Who Survived Until The End Of The Boys?

It’s been seven years, but now The Boys will no longer have to worry about the real world outpacing its outrageous satire. Per showrunner Eric Kripke’s original plan, the series is ending after five seasons, and it’s all been building to today’s episode, the very last episode of the main series (before the prequel Vought Rising begins.) But just what happened in these final moments, and which of these characters got their happily ever after?

Here’s everything you need to know about how this long, epic story came to an end, from the shocking losses and betrayals, to the sweet callbacks.

Warning! Major spoilers for The Boys Season 5 finale ahead!

The last time we saw our heroes, they were coping with the tragic loss of Frenchie. Thankfully, his sacrifice wasn’t for nought, and Sister Sage provokes Kimiko enough to spark her nuclear blast powers, the de-powering ability they replicated from Soldier Boy. Kimiko blasts Sage, completely ridding her of her super-smarts, something Sage is actually thrilled about.

Now that they have the weapon, they can plan an attack. Using the plans of the White House from the Season 4 finale, the Boys sneak in. Unfortunately, Homelander suspected they would be on their way, and a locked door almost spells doom until now-President Ashley Barrett, finally following her conscience, frees them. The Deep tries to stop them from reaching the Oval Office, but he’s quickly defeated in a fight with Starlight (and an ending move from the aquatic population). Oh Father tries to stop them, but his head is exploded with the use of an indestructible ball gag.

Finally, it all comes down to the final confrontation: Homelander against Butcher (and his crowbar), Kimiko, and, in a late addition, Ryan, who fights against his own biological father. Kimiko has trouble energizing her powers, but an apparition of Frenchie from behind the grave helps out, and she de-powers Homelander — and Butcher and Ryan. Rendered as mere mortals, it just takes a crowbar through the head to spell the end of Homelander forever. Oh, and this entire fight was televised live across the country.

It seems like that’s the end of things, as all our remaining heroes seem to be relaxing with cigars and beer. But unfortunately, Butcher’s story isn’t over yet. He tries to convince Ryan to start a new life with him, but Ryan reminds him that while Homelander may have been evil, that doesn’t make Butcher a good person. “I guess it’s just you and me, Terror,” Butcher says to his dog, only to be met with silence. His longtime pet has passed away, and Butcher is so overcome with the loss of what remains of his family that he snatches the sample of the Supe-targeting virus and heads out on a mission — which Hughie notices.

At Vought HQ, Hughie and Butcher fight over the trigger that would release the virus, and Hughie takes drastic action by murdering Butcher. It’s a devastating moment, but it finally gives us the ending to this entire saga. The only thing left is an epilogue, where everyone left alive gets their happy ending, except for Ashley Barrett, who is unanimously impeached.

Some time after, Hughie is offered a high-up job at the Department of Supe Affairs, but he declines, as he much prefers running his A/V store with Annie, who is now heavily pregnant. Despite her rough morning sickness, she still finds the time to use her powers for good, and before she takes flight, Hughie speaks to her bump, referring to his unborn child as “Robin,” the name of his late girlfriend who got him involved with this fight in the first place.

That may be a lot of recap, but this 63-minute episode has a lot of loose ends to tie up. Perhaps we’ll see these characters in something else later, but for now, all our attention can be focused on the decades past as we gear up for the expansion of The Boys franchise as we know it.

The Boys is now streaming on Prime Video.