The Boys season 5

The fifth and final season of the American superhero television series The Boys, the first series in the franchise based on the comic book series of the same name written by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, was developed for television by American writer and television producer Eric Kripke. The season will be produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with Point Grey Pictures, Original Film, Kripke Enterprises, Kickstart Entertainment and KFL Nightsky Productions.

The show's fifth and final season is set to star Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Cameron Crovetti, Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Jensen Ackles.

The fifth season was announced on May 14, 2024, and confirmed as the final season on June 11, 2024.^[1]

On May 14, 2024, Amazon Prime Video renewed the series for a fifth season.^[8] On June 11, 2024, two days before season four premiered, showrunner Eric Kripke announced that the fifth season would serve as the final season.^[1] Kripke revealed the news on Twitter, tweeting: "#TheBoys Season 4 Premiere Week is a good time to announce: Season 5 will be the Final Season! ... Thrilled to bring the story to a gory, epic, moist climax."^[9] Following the season four finale's release, Kripke confirmed that he's "been planning five years all along, because there's no way a show goes one more season after the events of that finale" and that the final season will be the "show's version of the apocalypse".^[10] Vernon Sanders, one of Amazon MGM Studios' top executives, stated that the fifth season of The Boys was always planned as the series' final, explaining: "We've had this incredible success because of [Kripke's] vision and execution and he's told us for a while that he believes this really should be a five-season series."^[11] Kripke also said: "I always look at it as of the five seasons, we're kind of at that point, that's sort of the end of the second act of a movie where everyone's really at their low point, and they've all faced their own personal demons. Now, [The Boys] need to really come together in the fifth season and save the world."^[10]

Additionally, Kripke told Deadline Hollywood that he has an ending in mind and how to get there in broad strokes, stating: "I know that moment where the title card comes up and it says six months later, and you see where everybody is. I know that. I can really write the last ten pages of this story right now."^[12] In a subsequent interview with Variety, Kripke said: "We have a whole season to write. I have a lot of work to do to push it all off. But when we're up there shooting and when we really wrap for that last time, that's gonna be a mess."^[13]

Teasing the return of Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy, Kripke said: "This won't be the last we see of him."^[15] Following the official confirmation of his return at San Diego Comic-Con on July 26, 2024, Kripke stated: "He's going to be in Season 5 quite a lot. We want him to be a big character. There's a lot of good father-son emotion between him and Homelander that we never really got a chance to play that we're really interested in."^[13]

Kripke also hinted at the direction of the final season, stating: "The cast and crew are deeply grateful to Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios for the opportunity to tell this story for another season. My only problem is that since this year promises to be free of any conflict or misinformation, we're not sure what to write about."^[8] At the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, Kripke teased at what's to come, telling The Hollywood Reporter: "It's a whole new world and [The Boys] have a big job ahead of them. And, so, it's gonna be really, like, epic."^[16]

In an interview with GamesRadar+ at SDCC 2024, Kripke teased the "super big, apocalyptic" fifth and final season, hinting "there will probably be lots of death", stating: "That's the fun of the final season. You can blow the doors off it. There's no guarantee who's going to survive because you don't have to keep [the cast] for another season. So you can have really shocking, big things happen all the time. The writers, as we're starting to cook it up, we're really enjoying that." Kripke admitted, though, that "so many series finale [sic] suck. It's really hard to land the plane", adding: "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 was a great show.' But if we shit the bed, people will say: 'It was a good show, but then it shit the bed.' For the legacy of the show, I really want to land the plane. It's hard to land the plane! I feel an incredible amount of pressure."^[17][18][19] Furthermore, he told TV Guide that "anyone who dies in season five will richly deserve it ... you get to go out on your own terms, so not everyone's making it through".^[20]

The fifth and final season will also incorporate elements from the second season of the spinoff series Gen V.^[21]

Following the announcement that the fifth season will be the conclusion of the series, Kripke told Entertainment Weekly: "I'm excited to finally execute a 5-season plan", referencing how he had a five-season plan for his previous series, Supernatural, before it then continued on for an additional ten seasons without his involvement as showrunner. "That's very exciting for me." As for his reasoning, Kripke said: "Part of it is such a wonky stupid screenwriter thing but three and five are the big magical numbers for writing. Three is movie acts, TV acts are five. Jokes are a runner of three for five. Five just seems like a good round number. It's enough to tell the story but also bring it to a climax without wearing out its welcome. It's been hard because I haven't been able to tell everyone. I was thrilled to finally be able to get the word out there." He concluded by referencing the previous season's ending feeling very much like the penultimate season, stating: "That was part of my argument: No one can watch [season 4] without feeling at the end like 'It's ending next year right?' So we might as well announce it so people can watch it with that cool epic heading-toward-the-end feeling, which is what I'm hoping for."^[22]

On July 26, 2024, it was announced that Ackles will return as a series regular.^[14] Elaborating on his reasons for bringing back Ackles as Soldier Boy, Kripke said: "What we realized was we really hadn't explored the father-son relationship much between Homelander and Soldier Boy. There's a lot of material there, how Soldier Boy feels about Homelander, how Homelander feels about his dad, and so we really wanted to dig into that relationship." He also revealed that "Soldier Boy is really driven to kill Butcher after Butcher betrayed him in Season 3. So he's just an excellent antagonist, to switch sides and basically, you know, to be with the Supes. We were just really excited to bring him out. And, you know, Jensen, despite his tragic ugliness you know, we thought we should give him a shot."^[24]

Jared Padalecki, who previously starred in Supernatural, which was also created by Kripke, joined the cast. Kripke expressed interest in casting Padelecki, stating: "I feel like I have to complete my game of Supernatural Pokémon."^[25] Padalecki responded to this, stating: "Well, I'll say this: Kripke and I texted today. It's not been written yet, but I think he was saying [the final season] doesn't even film until 2025. So yeah, I'm going to go play in Kripke's newest playground. I had a great time the first time around, so I'm sure I'll have a great time here again. I love the show. I think it's hilarious and exciting. But you were asking what my plans for the future were — and I love Jensen and Eric Kripke. Obviously, I'll be indebted to [Kripke] and entangled with him forever. I met my wife because of him. I was Sam Winchester because of him. Supernatural happened because of him. So working with him on a show that I enjoy, I'm like, 'Yeah, when do I fly out?' But I don't think we would film until at least January."^[26] In July 2024, Kripke told Variety: "I have been talking to Jared, we've been texting back and forth. I don't know yet if it'll be a one-episode guest spot or something bigger. We're still trying to figure out what would be the best role for him. But I'm gonna bring in Jared. Everyone says, you're collecting your Supernatural Pokémon, but the truth is, I love him and you try to work with people that you love and it makes the job more fun. And I just love those guys."^[13]

On September 24, 2024, it was announced that Daveed Diggs had been cast in an undisclosed role for the season.^[6][27][28] Diggs' casting was confirmed by the series' official Twitter account.^[29]

Principal photography began on November 25, 2024.^[30] and is expected to last from mid-November 2024 to "well into the middle of '[20]25".^[3][31][32] Leaked set photos confirmed the appearance of internment camps on Homelander's orders in the season.^[33]

On July 18, 2024, a series of key art posters were released on Instagram.^[34][35][36] On July 26, 2024, Kripke and a majority of the cast went to San Diego Comic-Con to tease and discuss the upcoming season.^[37] On August 27, 2024, the social media accounts of Vought International gave an update on the status of A-Train (Usher)'s whereabouts, posting: "Vought can confirm A-Train is being deployed overseas effective immediately. We have to keep all details confidential, both for his safety and the safety of the free world. Let's wish him good luck and especially, God speed!"^[38][39][40]

The season is expected to be released in 2026.^[3]

• The Boys at IMDb