The way I see it, Season 1 had a lot going for it to make people excited for Season 2:
- The Boys narrowly escape from Vought and all become public enemy #1.
- Hughie's sworn enemy, A-Train, goes into a comma while fighting against Starlight.
- Super terrorists are suddenly popping up around the world and are being deemed as a legitimate threat.
- Homelander unexpectedly kills Madelyn Stillwell. No longer able to use her as a hostage, Butcher tries to blow Homelander and himself up, only to awaken and find his wife alive, but also having raised Homelander's bastard child (who happens to have his own powers).
That last point was especially pivotal for setting up the next season. Sadly, most of these points were poorly followed up with in the second season, as they were either immediately resolved or barely explored further. Whereas Season 1 ended on a literal bang, Season 2 ended on a wet fart:
- After defeating Stormfront, The Boys are no longer classified as wanted criminals. They all get to go back to their families and/or return to a bit of normalcy.
- Homelander's being blackmailed by Maeve to not be a ruthless psychopath for once.
- The AoC head-popping lady is the new threat that may become Hughie's new boss, though as an antagonist, she has big shoes to fill.
- Claire (the initial red herring) is still roaming around the US after having escaped the facility, and will likely act as the new season's wild card.
- The Deep's still not allowed back in the Seven.
If I have the time and enough interest, I'll give the new season a chance. But it really is a shame considering how badly they dropped the ball.