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Phew! Most wild fan theories for The Boys Season 5 finale have been proven wrong in the last episode of this superhero show. Instead, the story’s conclusion ends up aligning almost perfectly with Butcher’s desperate endgame, which is solidly foreshadowed in episode 7. So as the unhinged Homelander (Antony Starr) gears for his ‘ascension’ as a living God, Butcher leads his team into one last suicide mission.

What did I think? Honestly, considering how ‘The Boys’ had been shaping up this whole season, it was quite all right. Definitely did not think Eric Kripke and team would give all (well almost all) the primary characters a definitely end or reasonable closing arcs, but they do.

Of course, it was disappointing to see the young cast of Gen V get almost completely sidelined in the finale, but honestly, after they were practically nonexistent for the first five episodes, I had already changed my expectations by episode six. Thankfully, for viewers who never followed the spin-off series, The Boys Season 5’s finale still works reasonably well as a send-off by focusing on the original team. Butcher (Karl Urban), Hughie (Jack Quaid), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), MM (Laz Alonso), and Starlight (Erin Moriarty) make one final stand against the megalomaniacal psychopath.

If one starts to question the plot logically, there are too many loopholes, and ideally, Homelander should’ve fried Butcher and company to death two seasons ago. But fine, this is a superhero show and there is not point going there. And maybe as long-time viewers of The Boys, most of us have become too desentisized to the violence and gore, because despite clocking in quite a few grisly deaths, the finale lacked tension, excitement, and simply wasn’t gritty enough. Or maybe the whole point was to NOT give Homelander a fitting end.

Karl Urban’s Butcher ends up having the most uneven character arc in the entire show, descending into an absolute mess and turning into a deeply broken figure by the end, something the series very intentionally leans into. One of the finale’s strongest emotional scenes arrives when Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) bluntly tells Butcher that just because he is willing to help kill Homelander does not mean he sees Butcher as the better man. In his eyes, Butcher is barely any different, and instead of choosing either surrogate father figure, Ryan chooses himself.

Ashley (Colby Minifie), whose gloriously absurd rise through the series somehow ends with her becoming President of the United States, mostly because the flying psychopath murdered everyone else in his way, also shows some backbone by helping the gang gain access to the unstable tyrant. So Butcher does get the last shot at taking down the cape-wearing lunatic in a brutal “do-or-die” showdown. The fight itself is wrapped up surprisingly quickly, but still delivers enough blood, shattered bones, and ugly violence to satisfy longtime viewers. Joining him are the ferocious Kimiko and another unlikely ally equally desperate to see the superpowered whacko finally put in the ground.

If there is one thing ‘The Boys’ never fumbles with, it is Antony Starr’s performance as Homelander. Any weakness in the show comes entirely from the script. Starr brilliantly balances the character’s terrifying menace, fragile insecurity, and occasional cowardly breakdowns, embodying every version of the supervillain with incredible presence. In the finale too, he goes down with theatrics that are darkly comical.

Surprisingly enough, the finale of The Boys takes time to include multiple epilogue scenes revealing where the surviving characters end up after Homelander’s chaos finally settles. A few of those endings are more hopeful than expected. If nothing else, it works as a solid farewell to Butcher and company.

Stream The Boys Season 5 on Prime Video.

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