The Boys stars get rowdy in exclusive photos from EW's season 3 cover shoot

Hell-raisers

In a world overrun by superhero-centric pop culture, it's the TV show about blowing up supes with rectal pipe bombs that has everyone captivated. Like a careening speedboat headed straight into the bowels of a whale — an actual scene from the drama — you just can't look away as The Boys continues to raise the bar for what can be shown on television. Veteran stars (from left to right) Antony Starr, Karl Urban, and Jack Quaid assembled with series newcomer Jensen Ackles to discuss the debaucherous third season, set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video June 3. It just might be, as Quaid calls it, "the most insane season of TV ever filmed."

Men of mayhem

Starr thought he was in a remake of The Hangover when the guys arrived on the set of EW's The Boys digital cover shoot at Hudson Lofts in Los Angeles. But toppled lamps, a busted bed, torched curtains, and shattered glass are actually perfect for the kind of stars who are perfectly at home in chaotic environments.

Soldiering on

After 15 seasons of Supernatural, it was time for Ackles to take on a new challenge. It just so happens that challenge hails from the creator of Supernatural, showrunner Eric Kripke. Ackles busts into The Boys season 3 as Soldier Boy, a Captain America-esque supe from the era of World War II who ran his own team of heroes back in the day called Payback. "It's Captain America on his a--," Ackles describes his character. "It's as if Captain America gave up superheroism and was just your drunk and inappropriate uncle."

Spilling the tea on season 3

Urban returns as Billy Butcher, the leader of the Boys, a street-level squad dedicated to keeping out-of-control supes in line — no matter the means. This season, the man known simply as Butcher takes things up a notch when he finds a serum to give himself temporary superpowers. "The result changes the course of everything," Urban teases.

At home with Homelander

Erin Moriarty's Starlight said it best in The Boys season 3 trailer: "There's something wrong with Homelander." Before filming started on the next batch of episodes, Kripke told Starr two words about his character: "Homicidal maniac." Starr tries to avoid terms like "maniac" and "psychopath" to describe Homelander, who's like the anti-Superman. "I think it would be too easy to fall into stereotypes and we don't want to do that," he explains. That said, he understood Kripke's words upon reading the scripts. "There is more than a grain of truth in that, but of course it's all wrapped up in the most enjoyable, palatable, uber violence and extremity that we could muster."

Hughie is not so 'wee' anymore

Hughie (Quaid) is going from Butcher's whipping boy to his handler. After leaving the Boys behind, "Wee" Hughie, as he's called in the comics, now works for the newly established Federal Bureau of Supe Affairs. And the Boys are his main assignment — giving them missions, making sure Butcher doesn't accidentally kill someone, etc. Unfortunately, he doesn't know yet that his boss, Congresswoman Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit), is the head-popper supe the gang was hunting back in season 2. "I loved being thrust into a story line that was so parallel to the real world and exploring this new side of Hughie where he's a company man," Quaid says. "It's seeing Hughie having his life figured out for the first time, which is so interesting. Of course, the audience knows it's not going to last long."

Unexpected team-ups

Urban teases that season 3 will see "unexpected alliances," plus "unexpected conflicts between characters that historically get along." It's already starting on EW's cover shoot, with Quaid, a member of Team Boys, cozying up with the enemy. Click ahead to see more exclusive photos.

Jensen Ackles

Karl Urban

Antony Starr

Jack Quaid

Jensen Ackles

The boys are back

To find out more about The Boys season 3, check out EW's cover story.