The Boys Season 5 Theory Reveals Homelander Isn’t the Show’s Final Villain (& It’ll Be Divisive)

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Season 5 will be the last for the popular Amazon Prime Video show, The Boys, and a new theory suggests the ending might be controversial. Homelander has been the show’s primary villain from the beginning, and the main goal of the team, ‘The Boys,’ has been to eliminate him. Although many expect the final showdown with Homelander to happen in the last episode, some believe it could occur earlier in the season.

Season 4 of The Boys leaves viewers on a chilling note, with Homelander seemingly taking power in Washington D.C. He’s built an army of super-powered individuals and is rounding up anyone who opposes him, including The Boys themselves. While Homelander’s grip on the country is frightening, the season hints that an even bigger threat might be lurking. (Spoiler alert for those familiar with The Boys comics!)

If Billy Butcher Is Really The Boys’ Final Villain, It Will Be Controversial

A common theory about The Boys season 5 suggests the show might closely follow the comic book’s ending. In the comics, Billy Butcher transforms into the primary antagonist. Discovering Butcher’s plan to wipe out all supes, The Boys turn against him. He tragically kills MM, Frenchie, and Kimiko before a final showdown with Hughie. Ultimately, Hughie manages to defeat and kill Butcher.

Because Black Noir isn’t a clone of Homelander in the show, the way Homelander dies will need to be quite different. Some viewers think Butcher will take down Homelander before the season ends, which would then make the final episode about Butcher battling Hughie and the other heroes. While the whole season has been leading to a showdown with Homelander, this idea suggests a surprising twist: the finale will actually focus on a fight against Butcher instead.

This plot point would likely be very controversial. Butcher’s character has been becoming increasingly ruthless in recent seasons of The Boys, making genocidal behavior towards supes a believable direction for him – especially considering he previously supported a virus that would wipe out nearly all supes. However, the TV series has made Butcher a more sympathetic character than his comic book counterpart, so turning him into a full-fledged villain in the finale might alienate some viewers.

Removing Homelander from the story too soon could make the finale feel flat. If the characters defeated him before the biggest showdown, the subsequent conflicts between humans would seem less important. While emotionally satisfying, it would be unusual to see the main goal accomplished before the climax, only to have a completely different battle take center stage.

Look, as a fan of The Boys, I’d be okay with Butcher going down in a fight with Homelander. It kinda fits his arc – his rage against supes has always been consuming him, and it would be a tragic, but logical, end. It feels like a solid way to honor the spirit of the original comic without getting too dark. But honestly? If the show pushes it and turns Butcher into a straight-up villain… that might be a bridge too far, even for me. It could ruin everything we love about his character.

The Boys Hasn’t Been Faithful To The Comics Yet, So It Shouldn’t Start Now

The Amazon series The Boys takes a lot of liberties with the original comic book series. While it shares a similar look and feel, most of the storylines and the social messages have been completely rewritten. Both the show and the comics feature Homelander becoming President, but how he gets there is drastically different, meaning the ending will likely be very different as well.

From the start, the TV show The Boys hasn’t focused much on staying true to the original comic books. And given that the comics aren’t hugely popular with everyone, a strict adaptation wouldn’t have been the best approach for the show anyway.

Rather than turning Butcher into the main villain, the show’s fifth season should introduce a fresh conflict. The most impactful moments of The Boys have always been the storylines created specifically for the show, separate from the original comics. The series has successfully crafted its own narrative, and to finish strong, it needs an ending that’s uniquely its own.

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2026-03-15 17:18