The Boys Season 5 finale brings the entire series to a close, and despite concerns ahead the Prime Video show’s ending, it ties up most of the loose ends it needs to. SPOILERS ahead for The Boys Season 5, Episode 8. Homelander is finally defeated in “Blood and Bone,” resolving the seasons-long conflict between Antony Starr’s Supe and Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher. Both characters are among several to die in The Boys‘ series finale, which gives both its surviving players and departed satisfying send-offs.
In doing so, The Boys ensures that very little is left on the table. Even Season 5’s post-credit scene choice doesn’t leave viewers hanging, wondering what’s coming next. That said, there are a few lingering questions following the final episode. The state of the world following Homelander’s demise isn’t as thoroughly addressed as it could be, but future additions to The Boys‘ franchise could fix that.
Stan Edgar temporarily takes over Vought as it transitions away from Homelander’s leadership, but he gives a vague answer about what’s next for the company. He claims that supes need to be reined in, but that doesn’t mean that Vought is done with them entirely. There’s no indication of whether stricter regulations will be placed on supes in power or if they’ll be fully removed from having that sort of influence. If Vought continues to utilize them, there’s also the question of whether another team will replace The Seven. If the company goes in another direction, it’d be interesting to see what they capitalize on instead of supes. As Stan Edgar says, there’s always something to continue the cycle.
The Boys Season 5 finale sees Hughie turning down the opportunity to lead the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs. But with Robert A. Singer back in power, and the organization carrying on, it seems like there’s going to be a good deal of clean-up to take care of. We’re not made privy to what that entails, how far it will go, or who will actually be in charge of it. Starlight is operating on her own in the final scene if The Boys, but it seems likely there’d be a push for the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs to go beyond rounding up those who perpetuated Homelander’s agenda. We know Robert A. Singer would prefer to crack down on supes, and Homelander’s meltdown may give him an opportunity to. This detail from the finale warrants further inspection.
We’re told that Ryan loses his powers in The Boys‘ series finale, and the ending seems to commit to this. However, as Ryan is a natural-born supe, there’s a chance that Kimiko’s blast would have a different effect on him than it does on his father and Butcher. Butcher is the one who assumes he no longer has powers, and Ryan doesn’t confirm or deny it. If he does, the show never fully explains how this works, since Ryan isn’t a supe because of Compound V; he’s a supe because of the V in Homelander’s blood. It could’ve been used as a workaround for the virus, though considering where Ryan ends up, this doesn’t seem to be what the show is going for.
Gen V‘s characters are told to head to Canada with the people Starlight and M.M. save, but with Homelander falling, that’s likely no longer necessary. Gen V‘s teens barely appear in The Boys Season 5, and with Season 3 of the spinoff cancelled, there’s no resolution for their stories. Marie is set up to have massive potential, so future projects in The Boys franchise need to address what’s next for her. As we’ve come to care about everyone in the other show — from Jordan and Emma to the more morally dubious Cate and Sam — their fates are details viewers are going to wonder about well after The Boys.
Homelander puts Soldier Boy back in his cryo chamber in the penultimate episode of The Boys, meaning Jensen Ackles’ supe technically survives the main series. This opens the door to Vought Rising delving into the present-day timeline, but it also raises questions about who’s in charge of Soldier Boy now. It’s unclear if anyone knows he’s in there when Homelander dies, though it wouldn’t be difficult for someone at Vought to stumble upon the incapacitated supe. However, this raises questions about who’s in possession of him while he’s in cryo. If it’s Stan Edgar, it’s possible Soldier Boy doesn’t live too far beyond the final episode after all. Of course, Vought could also see Soldier Boy as a potential asset to fall back on. There’s a lack of clarity there, but with any luck, Vought Rising will rectify that.
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