Spoilers Warning for ‘The Boys’ Series Finale
Throughout the fifth and final season of The Boys, the cast and crew have done their best to lend an air of finality to the episodes that have aired thus far. In DiscussingFilm’s own review of The Boys Season 5, praise was given for the show’s timely themes and its incorporation of scary real-world parallels (even if unintentional). However, the last episode of the series was missing, leaving many questions about how showrunner Erick Kripke and the rest of the creative team would wrap things up. Now, The Boys finale, titled “Blood and Bone,” is finally here.
The title, which is a reference to Butcher (Karl Urban) and Homelander’s (Antony Starr) conversation in Season 3, where they promised to have one last standoff against each other, is very appropriate for the series finale. Blood and bones abound in this hour-long episode that sees The Boys finally come to blows with Homelander in action sequences that make Herogasm pale in comparison. Now that it is all said and done, there’s plenty to break down about what happens in The Boys finale and what it means for future projects in the shared universe of the Prime Video original series.
Is Homelander Defeated in ‘The Boys’ Finale?
Every episode of The Boys this season has started with clip compilations from previous episodes to remind viewers of what has transpired and to provide context for new scenes. For The Boys finale, “Blood and Bone,” the recap is a quick-cut compilation of (almost) every horrendous thing Homelander has done. Massacring innocents, killing beloved characters, and more, Anthony Starr’s character has become both a hated and beloved major player in the show. Many have been waiting for Homelander to get his comeuppance, as this season has shown him at his most delusional. The “superhero’s” quest for godhood ended with him attaining immortality thanks to V1, which was injected into older heroes like Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles).
Courtesy of Prime Video
However, one key weakness of any kind of Compound V is an energy blast that was given to Soldier Boy through torturous doses of radiation. Frenchie, just before his death, managed to give Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) that same ability. In a highlight of The Boys finale (and perhaps the entire series), Butcher and Homelander’s son Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) team up to fight Homelander in the Oval Office of the White House. They eventually hold him down long enough for Kimiko to use her ability, draining all three of their superpowers.
In perhaps the most cathartic moment of the series, Butcher beats Homelander to a bloody pulp, who cries and begs for his life until a crowbar is driven through his skull. Halfway through the episode, Homelander is given a bloody and brutal death that is reminiscent of all the deaths he was responsible for. In The Boys series finale, Homelander is finally defeated and killed once and for all. Interestingly, though, this only comes halfway into the runtime of The Boys finale.
Who Dies in ‘The Boys’ Finale?
While Homelander’s skull is cracked open, he isn’t the only one given a bloody conclusion. There are multiple deaths in The Boys finale, both tragic and satisfying. Among the latter are the deaths of Oh Father (Daveed Diggs) and The Deep (Chace Crawford), two supes who have been selfish and destructive all season long. The evangelical Oh Father is killed by his own reinforced bondage gag when Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) uses it on him right when he activates his vocal powers, causing his head to explode.
Courtesy of Prime Video
As for The Deep, a character who has gone through so much throughout the series, his end comes at the hands of Erin Moriarty’s Starlight. Leading the character away from the White House and taking the fight to the beach, Starlight finally gets justice for The Deep’s assault on her in the first season. After he is thrown in the ocean in the middle of the fight, fish and other sea creatures who hate The Deep for his actions in previous episodes swarm him, leading to the character getting an octopus tentacle through his skull in The Boys finale.
Does Butcher Die in ‘The Boys’ Finale?
As for The Boys themselves, they all survive except for one: Karl Urban’s Butcher is given a sendoff unlike any other. With Ryan turning him away and his dog Terror passing away peacefully of old age, the character who spent the whole series trying to kill Homelander has seemingly nowhere to go. So, Butcher decides that his destructive path can’t end with the villain who plagued him for five seasons; it needs to end with all Supes dying.
Courtesy of Prime Video
Taking the supe-killing virus from earlier in the season to Vought Tower, Butcher rigs the sprinklers and plans a supe genocide. However, Hughie (Jack Quaid) arrives just in time to stop him, getting into a bloody brawl that ends with Hughie shooting Butcher. Holding the leader of The Boys in his arms, Butcher sadly states that he was never going to stop, and that Hughie and how much he reminds him of his brother is what stopped his warpath. The Boys finale has a fitting sendoff for the character, which is also incredibly reminiscent of the comics the show is based on.
How Does ‘The Boys’ Finale Set Up Other Spin-Offs?
With Butcher, Homelander, and the remaining evil supes in power dead, The Boys finale leaves little left on the table. While Gen V may have been canceled, the show’s characters are briefly shown at the beginning of the episode, suggesting there is still more of their story to tell. As for Moriarty’s Starlight, she is shown during a time skip as pregnant and working at a tech store with Hughie. Not only that, but she is still being a superhero, while Hughie is offered a job with the Government to keep tabs on Vought.
Giancarlo Esposito’s ever-enduring character, Stan Edgar, CEO of Vought, returns to the company and promises more oversight, meaning that any future series would more than likely feature that character. As for Soldier Boy, the supe was put in ice again by Homelander, and he makes no appearance in the series finale. With the Vought Rising spin-off series set to be released soon, his survival may very likely mean that the show won’t just take place in the past, but also in the present, should someone at Vought eventually free him.
The Boys finale manages to close the book on the Prime Video original series that has been on air since 2019 in a mostly satisfying way. With so much death and carnage, the show ends exactly how it started: in spectacularly bloody fashion.
The final episode of ‘The Boys’ is now streaming on Prime Video!
Premiere Date: April 8, 2026.
Developed by Eric Kripke.
Showrunner: Eric Kripke.
Based on The Boys by Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson.
Executive Producers: Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Phil Sgriccia, Michaela Starr, Paul Grellong, David Reed, Meredith Glynn, Judalina Neira, Ken F. Levin, & Jason Netter.
Main Cast: Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Chace Crawford, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Cameron Crovetti, Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, Simon Pegg, Rosemarie Dewitt, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jensen Ackles, & Daveed Diggs.
Composers: Christopher Lennertz & Matt Bowen.
Production Companies: Kripke Enterprises, Point Grey Pictures, Original Film, Kickstart Entertainment, KFL Nightsky Productions, Amazon MGM Studios, & Sony Pictures Television.
Episode Count: 8 (Season 5).
