The Boys Season 5, Episode 6 finally shakes up the Prime Video series’ power ranking — but only temporarily, and it’s back to normal by the time the episode closes. SPOILERS ahead for The Boys Season 5, Episode 6. This week’s installment, “Though the Heavens Fall,” finally introduces Mason Dye’s Bombsight, who proves a match for Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy. That’s not surprising, considering the V1 in his bloodstream, but it’s gone before the credits roll. In exchange for the vial of V1, Soldier Boy takes away Bombsight’s powers. So, although the new supe would’ve bumped Butcher off the list of strongest supes and pushed everyone but Homelander down a notch, this is no longer the case.
Almost everything’s the same at the end of The Boys Season 5, Episode 6, with one Earth-shattering exception. Homelander is still at the top of our weekly lineup, but he’s even stronger than before. With Soldier Boy giving him the V1, his number-one spot on The Boys‘ power ranking is pretty much cemented. There are still a few supes who might be able to turn things around, but it will be due to their unique power sets, not because they’re stronger than him.
Bombsight’s introduction nearly kicked Butcher off the list of strongest characters in The Boys, but now that Bombsight is powerless, Butcher remains fifth on that ranking. He’s still durable enough to face some of sturdiest supes, including Soldier Boy. And his tentacles still grant him the ability to launch powerful attacks from afar, allowing him to incapacitate even powerful opponents. That said, Butcher doesn’t have any unique abilities that would allow him to defeat Odessa subjects, those with V1, or even a natural-born supe like Ryan. Thus, we’ll continue placing him beneath Marie, Ryan, Soldier Boy, and Homelander. With Homelander’s latest upgrade, Butcher may not even be capable of holding his own against him anymore. Butcher’s final line in The Boys Season 5, Episode 6 certainly suggests he’s better off retreating.
Gen V‘s characters have yet to make their appearance in The Boys Season 5, so there’s still no proof of how Marie Moreau holds up against the main show’s strongest players. However, her ability to manipulate blood makes her at least as threatening as Butcher. And considering that she’s one of Project Odessa’s two survivors, she’s probably just a bit more impressive. She can launch long-range attacks, alter others’ bodies from the outside, and even heal and resurrect people — abilities no other supes have. In terms of raw strength, she’s likely behind Ryan, Soldier Boy, and Homelander, though she’s yet to face any of them properly in combat. And her blood power could be the key to removing V1 from other supes’ blood…which would give her an advantage over Homelander and Soldier Boy nonetheless.
Ryan appears in The Boys Season 5, but like Marie, he’s also missing from the most recent installments. He disappears after facing Homelander and losing, a sure sign that he’s not as strong as his father yet — even if the potential is there as grows into his powers. Ryan has all the advantages that Homelander does, from flight and heat vision to superior physical strength. He’s yet to hone them, so he’s not on par with Antony Starr’s supe. And I’d probably place him behind Soldier Boy, if only because Ackles’ character also has a better grip on his combat skills. (That said, Ryan does manage to disfigure Stormfront, so perhaps I’m wrong about this.) Ryan mostly remains a wild card, as we’ve yet to see a massive display of power from him. However, if Homelander is the “ultimate expression” of what supes could be, then his natural-born son should be even more than that. There’s also no telling how Ryan will respond to the supe virus, considering he was never injected with Compound V. We need more information before moving him up or down on this list.
Before Homelander, Soldier Boy was thought to be the world’s strongest supe — and there’s a reason for that. Physically, his offenses and defenses are high and above most other characters’. And the V1 in his blood also makes him immune to the supe virus, which isn’t something most supes in The Boys‘ universe can say. On top of that, Soldier Boy has his radiation blasts. They take a bit more time to launch long range attacks, which makes them slightly less impressive than heat vision. Yet they remove supes’ powers, and Bombsight’s fate proves this works even with V1 in the equation. This means Soldier Boy technically could still defeat Homelander, even if Antony Starr’s supe trumps him in terms of raw physical ability. Still, he’d have to get close, and Homelander’s newly upgraded heat vision would probably end his efforts early.
Homelander is undeniably the most powerful supe in The Boys Season 5, even before Episode 6’s ending. It’s nearly impossible to make him bleed, much less kill him, and his strength can easily take down his most powerful foes. He doesn’t need those close-range attacks, either, as heat vision allows him to instantaneously kill. He’s fast, he can fly, and he has massive political sway. It’s all enough to cement him as the strongest supe, even before getting V1. The V1 now grants him immunity to one of the only things that stands a chance of defeating him: Butcher’s supe virus. There’s a chance Marie’s blood powers, Soldier Boy’s radiation, or Ryan could still find a way to bring about his downfall. But Homelander’s demise is now far more unlikely, and not just because the V1 makes him immune to the virus. It also grants him immortality and strengthens his already impressive power set. His heat vision looks much more deadly now, and that can’t be good for anyone.
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