No matter how many big names fall The boys In Season 5, the writers must protect a super character at all costs. It seems almost redundant to point out that, as the final season of the Prime Video show, The boys Season 5 will be a violent affair where many characters die horribly. Not only has The boys has developed a reputation for killing off characters with gleeful abandon - Victoria Neuman, Lamplighter, Hugh Campbell Sr. - but Garth Ennis' original comic book ending was unflinchingly gory, setting a clear precedent for the live-action adaptation.
Supers and non-supes should also be concerned about how The boys season 4 has ended. On the one hand, Homelander has effectively taken control of the United States and imposed a super-prime dictatorship. On the other end of the spectrum, Billy Butcher disappeared into the metaphorical night with The boys'super-killer virus in your possession. All evidence points to both teams suffering heavy casualties.
(Almost) No Character Is Safe in The Boys Season 5
The boys created many potential victims
Although there is no doubt the show's willingness to kill off main characters, it's interesting to note that The boys'main cast members remained relatively safe. All members of the Boys are still alive, and the core Seven unit of Homelander, Deep, A-Train, Queen Maeve, and Starlight are still alive. After Black Noir's return in The boys In season 4, even his death proved to be a technicality, with the exact same actor still wearing the exact same suit.
Antony Starr and Karl Urban's characters are at more risk than anyone else.
Looks suspicious The boys has saved the death of its great characters for the end of the gamewhich, if true, would closely mirror Billy Butcher's final rampage from the comic book source material. Every member of the Boys and every super of the Seven ending up as a pile of red mush is a very realistic possibility for Season 5, almost to the point where any survivors would be a surprise.
Knowing The boys Season 5 is the final season and also allows Eric Kripke and his creative team the freedom to kill off characters without worrying about the future. Most importantly, The boys'clear finish line means any major death can be written into the story with meaning and purpose.
Until The boys'two main characters, Homelander and Butcher, are not safe - in fact, Antony Starr and Karl Urban's characters are arguably more at risk than anyone else. As The boys' main villain, it would be incredibly frustrating if Homelander somehow dodged it in the end. Billy Butcher, however, is certainly beyond redemption after his antics in The boys Season 4, which means his sad demise is all but guaranteed.
Whatever happens, Ryan absolutely must survive The Boys Season 5
Ryan came to symbolize the boys' happy ending
The only character The boys should protect from trigger-happy writers is Ryan Butcher. Ryan occupies two unique positions within The boys'narrative. First of all, he's the only character with a foot in both the super and non-supe worlds, thanks in large part to having Homelander as a father and Becca Butcher as a mother. Ryan's entire story since The boys season two has been a struggle between these two realms, with Homelander pulling him to one side and the memory of his mother fighting back.
The ending must somehow prove that five seasons of fighting tyranny were worth it.
Secondly, Ryan represents hope for The boys'future. Ryan is - or has the potential to be, at least - the most powerful super in the world. The boyseven more so than Homelander. At the same time, Ryan's early upbringing with Becca instilled in him a solid moral compass and compassion for all people, whether superior or not. Again, Ryan found himself conflicted between these two sides throughout The boyssimultaneously enjoying the domineering power offered by Homelander and demonstrating a great capacity for kindness and empathy.
Ryan therefore represents a way forward The boys. If Homelander had his way, only supers would exist. If Billy Butcher had his way, there would be no superheroes. Ryan shows that a middle ground is possibleand superheroes can exist as virtuous, helpful, and forgiving heroes rather than selfish narcissists who would rather murder a civilian than lose popularity points on social media. If Ryan can prove his parents wrong, he could usher in a better future for The boys'fictional universe.
If Ryan dies, however, that hope dies with him, and The boys'The ending will be oppressively dark, where Homelander or Butcher will get to live out their genocidal fantasies. Even if Ryan dies and his death somehow inspires Homelander and/or Butcher to change their ways, losing the one character who could potentially bring peace between supers and non-supes would suck all the optimism out of the series finale. The boysThe series finale can be violent and relentless, but it doesn't have to be dark. The ending must somehow prove that five seasons of fighting tyranny were worth it.
Why It's Okay If Hughie Dies in The Boys Season 5
Hughie is more expendable than Ryan to boys
From another angle, one could potentially argue that the true character The boysThe ending that should be spared is Jack Quaid's Hughie Campbell. Hughie unquestionably represents the public's point of view in The boysacting as the voice of reason calling for calm on both sides. Furthermore, it is Hughie who survives in Garth Ennis' story. The boys comedic ending, providing that aforementioned ray of hope in an otherwise blood-soaked finale. It can even be said that The boys is the story of Hughie - a man who loses his girlfriend in the most tragic way, fends off those responsible, and then moves on in search of a new, happy life.
Crucially, though, Ryan Butcher was not a character from The boys' comic book series, meaning that Hughie naturally became the original story's only source of hope and positivity. Ryan has effectively taken over this role from Hughie on the TV show, and since his dual connection to the super and non-supe worlds is much stronger, Ryan is the character The boys really needs to be safeguarded. Hughie may have a great girlfriend, but it is Ryan who really represents the possibility of coexistence between a super and a normal human.
There are also several ways Hughie could die and his ending would still be satisfyingly deserved. Hughie could sacrifice himself to save Starlight from Homelander, he could suffer the effects of taking more Temp-V after needing to access his powers for a noble cause, or Jack Quaid's character could meet his end after getting in the way of the plot of Billy Butcher virus. .
Hughie's death may even inspire Butcher to give up his violent crusade against superheroes altogether, especially since The boys often established a connection between Hughie and Butcher's late brother Lenny. There are many ways The boys could kill Hughie without making his ending too downbeat. Any scenario in which Ryan dies, however, would be desperate and bleak.