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Is Joe Kessler real or Butcher’s imagination? 'The Boys' fans double down on mind-boggling theory

Joe Kessler has appeared in 3 out of 5 episodes of 'The Boys' and has not interacted with anyone except Butcher, sparking major fan theories about him

Contains spoilers and speculation for 'The Boys'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Prime Video's highly anticipated show, 'The Boys' Season 4 was released on June 13. After two years of anticipation, the show has finally revealed Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character as Joe Kessler.

Kessler is a CIA agent and Butcher's old friend from the war. He's now part of the team trying to stop Homelander.

But here's the twist: Kessler might not exist. 'The Boys' seems to be playing with reality, similar to 'Fight Club', making things even tougher for Butcher.

Why is Joe Kessler only seen with Butcher?

We're now five episodes into 'The Boys' Season 4, and Joe Kessler has only shown up in three. His appearances are short and always with Butcher alone. The first time we see him is at CIA Headquarters after Grace Mallory bans Butcher from a meeting with President-elect Robert Singer.

Kessler shows up right after Mallory leaves, and their talk raises questions. Kessler says they haven't met in eleven years, which is strange since the Boys have worked with the CIA for a while.

Later, Kessler is at Butcher's apartment, giving him enough carfentanil to 'knock out 10 elephants'. But the drugs are already on the table when the scene starts, suggesting Butcher got them himself.

When Ryan shows up, Kessler is gone, but he reappears once Ryan leaves sober.

The clearest sign that Butcher might be imagining Kessler comes in the latest episode, 'Beware the Jabberwock, My Son'. After Kessler suggests a job, they go to Stan Edgar’s farm-turned-Compound V lab.

Butcher has Sameer Shah tied up, missing a leg. Though we see two men, Butcher and Kessler, Sameer acts like Kessler isn't there. When Butcher says they'll fix him up, Sameer looks scared and confused, hinting Kessler might not be real.

Kessler's mysterious knowledge of the Boys suggests he might be a figment of Butcher's imagination

Kessler knows a lot about the Boys, including Butcher's health problem of having only six months to live. He says he can access medical records because he works for the CIA, but his knowledge goes beyond that — it's personal.

Kessler tells Butcher they should handle their mission alone because he thinks the other Boys aren't good enough.

He starts criticizing each team member, using insults like Butcher does. It's strange because Butcher hasn't spoken to Kessler in eleven years and only learned the Boys' codenames during their first conversation.

Kessler hasn't met any other member except Butcher, yet he knows detailed information about each of them. Unless Butcher and Kessler have had secret talks (which seems unlikely), Kessler shouldn't know so much.

The only explanation could be that Kessler's thoughts are Butcher's thoughts. With each chat, it seems more likely that Kessler exists only in Butcher's mind.

Could Joe Kessler be a manifestation of Butcher’s darkest inclinations?

Is Kessler just a creation in Butcher's mind, similar to his visions of his deceased ex-wife, Becca? Becca continues to appear this season, offering comfort or urging Butcher onward, much like Kessler's interactions.

But with Becca, we witness Butcher talking to her, only to later realize she was never really present. The same ambiguity surrounds Kessler — we haven't yet seen an external perspective.

Considering Becca's death, perhaps Kessler, who appears close to Butcher, is also dead. This might explain their prolonged separation and Kessler's muddy appearance reminiscent of 'The Sixth Sense'.

While Becca serves as a source of guidance, encouraging Butcher to persevere, Kessler might represent a darker influence, nudging him towards destructive actions.

Butcher is inherently unpredictable, but the support from M M, Hughie, and others typically grounds his violent tendencies. In contrast, Kessler encourages Butcher towards extreme and perilous decisions, such as drugging Ryan and abandoning his comrades.

Kessler has even pushed Butcher to harm others and create dangerous situations, disregarding the risks to his loved ones. Each interaction with Kessler feels like Butcher weighing his options, whether it involves training Ryan or resorting to drastic measures.

While much attention has been focused on Homelander's descent into madness, Butcher's mental state also promises consideration.

His menacing smile at the conclusion of Episode 5 hints at impending trouble, heightened by Kessler's likely influence. If Butcher can't get rid of Kessler's influence, he might end up on a path he can't recover from.

Joe Kessler's questionable existence in 'The Boys' sparks speculations among fans 

Many fans took to X to share their thoughts about Joe Kessler in 'The Boys'. Some think he's just in Butcher's imagination, while others have even stranger theories. One fan said, "I was in doubt but now I am 100% sure that Joe Kessler in #TheBoys is the imagination of Billy Butcher."

One fan agreed with the previous tweet saying, "Yeah hes definitely not real. Its a hallucination from Butcher. Think about it , hes never interacted with anyone else but butcher, he never gets any phones calls or gets called away but works for the cia, he’s always wearing the same unkept suit never any casual wear or anything."

One fan replied, "Yes bro I got that also here Sameer is looking like whose he talking to," while another commented, "What if they are making us believe that Joe Kessler is a hallucination but actually he's really there and does smth big in the last episodes?"

Speculating a new theory, one fan wrote, "My theory is Kessler is like the devil on his shoulder and Becca is his angel." 

One fan wrote, "I’m still waiting for someone to ask him, “who are you talking to," to which another fan replied, "The jaw drop id have lol. I'm expecting it to be that but that'd still be mad crazy."

'The Boys' trailer

5 episodes of 'The Boys' are available to stream on Prime Video