By Danielle Broadway
LOS ANGELES, April 6 (Reuters) – American actor Jensen Ackles said no character is safe in the fifth and final season of “The Boys,” the blood‑soaked superhero satire arriving on Prime Video on Wednesday.
“This is the culmination of four seasons now coming into the big finale,” the “Supernatural” actor told Reuters. “All bets are off.”
Ackles, who plays the volatile super-powered Soldier Boy, said show creator Eric Kripke had forged a final season that pushes alliances to the breaking point and exposes vulnerabilities fans may not expect.
The main cast returns for the final season, including Erin Moriarty as Starlight, Laz Alonso as Mother’s Milk and Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro.
Season five marks the long-anticipated showdown between the egotistical antagonist Homelander — who now believes himself a god — and Billy Butcher, the brutish leader of the vigilante group known as The Boys. The series is distributed by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios.
The Boys plot to deploy a deadly virus capable of wiping out all super-powered beings, a last-ditch effort to end Homelander’s grip on the world.
“That’s the harrowing situation we’re in when season five begins,” said Jack Quaid, who plays Hughie Campbell. “Homelander is well on his way to trying to become immortal — and it’s up to The Boys to stop him.”
The final season delivers on the rivalry between Butcher and Homelander that has driven the show since its debut in 2019.
Karl Urban, who portrays Butcher, said the character’s newly acquired powers come at a cost.
“He becomes very cold, calculated and turns into Terminator-like,” Urban said, “while the other Butcher (when he doesn’t use his powers) is really just struggling to hold onto the last vestiges of his humanity.”
Antony Starr, who plays Homelander, said his character has moved in the opposite direction.
“Evolution is paused,” Starr said. “Arrested development has prevented him from growth.” He described Homelander as emotionally and morally bankrupt. “Which is good for the show,” he added. “Because it means he’s going to make a mess.”
“The Boys” has spawned spin-off series, including “Gen V,” “The Boys Presents: Diabolical” and the upcoming prequel series starring Ackles called “Vought Rising,” which was announced in 2024 at San Diego Comic Con. No official premiere date has been announced.
Kripke said that he’s open to creating even more spin-offs in the future as long as they make sense within the franchise and add something that goes beyond the initial plot of “The Boys.”
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Matt Silverstein; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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