Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Boys season 5, episode 6, “Though the Heavens Fall.”
With The Boys deep into its final season, there’s a lot of pressure on the show to deliver a satisfying conclusion, but while some episodes have been divisive, the superhero series has already avoided one major problem that plagued Stranger Things’ ending. Given The Boys’ brutal, gory nature, some big promises were made heading into its final run.
Although the project prioritizes drama and character development, people still expected some huge stakes and extreme tension, especially with how season 4 wrapped up. Fortunately, season 5’s premiere opened with a bang and delivered some huge moments, most notably A-Train’s death while saving The Boys, which completed his fascinating redemption arc.
Since then, the pace has slowed down, but The Boys season 5, episode 6’s ending saw Soldier Boy give Homelander V-One, making the protagonists’ only way of killing him useless. As a result, this scene set up an explosive final two episodes that puts most characters in jeopardy, and thankfully, season 5 has already featured some major deaths.
Just five months ago, Stranger Things was criticized for playing things too safely during its final run, as very few key characters died, and even Eleven’s sacrifice hinted that she may have survived. Naturally, this caused frustration among the audience and felt underwhelming, but The Boys has made sure to avoid going down a similar path by being much more ruthless.
As of now, the core group is still breathing, but they did lose A-Train in the first episode, while two members of the Seven — Firecracker and Black Noir — have been killed by their own allies. Even more minor supes like Cindy, Love Sausage, and Maverick have perished, proving no one is safe in season 5.
Antony Starr Has Hinted There Are More Big Deaths To Come In The Boys’ Final Episodes
Antony Starr smiling as Homelander in The Boys
After Homelander killed Firecracker in The Boys season 5, episode 5, having another big casualty in Black Noir just one episode later proves The Boys is going out cautiously. Instead, the series looks hellbent on continuing to kill off key characters with each passing episode, and even Antony Starr himself has alluded to this.
Although he didn’t mention Stranger Things directly, the Homelander actor criticized a show that recently ended for having nobody die. In an interview with Wired, he claimed, “There’s nowhere else to go, kill some people,” leading many people to believe he was talking about the Netflix series.
Even if he wasn’t referring to Stranger Things, the sentiment remains the same that he believes shows within a certain genre shouldn’t play it safe with their endings, indicating that The Boys has more big deaths to come, and with several main antagonists still standing, as well as the original members of The Boys, some big losses may be imminent.
Much of the press ahead of season 5’s debut has indicated that the conclusion will be far from tame, and with Homelander stronger than ever, he’s almost destined to murder some big names before eventually being defeated himself. As a result, The Boys is clearly attempting to avoid suffering the same fate as Stranger Things.
Understandably, many of these potential deaths will be heartbreaking and risk upsetting sections of the fan base, but it’s much better than leaving people dissatisfied that the stakes weren’t high enough. Therefore, between Starr’s comments and the show’s current direction, expect some shocking moments in the final two episodes.
Predicting Who Else Will Die Before The Boys Ends
Frenchie, Kimiko, MM, Starlight, and Hughie standing in a lab in The Boys season 5
With just two episodes to go, it may feel like many of the current survivors will make it out alive, yet a large number of them are at risk. Firstly, the most in danger character in the entire series is Homelander, as, despite the possibility of him winning remaining on the table, it’s much more likely that he will be killed.
He’s easily the most evil villain still around, and fans have been eager for him to see justice for almost five seasons, which would make any ending where he is victorious feel extremely dark. Likewise, The Deep has been the most cowardly antagonist in the entire franchise, making it impossible to envision an ending where he lives.
Both of these characters have been incredible and provided endless moments of comedy, but they both need to pay for their sins. Unfortunately, some of our heroes are in the firing line as well. In theory, all of them could die, but MM, Frenchie, and Kimiko seem the most vulnerable, considering an upcoming episode title references all three of them.
Perhaps this is an intentional misdirection, but focusing heavily on this trio hints that they will potentially all die in the same outing. With Homelander and Butcher’s The Boys season 5 showdown also looking inevitable, the latter also seems a prime candidate to be killed, as he has sacrificed so much of his morality trying to take down the Seven’s leader.
He would happily throw his life away to ensure Homelander dies, and even if he survives their confrontation, he’s cheated death far too many times not to be in jeopardy. Realistically, no central character is immune to danger, but while the likes of Starlight and Hughie could die in The Boys season 5, they’re much safer than those around them.
Source: Wired