After five seasons of unflinching violence, moral depravity, and sharp critiques of the capitalist superhero-industrial complex, The Boys has aired its series finale. Yet the Vought Cinematic Universe, known for its visceral storytelling, is far from finished. Two spinoffs are in development at Amazon's Prime Video: Vought Rising, set for a 2027 release, and The Boys: Mexico.
Vought Rising and the Return of Soldier Boy
Vought Rising will explore the origins of the corporation's super-powered program, bringing back fan-favorite Soldier Boy, played by Jensen Ackles. Speaking at the series finale premiere in Los Angeles, Ackles expressed cautious optimism. "Look, you hope it's received well. We don't necessarily know just yet, my fingers are crossed," he said, praising the cast and crew for building a remarkable fanbase. "I'm hoping that we can just capitalize on that as much as we can and that they will go with us on this new journey."
A Final Season Rooted in History
Showrunner Eric Kripke revealed that the final season, in which Homelander effectively seizes control of the United States, drew from historical precedents but developed unsettling parallels to contemporary events. The series, which premiered in 2019, is adapted from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic book series (2006-2012).
"We were looking at what happens in countries that have authoritarian creep, like what happens in Eastern Europe or South America or Germany," Kripke explained, citing leaders erecting statues of themselves, claiming divine right, and building internment camps. "The fact that all of these things happened before we even aired, we genuinely thought we were doing something a little out there. It ended up sort of becoming reality in a way that's not great for reality."
Despite the grim parallels, Kripke sees value in the show's pointed satire. "If there's any silver lining to get out of this dumpster fire, it's that especially young people might see a golden statue of Trump and say, 'Oh wait, I saw something like that on The Boys and it was so ridiculous that this is completely ridiculous,'" he said. "I think there's real value in that kind of satire of just pointing out how silly it all is."
Cast Reflections on Satire and Goodbyes
Daveed Diggs, who joined the show as Oh Father, a supe leading a church that worships Homelander as God, felt privileged to be part of the series. "People aren't leaning on satire as much as I think we should in these times. When stuff gets the hardest, the darkest, when fascism is the most present, that's when satire is really supposed to kick off," he said.
For long-time cast members, saying goodbye was emotional. Karen Fukuhara, who plays the regenerating supe Kimiko, recalled her final scene with Erin Moriarty and Karl Urban. "I got anxious and it's hard for me to let go," she admitted. The assistant director had to trick her into thinking it wasn't the final shot to prevent her from crying during the take.
Erin Moriarty, who portrays Starlight/Annie January, a former member of The Seven who joins The Boys, strove to maintain her character's humanity. "I'll just miss playing this badass female who has this level of strength that is totally defined by her humanity and her flaws, as opposed to being this invincible superhero. It's the definition of the humanity behind that superhero that really makes her who she is," she said.
The Wildest Stunts and Memes
True to form, The Boys delivered outrageous, gross-out stunts and quotable lines ripe for memes. Jack Quaid, who plays Hughie Campbell, described the show as a "funhouse mirror, distorted slightly, version" of the world. Laz Alonso, who plays Mother's Milk, added, "As much as we try to do our best to add a little bit of what our art can do to influence reality, reality is still crazier than fiction. Reality still out-crazies us, and we're a crazy show."
Jessie T. Usher, who plays A-Train, recalled a particularly bizarre moment from Season 1: filming a scene where his girlfriend sucks on his toe. "What am I doing with my life?" he thought. "I just remember sitting there and it's like a whole thing and like the makeup team is coming in in between takes and they got wet wipes and they're wiping my toe down. I was just sitting there and I was like, 'Where did I go wrong in my life? I felt like I was on the right path and now they're prepping my toe to be sucked.' I hate foot stuff."
Antony Starr, who plays Homelander, discovered a fear of heights while filming the spinoff Gen V. "It was on Gen V when he (Kripke) put me up in the air, 80 feet or whatever it was. And I found out that I'm actually terrified of heights. Swore like a truck driver," Starr recalled. His portrayal of Homelander generated countless memes, a phenomenon Starr encouraged Kripke to incorporate into the show. "Ant had this idea of, like, 'Let's have memes be the real thing that get to me.' He pitched it. I was like, 'That's hilarious,'" Kripke said. Starr concluded, "The real problem is memes."
Jaleru reported from London. Associated Press journalists Paolo Santalucia in Rome and Mallika Sen in New York contributed reporting.
