist realm while also tackling real-world issues. And I think that this show does that brilliantly.
Season 4 reveals that Victoria has been hiding her superpowers from the public as a way to gain political power. Were there any real-life stories that you looked to as a comparison for your character’s motivations?
Honestly, I would say I looked at every politician because that’s what the political landscape is. You’re voting for a type of person or a type of personality to be put in this position of power, and that’s not necessarily who that person is underneath. In terms of looking at particular political figures, I didn’t have one in mind. I know that originally we were inspired by AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez], but I would say that’s kind of where it ends. I did study a lot of physical behavior. I studied a lot of gestures, politicians giving speeches, how they held themselves, how they shook hands, how they used their hands, how they spoke to people, and what their posture was. So really, it was just as an actor diving into what the physicality of a politician was.
Did you do a lot of work studying facial expressions? Because Victoria is really good at keeping a poker face.
Honestly, yeah. When I get scenes, I immediately dissect every line that she has and every possible micro expression that she would make on that line, which is so detailed. But I like exploring an array of options for her. I like exploring worlds within worlds when it comes to how she presents herself or how she responds to something, because she is a character that is very analytical and strategic, and I almost see those as someone who is playing chess in her mind when she is talking to someone. So I’m glad that that comes through, because I do spend my time with her when it comes to how she expresses herself.
Do you think Victoria was stupid to trust Homelander, who outed her abilities and brought on her downfall?
I don’t think that she wanted to. For the first time this season, she’s doing everything on her own. She’s not under the thumb of Stan Edgar. She’s in pursuit of power, and she feels as though she can do this. She’s stepping out on her own, and she’s finding out that it’s actually not that easy. In fact, it’s quite fucking hard. But I don’t think that she anticipated working with Homelander past the small interaction that they had at the end of season 3. So for her, it’s uncharted terrain. It’s very scary. She’s someone that likes to plan every move, and now she’s working with someone who is quite volatile and erratic and has no plan in place ever, and that is a terrifying place for her to be in.
In episode 6, there’s a point of no return for Neuman. It’s a sink or swim moment, get in or get out, and I truly believe it comes at the cost of her soul. From that moment on, her survival mode kicks in, and she doesn’t really awake from that slumber until she’s violently shaken with the threat of her daughter’s life.
It’s so unfortunate that she ends up in the position that she does because she begins the season pretty high and pretty low. She’s within arm’s reach of the vice presidency, but she’s also shoulder-to-shoulder with Homelander. It’s almost like she’s won the lottery but she has to share it with an ex. On top of that, she has this fractured relationship with Hughie, the only real, true friend she’s had in her adult life and the only person she’s really showing her true self to. So it’s heartbreaking.
Antony Starr as Homelander and Claudia Doumit as Victoria Neuman.
On the other hand, Victoria is first and foremost a mother. How do you think that guided her in her decision-making?
Initially, she was very cautious of making a step in any direction because of her daughter. A lot of what she does is in pursuit of something that she’s wanted for so very long, so for a moment, she doesn’t think about what effects that will have on her daughter. And it’s because she’s chasing this need that’s deep within her core. She’s under the guise that Zoe will be fine. But towards the end of the season, the picture becomes more clear to her, and she almost understands all at once that there is no way out; there is no outcome on this path where she is safe and her daughter survives. I think that’s the moment when she truly comes back to her senses, and that’s when everything comes pummeling down, when she’s exposed as a supe, when she has nothing left to hide behind, and all that’s clear to her is Zoe.
In a way, Victoria’s legacy is her daughter, who is also super-abled. Zoe witnesses Butcher kill her mom—do you think she’ll follow in her mom’s footsteps and align with Homelander to avenge your death?
That’s a good theory! It’s really sad because her one desire for her daughter is for her to not end up having the kind of childhood that she did, where she grew up at Red River without a home and without parents. At the end of the season, it feels like that’s exactly where her daughter is headed.
Hughie and Vickie have a phone call in which she tells him he’s the only human she can trust. How do you think her death, especially at the hands of Butcher, will change him next season?
I would imagine that it would definitely change the relationship with Butcher. It probably puts him on a different trajectory because of what Butcher has done. It’s a deeply affecting moment for Hughie and a deep loss that will ultimately influence whatever decisions he makes moving forward. It’s the death of a friend, but in Butcher’s actions, it’s also the death of the relationship between Hughie and Butcher.
I imagine that saying goodbye to this show feels a bit emotional. How do you feel about that, and what are you going to miss the most?
It’s really funny because I haven’t figured out an answer to this yet. It feels a bit like I’m being asked to give my own eulogy. I will say that I truly enjoyed every minute that I got to be Victoria Neuman. She was a fascinating character. She was so clever and complex and she had endless things to give me to explore. She was such a full character and I only ever want to serve a story well and give the audience a character they want to watch. So I hope I’ve done that with Victoria Neuman and with this show. I think every character you play stays tucked away somewhere inside you like a really beautiful memory, and I feel that with Victoria Neuman.
I’ll miss the people. I know it’s the most basic answer, but I’ve made some of my closest friends on that show, both on screen and off screen. The cast and crew on this beast of a show are nothing short of phenomenal. The talent is unmatched and everyone is so wonderful. When you’re surrounded by driven, talented individuals that get along, that’s just such a rare thing. I’m really grateful I’ve had that for quite a few years.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.