The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke has pulled back the curtain on a significant character arc awaiting Homelander (Antony Starr) in the upcoming fifth and final season of the hit Prime Video series, teasing a deeper exploration of his twisted desire for paternal love from Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles). In a recent discussion with TV Insider, Kripke detailed the tragic underpinnings of Homelander’s psyche and confirmed that the volatile father-son dynamic, briefly touched upon after its shocking reveal in Season 3, will be a central focus of Season 5. This confirmation signals that audiences will finally see the undoubtedly explosive ramifications of this familial connection play out as the critically acclaimed and blood-soaked superhero satire heads towards its conclusion.
“The thing about Homelander — and I was just talking to Antony about this yesterday — is it’s sort of tragic, actually, but ultimately, the guy just wants someone to love him,” Kripke explained. “He tries amassing all of this power just so someone somewhere will love him, but they’re all scared of him because of all that power. And I think the same goes for Soldier Boy.” Kripke elaborated on Homelander’s specific paternal needs, stating, “[Homelander] just wants a dad to love him and be proud of him. And without spoiling anything in Season 5, I would say, because the revelation that Soldier Boy was his father came so late in Season 3, we never really got the chance to play it, but actually playing this father-son relationship between those two characters, there’s a lot of material to mine there and a lot of fraught emotional turns. So we’re able to dig into that in Season 5, and it has been a blast watching those two actors play off each other in the dailies.”
[RELATED: The Boys Creator Confirms Supernatural Reunion Is Happening on Screen in Season 5]
The groundwork for this intense father-son exploration is laid in Season 3 of The Boys. After being awakened from decades of Russian captivity, Soldier Boy, Vought’s original premier superhero, becomes a reluctant weapon for The Boys against Homelander. The season’s penultimate episode drops the bombshell revelation that Homelander is the biological son of Soldier Boy. Homelander’s reaction is a complex mix of shock and a flicker of desperate hope for a father figure. However, Soldier Boy vehemently rejects Homelander, calling him weak and disappointing. Their conflict culminates in a brutal battle at Vought Tower, where Homelander chooses to protect his own son, Ryan (Cameron Crovetti), over siding with his father, leading to Soldier Boy being subdued and put back into cryosleep. The narrative thread is picked up in the Season 4 finale’s mid-credits scene, which reveals that Homelander, now in a position of immense power with a puppet president in the White House, was taken to a secret CIA facility where Soldier Boy is being kept.
Everything We Know About The Boys Season 5 and Its Expanding Universe
Eric Kripke officially announced in June 2024 that the fifth season of The Boys will indeed be its last, bringing his long-intended five-season narrative arc for the main story to a close. While an exact release date has not yet been announced by Prime Video, a 2026 premiere appears probable based on the production timeline, as Kripke recently confirmed filming on The Boys Season 5 is more than halfway complete. The showrunner has also teased an “apocalyptic” tone for Season 5, warning that “lots of death” is on the table, emphasizing that the narrative restraints are loosened when writers don’t need to preserve characters for future seasons.
Even as the flagship series prepares for its final bow, the universe of The Boys is far from shrinking, with several spinoff projects on its bloody horizon. Gen V, the college-set spinoff that introduced a new generation of supes, is gearing up for its second season, which is anticipated to premiere sometime in 2025. Showrunners Michele Fazekas and Kripke have confirmed that Gen V Season 2 will pick up directly in the aftermath of The Boys Season 4 finale, exploring the immediate consequences of Homelander’s consolidation of power and the imposition of martial law. The upcoming season will also address the tragic passing of actor Chance Perdomo, with his character, Andre Anderson, having his death incorporated into the storyline.
The franchise’s global reach is also set to widen with The Boys: Mexico. This Spanish-language spinoff, announced in late 2023, has Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (known for Blue Beetle) on board as writer and showrunner. Furthermore, during San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Vought Rising was officially announced. This prequel series, with Paul Grellong as showrunner, will transport viewers back to the 1950s, delving into the origins of Vought International. Described as a “twisted murder mystery,” the series will notably feature the return of Jensen Ackles as a younger Soldier Boy and Aya Cash as Stormfront, who was then known as Clara Vought, promising a deeper look into the early days of supes and the corporation that created them.
The Boys Season 5 is expected on Prime Video in 2026, with Gen V Season 2 preparing the groundwork for the finale in 2025.
How do you think the Homelander and Soldier Boy dynamic will play out in the final season? Share your theories in the comments!
The post The Boys Creator Confirms a Major Homelander Plot for Season 5 appeared first on ComicBook.com.
