The Boys season 5 finale brought closure to the main storyline, with Butcher deciding to release the Vought supe virus, leading Hughie to shoot him to end the show. But will Butcher change his mind, or will he continue to fight against government-run organizations?
Warning: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for The Boys season 5 finale,"Blood and Bone.
" After seven years, The Boys' chaotic, rollercoaster ride has finally come to an end, and the finale was full of big moments that are bound to get people talking. After The Boys season 5, episode 7's emotional ending, the main crew found themselves down a member for the first time, creating huge tension heading into"Blood and Bone.
" Rather than wasting too much time setting up its action, The Boys' finale saw the group host a funeral for Frenchie, where it was revealed that Kimiko had, in fact, inherited Soldier Boy's blast, as evidenced by her successfully removing Sage's powers. Following this, the team embarked on one last mission, navigating through a secret tunnel to the White House. There was only one goal in mind — kill Homelander.
Although they faced issues on their journey, Ashley opted to do the right thing and allow the group inside. From there, MM and Butcher killed Oh Father, while Starlight took The Deep near the ocean, and after he refused to listen to reason, she blasted him into the water. He was killed by an octopus, while the main action occurred inside the White House between Butcher, Kimiko, and Homelander.
The two Boys members battled Homelander, but with Kimiko struggling to release her blast, it looked as though the villain was going to get away until Ryan arrived to stop him, leading to him joining the fight. Eventually, Kimiko managed to release the blast, removing Butcher, Ryan, and Homelander's powers.
Thankfully, The Boys season 5's finale then answered the big question about how Homelander would die, as he went out pleading for his life on live TV while Butcher finished the job, but this wasn't the end of the show's conflict. With Terror passing away upon Butcher's return and Ryan severing ties, a switch flipped inside The Boys' leader, and seeing Stan take over Vought sent him down a dark path.
He grabbed the supe virus and intended to release it, but Hughie tracked him down to Vought Tower, where they had one final confrontation. Hughie tried to talk him down and threatened to kill Butcher if he wouldn't stop, leading to a brawl. Butcher gained the upper hand and almost doomed all supes before hesitating, giving Hughie the chance to shoot him.
This concluded the show's action, as Hughie stayed with Butcher during his final moments, putting a close to their story. There was a short epilogue revealing what the survivors did next, but Hughie taking down Butcher wrapped up the main action and felt like the true ending of The Boys. Butcher's Moment Of Hesitation Doesn't Mean He Would Have Stopped Despite killing Homelander, Butcher refused to stop his crusade, largely because he had nothing left to live for.
After losing Becca the first time, he dedicated his life to killing Homelander, and after finally achieving that in the finale, he hoped to settle down with Ryan and Terror, but these dreams were ripped away from him. As a result, he couldn't help but go back to the one thing he was good at, killing supes.
Seeing Stan Edgar back in charge of Vought made him believe it was just a matter of time before the next Homelander was created, hence why he planted The Boys' supe virus inside Vought Tower, with the full intention of releasing it. Although Hughie tried to talk sense into him, Butcher refused to listen, and he only hesitated once he pictured Hughie as Lennie, providing a small moment of self-reflection.
This gave Hughie a window to shoot his mentor after their fight, but while this may seem like a cruel twist since Butcher was moving his finger away from the trigger that would release the virus, there's no guarantee he would've stopped. Butcher has followed through on most of his promises and has very seldom drawn a line.
Even though it would mean killing Kimiko and Starlight, that's a sacrifice he's been willing to make in the past, and their participation in taking down Homelander changes little in Butcher's mind. Of course, it's possible that seeing Hughie as Lennie really was a permanent change of heart, but there's no way anyone could guarantee it. Butcher had no loved ones left other than The Boys, who all moved on after his death.
Likewise, he had no career or goal other than stopping Vought. Therefore, Hughie made the right call to shoot Butcher regardless of what he would've done next, marking a cold yet necessary end to one of the show's greatest characters. Why Hughie Goes Alone To Stop Butcher After discovering the supe virus was missing, Hughie clocked on quickly to Butcher's plan, yet he decided to confront his long-term ally alone.
He could've easily brought the whole group with him, increasing the odds of stopping Butcher, but Hughie opted to take on this challenge alone for a variety of reasons. Firstly, Hughie truly believed he could talk Butcher down. When he first arrived, Hughie claimed that if Butcher was going to release the virus, he would've done so already.
Even if this was simply a negotiating tactic, there was clearly a part of him that still saw the good in The Boys' leader, hence why he figured Butcher could be reasoned with. Rather than letting the rest of the team see him at his worst, Hughie wanted to have a civil discussion that meant they could forget about this whole thing and pretend it never happened.
Unfortunately, Butcher's story in The Boys season 5 only had one place to go, which is why Hughie was forced to kill him. This was never his intention though, as it's another reason he traveled solo. With Butcher losing his powers, bringing Annie and Kimiko would put him in much more danger.
If Butcher tried to fight these supes, they'd only be able to hold back for so long before killing him, meaning Hughie's decision was actually an attempt at avoiding violence. More than anything, Hughie has been Butcher's canary throughout The Boys and one of the few characters to ever get through to him.
Therefore, coming alone and having a personal conversation really seemed like it could stop Butcher from doing something terrible, which sadly wasn't the case. Was Butcher Secretly Hoping Hughie Would Kill Him? By the time Hughie arrives to confront Butcher, he has already killed several guards and planted the supe virus in Vought Tower, claiming that he was waiting for the supes to clock in, so that it could cause as much damage as possible.
However, his real goal was probably for Hughie to kill him all along. From the information provided, the virus would kill all supes in around a few days anyway, so if Butcher really didn't want to be stopped, he would've just released it right away. Instead, he waited and didn't have to turn around to know Hughie was the one who came after him, suggesting this may have been his plan all along.
Butcher had nothing left to live for without Ryan, Becca, or Terror in his life. Therefore, releasing the supes virus would've only made Hughie, MM, and Ryan resent him, leaving him without a goal to pursue either, which proves his story had run its course.
Even if he didn't plan all of this out in his head, battling Homelander in the White House during The Boys' finale really acted as the end of his journey, and he seemed ready to go. After Hughie shot him, he wasn't angry, acting more complimentary of Hughie for always being himself.
This entire confrontation indicates that while Butcher was prepared to make the virus airborne, he was secretly hoping that Hughie would stop and kill him, which is exactly how things played out. What Happens To Every Main Character Alive After The Boys Following Butcher's death, The Boys season 5's finale gives a breakdown of what happened to every main character that survived. The main group holds a funeral for Butcher before going their separate ways.
Here, it is revealed that Hughie opened up an electronic store, much like the one he originally worked at in season 1. Starlight also seems to work part-time there, but the pair installed a device that allows them to listen out for crimes and other problems, with Annie continuing to act as a hero. Their final scene together also revealed that Annie was pregnant with their child, who they named Robin — a nod to Hughie's late ex-girlfriend.
With MM avoiding a tragic fate in The Boys season 5, he finished the season by remarrying Monique and reuniting with his family. Not only was his daughter present, but Ryan also attended the ceremony. The ending suggested Ryan is either living with MM or at least being cared for by him, giving the duo a deserved happy ending. Butcher and Frenchie are the only members of The Boys not to survive the finale.
Kimiko's fate felt a little more somber as she headed to a café in France, where she ate alone. However, she looked straight across to an empty seat and smiled, indicating that Frenchie was always with her. While it's tragic that she ended up alone and seemingly cut ties with The Boys, she at least got to honor Frenchie and start fresh.
In terms of other main characters who survive, Ashley was impeached as she oversaw various atrocities, while Bob Singer was reappointed President of the US, even offering Hughie a job running the Bureau of Supe Affairs, which he subsequently declined. Meanwhile, Stan Edgar retook control of Vought International, meaning this cycle of corporate corruption may continue.
As for Sister Sage, she may have lost her powers, but she gained blissful freedom, and the last time we saw her, she was en route to Disney World. The Boys' Final Scene Is A Full-Circle Moment For Hughie Hughie arguably went through more trauma than any character throughout The Boys, yet his ending provided a full circle moment.
Despite all the death and anguish he experienced, all the torment he went through, Hughie rarely wavered and stayed true to who he was over the course of the entire series. As a result, it seems fitting he ended the show right where he started it, outside a technology shop on the sidewalk. In season 1, Hughie was in a very similar spot, holding Robin's hands before A-Train ran through and killed her.
This left him traumatized and kick-started Hughie's entire journey, where his resolve was pushed to its limit. Subscribe for in-depth The Boys finale analysis Get the newsletter for thoughtful, spoiler-aware breakdowns of The Boys finale, character fates, and what it means — plus similar deep-dive TV and pop-culture analysis to help you unpack major endings and themes. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe anytime. By season 5's final shot, Hughie is a new man in a lot of ways, yet has retained that hope and optimism that makes him so likable. Now, he's standing outside the very shop he owns, watching his partner fly away to help those in need, rather than witnessing her be killed by a corrupt supe acting without consequences.
It feels fitting that Hughie and Annie named their child Robin, given this final scene was a clear nod to Hughie's first appearance in The Boys, and he deserved such an uplifting, full-circle ending after everything he's endured. The Boys' Ending Hints The Fight Isn't Really Over Stan Edgar's speech earlier in The Boys season 5 was a clear indication that capitalism always wins in this fictional universe, and supes are the ultimate product.
As such, Stan's return to Vought was inevitable after the dust settled, making it no surprise to see him back where he started once Homelander was removed from the picture. Despite the protagonists working frequently with Stan, he's still a villain, even if he's nowhere near the show's worst.
Unfortunately, all signs point towards him continuing the same cycle he was already responsible for, meaning more immoral supes will be created by Vought, and it's only a matter of time before the next Homelander appears. Butcher had his own fear of this, which he explained to Hughie, and the latter never quite denied this theory.
Additionally, Soldier Boy remains on ice, but he's been taken out of this state twice before, meaning it may only be a matter of time before he's released and causes problems all over again. Even if Vought's next powerful supe isn't as bad as Homelander, it feels like The Boys' fight will never be done until this greedy company is gone.
Perhaps Stan can learn from his mistakes, and the Presidential focus on supes will help, but in this world, it feels like there's always another evil supe ready to step into the limelight. Where Are The Supes From Gen V? The Boys season 5's finale successfully crams a lot into its hour-long runtime, but one area it fails to shine in is how it handled the Gen V heroes.
Gen V season 2's ending directly set up the main cast to play a role in The Boys' ending, as they were officially working with Starlight and A-Train. Sure, it would've been wrong to suddenly throw a bunch of new characters into the spotlight in season 5, but considering Cate, Sam, and Annabeth didn't appear at all, nor did Polarity after his big sacrifice, their role felt underwhelming.
Still, Marie, Jordan, and Emma were involved in the finale though, albeit very briefly, and gave an update on where these supes are. The trio took the civilians that MM and Annie saved in the previous episode to Canada, where Marie was encouraged to meet up with the rest of her team.
They were last seen driving off in a stolen Vought truck, suggesting that these supes likely made it across the border and are united, continuing their mission to help people. Unfortunately, the setup of Gen V wasn't really capitalized on by The Boys' finale, but we did at least get an idea of this crew's next steps and where they were going.
Assuming they are all together in Canada, their story does have the potential to continue, but given the spinoff was canceled, their future remains unclear. 274 8.8/10 7/10 The Boys 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Action Drama Crime Comedy Release Date 2019 - 2026-00-00 Showrunner Eric Kripke Directors Erin Moriarty, Karen Fukuhara, Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Eric Kripke Writers Eric Kripke Franchise The Boys 9 Images Close Cast See All Creator Eric Kripke Powered by Expand Collapse
The Boys Butcher Hughie Vought Supe Virus Homelander
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