The Boys Season 5 comes to an end in just a few days, and the series finale will decide the fates of all the major characters. SPOILERS ahead for The Boys Season 5, Episodes 1-7. Despite The Boys‘ reputation for being a bloodbath, I actually think a decent number of characters will survive its final episode.
Season 5 already features numerous deaths in the lead-up to its conclusion, whether it’s A-Train’s early-season sacrifice, the murders of Firecracker and Black Noir II, or Frenchie’s gutting end. The final showdown with Homelander will no doubt claim a few more lives — ideally, including his own — but the carnage may not be as bad as you’d think. After all, it’d be difficult to properly grieve too many of the show’s heroes in a single hour. And for the remaining villains, there are several fates as bad as death. Here’s who we think will live and die in The Boys Season 5 finale.
Homelander puts Soldier Boy back in his cryo chamber in The Boys Season 5, Episode 7, and showrunner Eric Kripke confirmed that this is the last we’ll see of Jensen Ackles’ supe in the main show (via Collider). There’s still a chance he could die, as Vought Tower could go up in flames or some worse supe virus could be unleashed…but those twists seem unlikely, and unconscious would be an underwhelming way for the character to go. It’s more probable that Soldier Boy will survive The Boys, leaving a potential threat for potential sequels. I’m starting to think Vought Rising could even take us into the present-day timeline, something that would give Soldier Boy’s spinoff more tension and stakes.
Daveed Diggs’ Oh-Father is one of the most compelling new additions to The Boys in Season 5, but I can’t see him surviving the series finale. Oh-Father puts on a good show, remaining faithful to Homelander at even the most questionable times. However, that facade begins to crack in The Boys‘ penultimate episode, when Homelander demands instant obedience and Oh-Father wants more time to sell people on their new God. I can see this becoming a point of contention between the characters in the final chapter. On top of that, new characters in The Boys tend to be more expendable. As such, Oh-Father’s odds aren’t looking great ahead of the last episode.
Sister Sage’s fate can go either way in The Boys Season 5 finale, but I’m leaning toward her making it to the end. Despite Sage’s massive misstep in The Boys Season 5, Episode 6, she’s typically good at staying one step ahead. She misreads Soldier Boy, who is admittedly unpredictable, but she’s never been wrong about Homelander. For that reason, she’ll probably manage to evade him — and she even has her own bunker to hide in. The Boys may try to redeem Sage by having her sacrifice herself for the greater good, but that’d be too big of a 180 for her character. If the show is going for redemption, Sage’s intelligence is better used for rebuilding after Homelander’s defeat. It wouldn’t strip her of her self-interested side, but it would be just enough to pay off her recent choices. (There’s also a very small chance that everything happening is according to Sage’s plan, which…would be a pretty fantastic twist.)
Ashley Barrett is another wild card going into The Boys Season 5’s finale, especially after her decisions in Episode 7. Colby Minifie’s character spends much of Season 5 agonizing over doing what’s right and what’s personally beneficial. Ashley’s new power is basically a conscience on the back of her head, but it’s one she rarely listens to. And Ashley fully shuts it out in The Boys‘ penultimate episode, opting to keep herself alive and in power over pushing back against Homelander. The final shot of her conscience going silent is chilling, and it suggests Ashley won’t be getting redemption after all. This could lead to her death, as sucking up to Homelander rarely pays off. However, for someone as concerned with her image as Ashley, I think there’s a more fitting fate. She’ll probably survive the series and take the fall for all that’s happened. It’d put a tragic spin on her excitement over becoming president, and her lie about always being a supe won’t help her case. Plus, after Homelander’s death, who else will be left to blame?
Most of us have been waiting on The Deep’s downfall since The Boys‘ very first episode, but I don’t think it’s coming in the form of his death. Fortunately, after The Boys Season 5, Episode 7, I think the show has something better in store for his character: a life of isolation, ridicule, and fear. After all, there’s no coming back from letting a man drown in last week’s installment, especially since it was caught on camera. And the sea creatures have it out for The Deep, so even if he could salvage his hero career, he wouldn’t be able to do much with it. This leaves him facing the consequences of his actions in a much more lasting way. As entertaining as it’d be to see a shark voiced by Samuel L. Jackson take him out, this is the greater punishment.
We haven’t seen much of Ryan in The Boys Season 5, and while he’ll probably make an appearance in the series finale, I doubt it will mark the end for him. In fact, I’m starting to think that Ryan will become Vought’s Homelander replacement — the continuation of the cycle that Stan Edgar promises. Ryan has no reason to fight for either Homelander or Butcher, but he seems to have some trust in Zoe and Stan. This makes him an ideal candidate to forward Stan’s agenda. He’s more reasonable and pliable than Homelander while boasting all the same powers. Season 5 makes a point of showing ruthlessness from him, though, so him taking up his father’s mantle may not be a good thing…but it opens the door for The Boys sequels.
Mother’s Milk spends most of The Boys Season 5 under the assumption they’re all going to die. It’s a fair take, especially knowing what they’re up against. However, I think if M.M. was going to die, it would’ve happened in The Boys‘ penultimate episode. The title, “The Frenchman, the Female, and the Man Called Mother’s Milk” plays on the fact that the three characters die together in the comics, purposely raising tensions. We’re led to believe Frenchie, M.M., and Kimiko all have a chance of being killed in Episode 7, too — but only Frenchie gets the axe. If any of The Boys die in the finale, outside of Butcher, I think it’s most likely to be M.M. However, I think it’s more probable that his Season 5 journey ends with him finding hope and the will to survive again. Perhaps it’s wishful thinking, but it’d be nice to see him reunite with his family as well.
Following Frenchie’s sacrifice in The Boys Season 5, Episode 7, Kimiko has to live beyond the series finale — and not just because she could stop Homelander. Kimiko talks about wanting to settle down and live a peaceful life after the war is done, and as one of The Boys‘ most-traumatized characters, she’s earned that. And Frenchie desperately wants that for her, so this ending would honor his character as much as hers. It’d be too devastating to kill both of them after everything we’ve seen. Keeping Kimiko alive would also put a nice spin on her willingness to die for the greater good. Plus, I really need Kimiko’s final scene to involve Simone the Bernadoodle. Come on, Eric Kripke, it’s what we deserve!
Like all the other characters who have already written themselves off, I believe Starlight will survive the final fight against Homelander. There’s no other way I can see The Boys ending. Starlight and Hughie seem like obvious survivors from the beginning, and maybe that’s naive and the show will surprise us. However, the entirety of The Boys Season 5 proves a crisis of faith for Annie, and she finally seems to find her way out of it during Episode 7. The series finale is more likely to build on that, restoring Annie’s hope for the future and proving the fight worthwhile again. Additionally, Starlight should survive so that the masses can acknowledge how wrong they’ve been about her. I suppose that could happen if she becomes a martyr, but after all the lies, she deserves a proper apology.
Hughie is probably the character most likely to survive The Boys Season 5, based on both the comics and his role in the Prime Video show. While all the other members of The Boys team become increasingly jaded over the series, Hughie remains a beacon of hope. It’s what makes his sudden change in tone so jarring in The Boys Season 5, Episode 7. Hughie’s not one to give up, though, and that’ll likely see him through the end of the series. Additionally, it’d be on brand for Hughie to live despite having no powers or training. It’s kind of his whole thing.
Since the beginning of The Boys, Butcher’s storyline is speeding toward one inevitable end: his death. After losing Becca — twice — Butcher cares about little outside of his revenge. He’s willing to sacrifice his life to get it, and The Boys Season 5 makes it clear that he’s not planning for after. Unlike M.M. and Starlight, Karl Urban’s character doesn’t have much to survive for. There’s Terror, the team, and maybe Ryan. But Butcher accepts leaving all those people behind, and he probably will. There’s no way he and Hughie both make it to the Juicy Rack, but I have a sneaking suspicion Hughie will go there and honor Butcher.
Look, The Boys seeks to satirize the worst parts of the real world, so there’s the slimmest chance that Homelander will win. However, it’d be an anticlimactic way to end the series, and it would make a sequel feel far too much like a continuation. Homelander needs to be defeated in the finale, and while there’s an argument for stripping him of his power, I don’t think that’s definitive enough. The looming threat of his return would always be there, as he could take more Compound V, just as Kimiko does earlier in the show. And if Homelander loses his powers, there are far too many people who’d want to kill him anyway. If the other characters find a way to beat him, they’ll finish the job.
Who do you think will live and die in The Boys‘ series finale? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
