The Boys Season 5 Sets Up a Comic-Accurate Ending (With One BIG Change)
The Boys has been a wild ride over its last four seasons, and spin-off Gen V has been just as crazy. But all good things must come to an end, and the fifth and final season of this hilarious, hard-hitting superhero satire is on the way.
The trailer for the new season dropped ahead of the show’s return to Prime Video at the start of April, offering us some huge clues as to where the show is heading. Of course, the more devoted fans will already have a good idea thanks to the comic book series the show is based on.
However, as with any adaptation, it’s important to keep things fresh and throw in a few surprises. While it does appear one major plotline from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s source material will be upheld, we suspect it might not go down how you think.
The Boys Must End With Homelander’s Death
In The Boys Season 5 trailer, as expected, Homelander has used his incredible (and very concerning) popularity to carve out a path to the White House. He was power-mad before, but becoming the President while possessing the terrifying abilities and bloodthirsty instincts he does is a recipe for disaster.
Indeed, in the comic books (issue #65, to be precise), Homelander meets his demise in the Oval Office, and it’s Black Noir who delivers the killing blow. But that’s all part of a plan that has been a long time in the making.
See, in the original story, Black Noir was actually a clone of Homelander created by Vought. His mission was to frame the real Homelander for some horrible atrocities – he was even the one who assaulted Billy Butcher’s wife, starting this whole war between the Supes and the Boys. The intention was to send Homelander insane, and it worked.
Black Noir’s main purpose, though, was to be a Vought contingency plan in case Homelander ever needed to be taken out. After the superhero stages a coup at the White House and kills the President, Vought feels that the moment has come, and Black Noir is sent in to complete his mission.
Interestingly, the more violent elements of Black Noir and Homelander’s final battle occur off-panel in the comics, but it results in the latter being dismembered and defeated once and for all. Black Noir carries the remains of his rival out of the White House before he is brutally murdered by Billy Butcher and his handy crowbar.
Based on the trailer, Homelander is seemingly set to achieve ultimate political power in The Boys Season 5. His downfall would make for the perfect ending to this brilliant show; it feels inevitable that his death is on the horizon. But we think there’ll be a twist in the tale.
Homelander Created A Monster That Will Come Back To Bite Him
That showdown between Homelander and Black Noir in the comics is compelling, and you can bet the TV show wouldn’t hide all the bloody, gory details. However, it just doesn’t feel fitting for Black Noir to be the one to eliminate Homelander based on this adaptation. So who could take his place as Homelander’s slayer?
Another brief moment in the trailer that caught our eye is Ryan, Homelander’s son, looking more powerful than ever. With Homelander pulling him to the dark side and Billy Butcher trying to recruit him to kill his father, that kid has been pushed to the limits already.
This is a young man who was the product of sexual assault, who accidentally killed his own mother, and who has witnessed first-hand just how evil, yet incomparably powerful, Homelander is. To say Ryan is troubled is putting it lightly, so it’s safe to say he has more than enough motivation to be the one to step up and end Homelander’s reign of terror. Whether it be in a fit of vengeful rage or another deadly loss of control, or simply just a young boy doing what he feels is right for the good of the world… You could pick any number of reasons for Ryan to kill Homelander, and any of them would make sense.
While there is a clone of Black Noir on the scene – and one that is displaying increasingly violent tendencies, I should add – it would feel far more impactful, like a full circle moment, if Homelander were killed by his own creation; a delightfully diabolical serving of justice from a delightfully diabolical series.
