The conclusion of “The Boys” Season 5 offers what appears to be a tidy resolution. Billy Butcher, portrayed by Karl Urban, ultimately vanquishes Homelander, played by Antony Starr. However, the victory is bittersweet, as Hughie, brought to life by Jack Quaid, is compelled to eliminate Butcher when he threatens mass genocide against all super-powered beings. Amidst the chaos and carnage, a glimmer of hope emerges with Hughie and Annie, also known as Starlight and played by Erin Moriarty, expecting a child.
Over its run, the series has woven a complex tapestry of characters and narratives. The finale attempts to tie these threads into a neat conclusion, yet numerous questions linger. Fans may find some answers in the upcoming “Vought Rising” on Prime Video, but they might also have to piece together the story themselves. While leaving some questions unanswered can be intriguing, the number of contradictions in the final season could detract from the enjoyment of revisiting the series.
Season 5 of “The Boys” is marred by significant plot inconsistencies. Some aspects defy logic, while others conflict with the series’ established canon. Crafting a compelling finale is no easy task, but avoiding glaring plot holes should be a priority for any showrunner.
For superhero enthusiasts, power scaling often presents a frustrating challenge. This concept revolves around understanding a character’s abilities and the extent of their strength. When a character showcases extraordinary prowess in one scene but inexplicably falls short in another, it raises questions about consistency.
Homelander is particularly susceptible to issues with power scaling, as his abilities fluctuate dramatically. In the series finale, “Blood and Bone,” he swiftly transports Günter Van Ellis, played by Ivan Sherry, to space in an instant. Yet, during a subsequent battle with Butcher, he is inexplicably restrained by Butcher’s tendrils, despite his demonstrated speed and power.
All of the power scaling
Another inconsistency involves Homelander’s laser eyes. In an earlier episode, he uses them to slice Kimiko, portrayed by Karen Fukuhara, in half—a feat she survives thanks to her regenerative powers. However, during a confrontation in the Oval Office, those same lasers merely push Kimiko back instead of inflicting similar damage, even though Homelander is enhanced with the V-One formula, which should amplify his strength. Homelander shifts from an omnipotent force to a surprisingly vulnerable opponent when facing main characters, conveniently allowing for a fitting conclusion to his arc.
Homelander is a massive victim to power scaling because his abilities differ wildly from one scene to the next. In the series finale, “Blood and Bone,” Homelander whisks Günter Van Ellis (Ivan Sherry) to space in what seems like a nanosecond. But when Homelander is fighting Butcher later, he tries to fly away, but Butcher’s able to apprehend him with his tendrils. Those tendrils shouldn’t have stood a chance, because we’ve already seen how quickly Homelander can lift off.
Then there’s the issue with Homelander’s laser eyes. In an earlier episode, Homelander slices Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) in half with them (although she regenerates). But during the Oval Office fight, Homelander uses his laser eyes on Kimiko, and they merely knock her back instead of cutting her in half. And this is Homelander with the V-One formula in his system now, so he should be even stronger. Homelander is all-powerful when the show wants to present him as terrifying; but when he’s fighting main characters, he’s suddenly far wimpier so that he can receive the fate he deserves.
When was Soldier Boy in love with Stormfront?
Homelander getting the V-One formula hinges on Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) handing it over to him. Soldier Boy’s reasoning for this move (despite seemingly hating Homelander earlier) is that Stormfront (Aya Cash) loved Homelander and wanted him to be the best supe possible. Soldier Boy insists Stormfront was his one true love, so he’s not handing over the V-One for Homelander but for Stormfront.
It’s a turn that would make sense if Soldier Boy didn’t spend a good chunk of Season 3 talking about how much he loved Crimson Countess (Laurie Holden). From that season, it seemed like Crimson Countess was his one true love — but suddenly, he and Stormfront were an item. He mentions how he and Liberty (Stormfront’s name in the 1950s) were founding members of Herogasm, but it never feels like they were anything too serious.
But now, the entire plot of “The Boys” Season 5 hinges on Soldier Boy being madly in love with Stormfront all these years. The best explanation you could give it is that he loved Stormfront in the ’50s, and then he and Crimson Countess were an item in the 1980s when they were members of the supe group Payback. But it feels like the writers retconned Soldier Boy’s relationship with Stormfront to justify his actions. “The Boys” Season 5 effectively functions as a backdoor pilot to “Vought Rising,” so we’ll hopefully see what Soldier Boy and Stormfront’s relationship was like in the prequel series.
Where did all the Temp V go?
Another storyline that seemingly gets forgotten involves V24. Earlier in the series, Butcher and Hughie take V24, also known as Temp V, to give them superpowers for 24 hours. This comes in handy to level the playing field when attacking supes, and all it takes to overpower Homelander in the episode “Herogasm” is Soldier Boy and Butcher. Granted, Temp V comes with a nasty side effect of killing the user after three to five doses, so it’s not something people should get accustomed to. But during that final fight with Homelander, it really would come in handy.
Even if Vought suspended manufacturing the V24, Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) should be intelligent enough to figure out how to make more (or at least how to find some in storage somewhere). Hughie used Temp V four times, so he definitely shouldn’t take anymore. But what would stop the team from offering Temp V to people sympathetic to their cause just one time when going into the final battle with Homelander?
Butcher and Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) do manage to apprehend Homelander. However, Butcher didn’t even know Ryan would be there, so that was just pure luck. Even having 10 extra supes on hand for 24 hours would’ve been a huge asset in the final fight, and everyone forgets Temp V is a thing. And there’s still the question as to what would happen if a supe took Temp V. It could make them even more powerful, which would also be a plus.
Why would Starlight fight Deep near water?
The Deep (Chace Crawford) receives perhaps the most fitting death in “The Boys” series finale. In the previous episode, Deep gets blamed for an oil disaster, causing all of the sea animals to turn on him. A shark (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) informs Deep that if he ever goes into the ocean again, they’ll all kill him. That’s precisely what happens in the finale, as Annie knocks Deep into the sea, and a horde of sea creatures descend upon him.
But there’s one problem with this whole sequence. The Boys meet Deep at the White House, and Annie takes her fight with him elsewhere while the others descend upon Homelander. Annie and Deep land on the beach, which seems like an odd battleground because Annie doesn’t know Deep has angered all the sea life. Why would she want to fight him on his home turf where he could call upon any number of creatures to fight on his behalf?
None of the creatures will help Deep, but Annie doesn’t know that. She seemingly doesn’t realize that, under better circumstances, she’s given Deep a huge advantage. That’s probably why she looks so confused when the sea creatures kill Deep. She didn’t even realize what she was doing when knocking him far out into the ocean.
Where will all the diehard Homelanders go?
Jasper Savage/Prime Video
For the most part, everything seems fine on “The Boys” Season 5 finale. After all, Homelander is dead — but he wasn’t the only threat in “The Boys” universe. We see in “The Boys” Season 4 and “Gen V” Season 2 that a massive divide has formed between supes as a whole and regular people. “Gen V” shows how regular humans are discriminated against at Godolkin University, and it’s unlikely that problem will go away with Homelander dead.
Butcher even tells Hughie in their final confrontation that he needs to release the supe virus because someone else will just show up to take Homelander’s place — and that’s a certainty. Granted, Homelander is humiliated on national television, as he’s depowered and grovels at Butcher’s feet before his death. But the first episode of Season 5 sees Homelander and Vought claiming that the infamous Flight 37 video was AI. What’s to stop them from saying Homelander’s death was also AI to preserve his image and bolster him up as a symbol of supe supremacy?
That’s arguably the biggest issue with “The Boys” Season 5 as a whole. It became far too insular where we barely got glimpses into America as a whole and focused solely on the Boys and Homelander in their own contained spaces. It loses that commentary, and now, we’re just supposed to think the U.S. will go back to normal after everything Homelander put it through. It’s even weird that Starlight is comfortable getting a normal job and still showing her face in public, considering how many Homelander fanatics wanted her dead. But we’re probably not supposed to think about it that much and just be glad that the bad man is gone.
