The Boys Series Finale Review: The Ending Gets Its Big Calls Right

by

Be warned, this discussion contains spoilers for the final episode of The Boys. The finale isn’t full of shocking twists – and that’s a good thing! It delivers a logical and satisfying conclusion, prioritizing sense over sensationalism. While season 5 of The Boys has generally received excellent reviews (currently at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes), the final episode has drawn more criticism than previous ones, even becoming the lowest-rated episode on IMDb. Considering this season was the most politically charged yet, this divided reaction isn’t unexpected.

The strong reactions to the finale highlight a point The Boys itself has made: it’s impossible to create a finale that everyone will love. That’s likely to be true this time, especially considering the previous episode wasn’t a huge hit with viewers.

As a longtime fan, I have to say the ending of The Boys really hit the mark. It wasn’t flawless, sure, but honestly, I can’t imagine things playing out any differently. Everything felt…inevitable, in a good way. It really stuck to the spirit of the comics while giving each character the conclusion they deserved after seven seasons. It didn’t suffer from being predictable – instead, it benefited from letting these characters reach the destinations they’d been building towards for so long.

The Boys’ Final Fight Against Homelander Goes Down The Right Way

As a huge fan of both the show and the original comics, I noticed something really cool in the final showdown of The Boys. While the series definitely diverged from the Black Noir storyline a while back, that last fight? It’s straight out of Garth Ennis’s vision! We get Butcher going toe-to-toe with his patriotic nemesis in the Oval Office, and yeah, it ends with a crowbar to the skull, just like in the comics. The show gets there in a different way though – it’s Kimiko who weakens Homelander with a blast of energy, giving Butcher the opening he needs. It was a fantastic, and faithful-in-spirit, conclusion.

Karen Fukuhara’s character, The Female, has become much more developed in the live-action series, making her central role in the final fight fitting. However, this doesn’t overshadow the fact that it’s still Butcher’s story about getting revenge, and Frenchie’s contribution to bringing down Homelander honors his character. While the way Homelander lost his powers feels a little too easy, the show has been building towards this outcome since Soldier Boy arrived in season 3, so it’s not entirely unexpected. And importantly, Sister Sage’s guidance made all of this possible, answering the question of why they hadn’t tried this strategy earlier.

The latest installment of The Boys feels satisfying thanks to some key choices. Giving Ryan a chance to be heroic feels well-deserved, and his decision to oppose Homelander – with Butcher’s help – perfectly captures the core themes of the show and reminds us what the original conflict was about. The sight of Homelander struggling to fly and falling to the ground is incredibly impactful, and perhaps even more rewarding than if he’d been killed. Broadcasting his humiliating defeat on television makes the moment even better.

The Main Character Endings Nail A Tone Between Bitter & Sweet

From the beginning, the focus of The Boys season five has been wrapping up the characters’ stories. We’ve seen Butcher in therapy, Mother’s Milk reconnect with his emotions, Frenchie and Kimiko discuss their future, Starlight reconnect with her father, and the team share their feelings at Fort Harmony. This emphasis on character development continues in the show’s final episodes.

The show smartly retains a key plot point from the comic: Hughie killing Butcher to avert a worldwide disaster. The reunion of Mr. and Mrs. Milk finally gives a just outcome for what’s always been the most reasonable character on The Boys. Deep’s fate mirrors a classic mob hit, but without the literal drowning. Starlight returns to her roots as an independent hero, and Hughie finds closure, embracing his girlfriend in New York without the terrifying outcome he once feared. The Boys masterfully mixes heartbreaking moments with glimmers of hope, falling somewhere on the spectrum between Frenchie’s struggles and Starlight’s optimism. While two team members have died and one is deeply grieving, the others find happiness. These wins have come at a significant price, and the emotional impact is powerful.

The most disappointing aspect of The Boys‘ finale, even admitted by Butcher before his death, is that the heroes don’t actually win. Homelander’s defeat is just a minor setback for Vought, as Stan Edgar quickly regains control and new superpowered individuals are sure to appear. This outcome makes the entire story feel somewhat futile and suggests the show might be setting up potential spin-offs.

Given the show’s core message, the ending of The Boys felt inevitable. It’s a series that consistently criticizes the relentless nature of corporate power, so it wouldn’t make sense for simply defeating a powerful superhero to suddenly lead to positive change from those in charge. As Stan Edgar pointed out just recently, capitalism is unstoppable. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Vought remains a powerful force at the end of the series. The finale, while offering a glimmer of hope, ultimately reflects the show’s consistently dark and realistic tone.

The Boys’ Finale Would Be Better If This Wasn’t A Franchise

It’s ironic that a TV show dedicated seven seasons to poking fun at franchises, sequels, and connected universes ended up struggling with the same issues in its final season due to being part of one itself.

It’s odd that Soldier Boy wasn’t in the final fight at the White House. He’d already clearly sided with Homelander, so it seemed likely he’d join The Deep and Oh Father as one of the main villains. It would have been a fitting conclusion to see Starlight fight The Deep, Hughie face off against Oh Father, and Mother’s Milk finally get a chance to defeat the supe he’d been hunting for years. Instead, it seems Amazon is saving Jensen Ackles for future appearances. Leaving Soldier Boy out feels like an unnecessary and awkward loose end in the finale of The Boys.

Being a fan of Gen V is frustrating right now. After being sidelined for most of season 5, Marie Moreau and the other former Godolkin students barely appear in the finale, even with Emma’s funny lines. While The Boys creator Eric Kripke wants to bring the Gen V characters back in a future project, there are no firm plans, and with Gen V canceled, Marie’s brief cameo in The Boys’ last episode might be the last we see of the Godolkin crew.

As a huge fan of The Boys, I get both sides of this whole shared universe debate. On one hand, the show already has so much going on with its own characters – adding a whole new set from a spin-off feels like a lot. But, the point of these connected universes is to get you hooked on multiple shows, promising everything ties together. That’s why it’s so frustrating when a spin-off spends two seasons building up characters and storylines – like Marie becoming a real threat to Homelander – only for those threads to just… fizzle out. It feels like The Boys – which, let’s be honest, has spent five seasons brilliantly poking fun at Marvel and DC – understands this problem all too well. It knows shared universes are tricky!

Even if the biggest issue with a series finale is awkwardly setting up future shows while trying to wrap things up, that’s actually a good sign. It’s unlikely any finale will please everyone these days, but for those who have watched The Boys from the start, this ending feels satisfying and true to the show.

Read More

2026-05-20 21:20