Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Boys season 5 finale, “Blood and Bone.”
Ever since <em>The Boys</em> first started, the main group has been trying to take down Homelander and the other menacing villains in their way, so it’s no surprise that the finale saw them finally succeed. In the end, Billy Butcher was responsible for delivering a satisfying ending to Homelander in The Boys, as he killed his now powerless foe with a crowbar.
With or without powers, Butcher always came across as vicious, making it natural that many fans would think he was The Boys’ deadliest member, but this isn’t the case, at least not in season 5. Given that Kimiko and Starlight have always been supes, they would be the next obvious candidates, but in actuality, it’s MM who is the group’s most lethal member.
Despite being presented as one of the show’s most moral characters throughout most of his journey, MM’s personality was different in The Boys season 5, as he’d lost hope during his time in the Starlight internment camp. Not only did he become more pessimistic, but he was also increasingly ruthless, resulting in him killing multiple supes throughout the season.
Unlike his comic counterpart, Mother’s Milk has never had powers in the live-action series, not even in season 3 when some of The Boys took Temp V. Still, he managed to take down three supes single-handedly in season 5. The first was Love Sausage, his long-term foe who he finally fought one-on-one during the premiere.
Even though he should’ve been outmatched, MM successfully choked Love Sausage with his own penis, killing the villain instantly. Then, he fought Sheline in the penultimate episode. Despite things looking rough, he used a rat to distract her before forcing an overdose through a variety of needles, causing the supe’s demise.
Finally, he killed Oh Father in the finale, albeit with a bit of assistance. As Hughie distracted the villain, MM put a special ball gag designed specifically for the religious supe in his mouth, and although it was meant to withstand Oh Father’s sonic scream, the pressure caused his head to explode.
Yes, Butcher did kill bigger threats like Victoria Neuman and Homelander while Starlight was responsible for the deaths of Cindy and inadvertently The Deep. However, the fact that MM achieved his kills almost entirely by himself and without powers proves he’s by far the most dangerous member of The Boys.
MM Being So Deadly Fits His Season 5 Character Arc
Although MM has always understood the mission and hasn’t been afraid to get his hands dirty, season 5 brought out a much darker side to him, making his kill count feel fitting. Rather than being the pragmatic, level-headed voice of reason the group needs, MM was almost like a secondary Billy Butcher in the final installment.
He echoed most of what The Boys’ leader said and seemed to share a kill-or-be-killed mindset, which is exactly why he wound up offing some big supes. Obviously, his belief that he’d never see his family again inspired many of these bleaker choices, but given the high stakes, it felt right to see such drastic changes.
Even Starlight came across as more blunt at times throughout season 5, but she still wanted to do good deep down just like MM. The origin of MM’s nickname in The Boys showed that he has always enjoyed helping people and doing the right thing, which remained evident even during his hostile character arc.
Despite being meaner and having a cold outlook towards using the supe virus, he still saved Countess Crow back in episode 2 and put himself on the line to save innocent civilians. As a result, it felt like we were watching the same MM we’d followed for the past four seasons just with a grittier edge to him.
Thankfully, making him a pro at killing supes only added to this arc as it shows just how scary he can be when he’s not holding back making the prospect of MM with powers even more terrifying. If he were as corrupt as those he was trying to take down, MM could be a serious problem in The Boys universe.
Instead he’s always fought for what’s right and given everything he’s been through becoming more ruthless is certainly justified. He did return to his usual self by the finale yet he still took down Oh Father confirming that MM was in fact the deadliest of The Boys‘ main heroes in the final season which perfectly fit his story.
