Hopes for The Boys Season 5 just received a major boost, thanks to creator and showrunner Eric Kripke. Although it’s not expected to hit Prime Video until sometime in 2026, we do already know that The Boys is ending with its fifth season. That choice was entirely a creative one, with Kripke having a plan and sticking to it. However, that won’t be the end of the franchise, with more spinoffs planned, including the Jensen Ackles-led prequel, Vought Rising, which takes place in the 1950s.
Before all of that, though, will be Gen V Season 2, which does pose a potential challenge for The Boys. I thought the first season was a pretty great expansion of the universe, but its presence – and the idea of more spinoffs – also runs counter to what The Boys is doing. Given that it operates as a parody of superhero media, and largely the MCU, does it run the risk of becoming that which it mocks? Is it going to become like the MCU, where you feel the need to do homework before new installments? I’ve had these worries about Gen V Season 2 in particular, because it’s clearly setting up Season 5 of The Boys, but recent comments from Kripke allay some of those fears.
The Boys Season 5 Won’t Be Too Reliant On Gen V
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kripke confirmed that the events of Gen V Season 2 would be important for The Boys Season 5. That much is no surprise, really: even just from the trailers, we’ve seen how it is continuing Homelander’s push for Supe dominance, while also building the resistance against him, and having more characters from the parent show turn up, such as Starlight. Again, that’s been a point of concern over how far they’ll take it and how much the two will bleed together, rather than being distinct entities.
Thankfully, Kripke is wary of that potential pitfall, and it’s something he’s very much hoping to avoid. He said: “I’m very sensitive to the fact that Gen V should be primarily about the characters from Gen V and The Boys should be primarily about the characters from The Boys. While there can be crossovers and assists and help, it’s a little bit of a rug pull and not a great way when you’ve committed to watching, say, Boba Fett, and then for two episodes of Boba Fett, it’s just the Mandalorian. I don’t wanna do that. We have stories to tell in each one.”
The creator not only nails one of the issues with The Book of Boba Fett, but does a good job of addressing the concerns for Gen V and The Boys. Realistically, these two shows operating in the same world makes some level of overlap inevitable: it’d be pretty weird if what’s happening with Homelander had no impact, and likewise if these powerful young Supes weren’t to get involved elsewhere. But that needs to be done carefully and with limitations. Kripke is absolutely right that Gen V‘s focus should be on its characters and, even more so, The Boys‘ focus should be on its own characters, especially with it being the final season.
Does This Mean We Won’t See Homelander vs. Marie?
One of the big theories for The Boys Season 5 is that we’ll see Homelander once again going up against Marie Moreau. The Godolkin student shocked the villain – and us – when she took a blast of his heat vision straight to the chest and lived to tell the tale. After that, a potential rematch promises to be bigger, bloodier, and better, and Gen V Season 2 already seems to be setting it up. The trailers have teased Marie being a “chosen one,” and it may confirm suspicions that she is going to be more powerful than Homelander himself.
Combine all of that with Starlight recruiting her for a mission, and I think it’s easy to see how you can theorize about Marie not only fighting Homelander, but perhaps even being the one to defeat him. Actress Jaz Sinclair supports this notion in the same interview with Kripke, saying: “I was always hoping that they would write me to kill Homelander.”
Of course, if Marie really were to be the one who kills Homelander, the person playing them probably wouldn’t be talking about their hopes of doing so a year in advance. But it’s Kripke’s comments that really convince me it won’t be happening. Marie can still be important for The Boys Season 5, but for her to appear from Gen V in the final season and be the one to take down the big villain is completely at odds with the ethos the showrunner lays out.
Marie is a great character, and I can’t wait to see where her powers go next in all their head-poppingly gory glory. A rematch with Homelander would also be welcome, especially if it further plants the seeds of doubts in his mind about his own prowess (continuing on that thread from Season 4). But if he’s going to be taken out permanently, then – whether it’s Ryan, Butcher, Black Noir, Soldier Boy, or another – it does make more sense for it to be someone who has been a core part of The Boys‘ narrative and Homelander’s arc, rather than someone from a spinoff.
Gen V Season 2 will debut on Prime Video on September 17, 2025. The Boys Season 5 is expected to air in 2026.
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