4 Ways 'The Boys' Should End (And 4 Ways It Probably Will)
The Boys (2019) Season 5 is underway on Prime Video. It marks the final season of the hit series, which explores a world where a rogue vigilante group attempts to take down corrupt superheroes. The stakes are higher than ever in Season 5 as Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and the boys consider releasing a deadly virus to kill Homelander (Antony Starr), who grows increasingly erratic in his quest to exert god-like power over humans and supes.
As the show races toward its end, most viewers have an idea of how things end in the comics. However, The Boys has frequently diverged from the source material, meaning some things may play out differently in the end. Use our guide to find four ways The Boys should end if it were comic book-accurate, and four ways it will probably end instead.
How ‘The Boys’ Should End: Black Noir Kills Homelander
In the comics, The Boys ends with Black Noir killing Homelander. It turns out, Vought actually created Black Noir as a Homelander clone to kill Homelander if the supe became uncontrollable. Noir becomes increasingly distraught over not fulfilling his purpose, so he begins framing Homelander for numerous atrocious crimes. The crime spree culminates in a confrontation between Black Noir and Homelander in the White House, where Black Noir ultimately proves victorious.
While Black Noir takes care of the Homelander problem, Butcher makes quick work of him. Shortly after his showdown with Homelander, Butcher confronts Black Noir and kills him with a crowbar. It’s a grisly, final battle that leads to a believable end for the Homelander duo. While The Boys Season 5’s premiere hints that something is off with Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell), we’re still not convinced it will go the comic-book-accurate route for Homelander’s demise.
How ‘The Boys’ Will Probably End: Ryan Kills Homelander
The Boys Season 5 will likely maintain Homelander’s death, but will require someone else to kill him. After all, the original Black Noir was never a clone of Homelander. Additionally, Homelander killed him in Season 3, prompting Vought to replace him with an actor who certainly couldn’t go toe-to-toe with the immensely powerful supe. As a result, The Boys will likely employ Homelander’s son, Ryan (Cameron Crovetti), to do the final deed.
As Homelander’s son, Ryan is one of the very few characters in The Boys who could potentially be powerful enough to kill Homelander. Ryan has struggled significantly throughout the series to come to terms with being the son of an erratic, egomaniac supe. His discovery in The Boys Season 4 of the truth of his conception could push him over the edge in Season 5, leading him to kill Homelander in a twisted and tragic, but very Boys-esque finale.
How ‘The Boys’ Should End: Hughie Kills Butcher
The Boys comics feature a dark ending for Butcher and Hughie Campbell. While the pair develops a close bond after Butcher takes in Hughie following the supe-related death of his girlfriend, things sour as Butcher takes increasingly desperate measures to rid the world of supes, even after Homelander’s death. He creates a network of bombs that, when triggered, will kill everyone with any trace of Compound V in their system.
Naturally, the boys are vehemently opposed to the plan, which would kill billions of people. Ultimately, Hughie confronts Butcher in a brutal final battle where both are badly injured, and Butcher is paralyzed. Paralyzed and not wanting to spend the rest of his life in prison, Butcher manipulates Hughie into stabbing him to death. In The Boys Season 5, Butcher and Hughie are certainly on bad terms, but whether the latter will kill the former remains iffy.
How ‘The Boys’ Will Probably End: Butcher Dies From The Tumor Or Virus
The Boys has already set up multiple alternative ways for Butcher to die. In Season 3, Butcher develops terminal cancer due to overusing Temp V. In an effort to save himself, he takes Compound V and becomes a supe. By Season 5, he denies that he’s dying of cancer. However, Compound V has seemingly mutated his cancer into a sentient, tentacled parasite, powerful enough to rip a human in half.
We can’t imagine that the tentacled parasite inside Butcher in The Boys Season 5 is good for him. In the Season 5 premiere, it almost seems the parasite is controlling him, making us wonder if there are lethal consequences if he doesn’t give in to it. Season 5 also depicts the devastating impact of the supe virus. It’s possible Butcher could use the virus on himself if he becomes remorseful of his actions, or sacrifice himself to spread it.
How ‘The Boys’ Should End: The Boys Die
The Boys comics end in a blood bath, leaving most characters dead, including most of the boys. As mentioned above, Butcher’s plan to kill anyone with trace amounts of Compound V in their blood doesn’t sit well with the boys. So, he begins killing them to prevent them from stopping him.
He kills Mother’s Milk in a brutal final fight. Afterward, he detonates a bomb in the boys’ headquarters, which kills both Frenchie and Kimiko. He also kills The Legend and Grace Mallory. Butcher eventually dies as well, leaving Hughie and Starlight as the boys' sole surviving members.
How ‘The Boys’ Will Probably End: Some Of The Boys Die
Theories about who dies in The Boys Season 5 have been a popular topic among fans. However, the general fan consensus seems to be that the show will refrain from killing off all of the boys. Most anticipate Butcher will die, but that Hughie and Starlight will survive as they did in the comics.
That leaves Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), Frenchie (Tomer Capone), and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara). Personally, I feel it will be an either/or situation to prevent The Boys from getting too bleak. Either it will be Mother’s Milk or Frenchie and Kimiko. I believe Frenchie and Kimiko are a package deal, similar to in the comics, and will either survive or die together. Their deaths would be the most emotional, though MM’s and Butcher’s relationship has been so strained that a final battle resulting in MM’s death would be the most believable.
How ‘The Boys’ Should End: The Near-Extinction Of Supes
In The Boys comics, Butcher’s plan to kill all supes and anyone with trace amounts of Compound V fails. However, the result isn’t much better. In The Boys' epilogue, set 10 years after Homelander’s death, supes are near-extinct. Hundreds of thousands of supes were killed during Homelander’s attempt to take over the country, while the remaining supes went into hiding after the fallout.
Vought’s superhero division was decimated, and they abandoned their plan to integrate supes into the military. Supes lose all their political and social power, leading the world to return to normal and allowing Starlight and Hughie to live out the rest of their lives quietly.
How ‘The Boys’ Will Probably End: Supes Live On
Of course, The Boys can’t end with the near-extinction of supes because it has serious franchise potential. The show already has an interconnected spinoff series, Gen V (2023), and an animated spinoff anthology series, The Boys Presents: Diabolical (2022), that have been just as successful. If all the supes die or go into hiding, the franchise risks ending with loads of unused potential.
With more seasons of Gen V still a possibility and The Boys: Mexico in development, it seems certain that The Boys won’t be the end of the supe story. Homelander and a lot of his followers may die. Still, I anticipate a few hints and teases of the future of Vought and supes, leaving the door open for more.
