This article contains spoilers from The Boys season 4 finale.
Summary
The BoysshowrunnerEric Kripke explains how the season 4 ending sets up season 5, which is confirmed to be the final season of the popular Prime Video series. The season 4 finale sawHomelander gaining full control of the United States of America, while the Boys are in a worse position than ever before. This was the worst-case scenario that the vigilante team desperately tried and now failed to prevent from happening, with Homelander as president in all but name, and hundreds of supes legally deputized to carry out martial law.
While speaking withLADbible,Kripke discussed why he wanted season 4 to end this way, and teased what it means for the series' final episodes. He shared insight into the gradual buildup to this pivotal turning point in the overarching story and how Homelander and the various members of the Boys will move forward now that the status quo has been significantly changed. Check out his explanation below:
You know, I think the finale of season four really shows you that we’ve been planning five years all along, because there’s no way a show goes one more season after the events of that finale. As far as we’re concerned, it’s our show’s version of the apocalypse.
Homelander gets everything he has wanted from the beginning, which is to completely remake the United States in his image, and according to his whims.
The boys are at their lowest point, most of them are captured, and we worry for their future. I always look at it as of the five seasons, we’re kind of at that point, that’s sort of the end of the second act of a movie where everyone’s really at their low point, and they’ve all faced their own personal demons. Now, they need to really come together in the fifth season and save the world.
What The Boys' “Version Of The Apocalypse” Means For Season 5
Unprecedented Bloodshed Will Be Unleashed While Only One Hope Remains
The Boys and anyone who threatens Homelander can now be killed without consequences, which could lead toThe Boysseason 5 featuring more violence and destruction than ever before.
The only way to undoThe Boys' version of the apocalypse is to stop Homelander for good. If Homelander is destroyed, the hundreds of deputized supes will be leaderless, and Homelander will no longer be able to control the United States government by using President Calhoun as his puppet.As long as Homelander lives, he can now fully impose his will on othersthrough his unparalleled superpowers and now through his own personal army and the legal system at his disposal.
Why Starlight’s Powers Return In The Boys Season 4’s Finale
Starlight loses control over her powers in The Boys season 4, but they come back to her during the finale — and there’s an obvious reason why.
Ryan is still the one character with the greatest potential to stop Homelanderas he is the only supe with his biological father’s powers. While Homelander got everything he wanted at theend ofThe Boysseason 4in terms of his influential power and the status of supes, Ryan is still not the person Homelander wants him to be. While Ryan has lost control at times and there have been hints of his darker side, he is not the monster that his father is, giving him a humanity alongside his powers that may make him able to defeat Homelander.
As shown when Grace Mallory confronts Ryan with this possibility, he is not ready to take on this task yet. The Boys and, hopefully, former members of the Seven, Maeve and A-Train, will have to stand their ground and pave the way for Ryan until he is prepared to save the world. The Boys andanyone who threatens Homelander can now be killed without consequences, which could lead toThe Boysseason 5featuring more violence and destruction than ever before.
The Boys
Cast
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
