The Boys has largely kept its main ensemble safe in previous seasons to further the plot. Showrunner Eric Kripke said fans shouldn’t expect their favorite supes to survive Season 5.

The BoysSeason 4 ended with a call to all supes to take over the United States Capitol. Butcher’s crew disperses into hiding, and Sister Sage is poised to orchestrate her coup. The season sets up a superhero clash unseen in the show before Season 5. In an interview with Total Film, showrunner Erik Kripke confirmed they’re going all out with the final season, which up to that point has spared most of its mainstays. He warned, “There will probably be lots of death,” hinting even fan favorites may die in the bloodbath. Kripke has asserted he envisioned The Boys for a five-season run, and that the climactic series finale is part of the plan.

Creator Eric Kripke teases that no one is safe in #TheBoys final season and that he hopes they don't "sh*t the bed" 👀 pic.twitter.com/ibmdzmNKCb

— Total Film (@totalfilm) August 17, 2024

“So many series finales suck, and it’s really hard to land the plane,” he said. “I am very grateful to Amazon for giving me the opportunity to end it on our own terms, but for sure, I feel lots and lots of pressure to end it well. Because I think if we can stick the landing, then people will be like, ‘That’s a great show!’ But if we s— the bed, people will say, ‘Oh, it was a good show, but they s— the bed.'” Kripke echoed the plight of other shows that had a strong run but did not stick the landing. Like Game of Thrones, Kripke’s series departs from the source material and is pressured to give fans a good ending.

‘There’s No Guarantee Of Who’s Gonna Survive’

Kripke hints at a massacre of characters in Season 5. He explained there’s no reason to spare anyone past the finale. “There’s no guarantee of who’s gonna survive because we don’t have to keep them for another season, so you can have really shocking, big things happen all the time,” he teased. “And so, as the writers, as we’re starting to cook it up, we’re really enjoying that.” Fans have since speculated over which supes would return; characters from Gen V could cross over to join the coup, and Queen Maeve could also rejoin Butcher’s crew. Season 4’s final scene also teased Soldier Boy’s return.

The Boys ends in Season 5 but its lore will expand with upcoming spinoffs. Gen V is confirmed for another season, and a prequel series has been greenlighted to star Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash as Soldier Boy and Stormfront. Kripke teased they have more shows in the pipeline on top of The Boys: Mexico, which is currently in development. “…This particular story is ending, the Butcher-Homelander is ending,” he told Variety. “But there can be other stories and other corners of the universe. And hopefully, it’s vibrant and perverted enough to allow for those stories. So hopefully, Gen V continues, hopefully, a couple other things we have in development continue.”