A new teaser for The Boys season 5’s story developments has almost convinced me that the show’s finish will be similar to the original comic’s ending. Although The Boys is based on the same-named comic book series, it takes significant creative alterations with the original material to enhance the plot and make it more fit for television. The program has strayed further from the original comic books as each season progresses.

Because of the show’s departure from its source material, I began to feel it would never conclude in the same way as the comics. However, The Boys season 4’s finishing storyline reminded me that the show’s final arc may have connections with the source. Eric Kripke, the show’s creator, has now hinted another story detail for season 5, implying that the show would continue to portray some key components of the comics’ shocking finale.

The Boys Season 5 Death Tease Suggestions We will get some versions of the comic ending.

Season 5 of The Boys is set to repeat the comic’s brutal ending.

In an interview (via Total Film), Erik Kripke revealed that “there will probably be lots of death” in The Boys season 5. He also added that audiences can expect “really shocking, big things to happen all the time” because there is no guarantee of who will live or survive by the end of the season. Given how The Boys has always maintained an air of ambiguity surrounding character fates, I am not surprised that season 5 will feature a lot of unexpected deaths.

“Butcher also acquires the supe-𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing virus after murdering Neuman in season 4’s finale, which could also help him 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 many supes in season 5.”

However, several main characters, so far, have remained immune to the show’s notorious unpredictability. Kripke’s comment suggests that, like the comics, where Billy Butcher commits supe genocide towards the end, even the show will not shy away from portraying what the Karl Urban character is truly capable of. Although Butcher’s story in the show is significantly different from his comic book counterpart in more ways than one, his actions towards The Boys‘ season 4 ending hint that he will stop at nothing in season 5 to fulfill his motive of 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing Homelander.

After Ryan’s betrayal, the brutality with which he 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s Victoria Neuman suggests he will cross all moral boundaries in The Boys season 5. Butcher also acquires the supe-𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing virus after murdering Neuman in season 4’s finale, which could also help him 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 many supes in season 5. While it is hard to predict who will live or die, some supes from his team, like Kimiko and Starlight, might also perish.

Who Dies In The Boys Comics & How The Show Can Adapt This

Most Comic Book Deaths Can Happen In The Show

Mother’s Milk attempts to stop Billy Butcher in the comics after realizing his actions could 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 many innocents. However, Butcher stays a step ahead of him and brutally 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s him by detonating a grenade in his face. Considering the tension between MM and Billy Butcher in The Boys season 4, it would make sense if Butcher 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s him in season 5 if he interferes with his plans. Frenchie and Kimiko, too, meet a similar fate when Butcher 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s them using explosives. In the show, he could take down both of them with his new supe abilities or unleash the virus on Kimiko to give her a slow death.

“…given how Hughie seemingly has no supe abilities, while Butcher is an overpowered supe, it seems more likely that Starlight will 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 Butcher in season 5.”

A-Train also dies near the end of The Boys comics, when Hughie beheads him with a Compound V-fueled kick. However, given how Hughie and A-Train have sorted their feud on the program, A-Train will most certainly be assassinated by Homelander in season 5 for his season 4 betrayal. Hughie survives in the comics and eventually murders Butcher, which is another plot aspect that the show may explore. However, given that Hughie appears to lack supe powers and Butcher is an overpowered supe, it appears more possible that Starlight will 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 Butcher in Season 5.

The major shock in the comic’s final arc reveals that Black Noir is Homelander’s clone, intended as a backup plan to stop Homelander if he goes rogue. When Homelander loses his sanity, Black Noir fulfills his goal by 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing the red-caped supe before Billy Butcher crowbars him. While it appears that Homelander will die by the end of the season, the show’s Black Noir twist is implausible because the original Noir has already died and the new one appears to be nothing like Homelander.

I’m glad the boys are sticking to the source material’s tragic conclusion.

The Boys was never supposed to have an optimistic ending.

The Boys has never marketed itself as a generic superhero series. Its primary appeal has always come from its portrayal of immoral super-powered humans who subvert the traditional heroic archetype. Owing to this, unlike most superhero narratives, The Boys was never meant to have an optimistic ending where good triumphs over evil. Since The Boys portrays a world where super-powered humans are far from morally perfect, its ending was always supposed to be messy and fraught with complexity, reflecting the harsh realities of its world.

The Boys is on the right track to delivering what it promised from the start by remaining close to the comics’ ending and depicting several unexpected fatalities. While it appears that morally flawed supes such as Homelander and Billy Butcher will die by the conclusion of season 5, the deaths of other reformed characters and innocent non-supes will demonstrate how no one truly wins in a world riddled with corruption and toxic power dynamics. Hopefully, season 5 of The Boys will be as interesting and epic as the early tale teases suggest.