Share and Follow
A-Train deserved a more dignified tribute than being honored by those responsible for his death. Yet, in a move typical for the reckless and dangerous Homelander, the self-proclaimed leader delegates A-Train’s eulogy to Oh Father. In a chilling twist on any traditional Christian service, the reforming speedster’s casket becomes the backdrop for a super-preacher’s fervent speech about open bibles, ballot boxes, and ammunition. He calls on Vought’s devout followers to prepare for battle, placing the blame for A-Train’s murder on the “jezebel” Starlight. As the assembled executives and villainous supes praise Jesus in front of Homelander, his expression flickers with that distinctive twitch Antony Starr has perfected. Even in death, where A-Train should be the focus, Homelander’s ego cannot stand anyone else stealing the limelight. His mind is a well-known repository of vengeful jealousy.
“I guess the strongest men are the most alone.” Those in his presence shudder with fear. Homelander dispatches Vought staffers with the casualness of knocking over anthills. From lower-tier supes like Deep to executives like Ashley, everyone lives in fear of his deadly laser vision. This self-inflicted isolation leaves him alone on his authoritarian throne. His solution? Revive Soldier Boy!
This is far from a solution. Sage challenges him, questioning whether resurrecting the disgraced first-generation supe is a strategy to capture Billy Butcher or simply a ploy to soothe Homelander’s insecurities, seeking companionship on his mountain of malice. Soldier Boy, meanwhile, throws insults without much concern for the details, potentially overlooking what his biological son failed to mention. Confronting Butcher means bringing Soldier Boy and the supe-killing virus dangerously close together.
Billy Butcher is driven by one goal: the complete annihilation of Homelander. It’s a dark obsession from the depths of his twisted mind, blind to the collateral damage it might cause to other supes, including allies like Annie, Kimiko, and even himself. Collaborating with former Vought scientist Sameer Shah (played by Omid Abtahi), he’s concocted a new viral weapon, intended to be tested for potency. The Boys zero in on a radical group of young supes called Teenage Kix: Countess Crow (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), Sheline (Emma Elle Patterson), Jetstreak (Dylan Colton), and Rock Hard (Andrew Iles), whose rocky exterior and molten abilities will serve as a trial for their potentially lethal “dose of kill juice.”
But first, they must settle some personal matters. After being imprisoned in a Freedom Camp for a year, Hughie and Frenchie are back. While Annie prefers intimacy over confronting her guilt about the fallen Starlighters in the resistance, Kimiko and Frenchie are making up for lost time spent in a platonic friendship. In parallel supe-human romantic moments set to “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS, Hughie vows to protect Annie from Butcher, while Kimiko and Frenchie commit to each other and their cause. Their goal is to save supes and humans alike, seeking redemption for their involvement in so much violence.
When Soldier Boy attacks, complete with a soldered-together version of his eagle shield, he is surprised to discover Butcher has gone full supe. (Billy: “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Then beat ‘em.”) Their fight occurs as Kimiko faces the catlike reflexes of Sheline and the virus is prepped for administering to Rock Hard. But in typical Boys fashion, the plan is a scattershot mess of improvisational violence. In the ensuing mayhem, Mother’s Milk takes pity on Countess Crow, who reminds him of his own teenage daughter. She whispers “Thank you” as she flees, taking her magical crows – Cameron and Russell – with her.
Jetstreak and Soldier Boy are in the room when the virus to kill Rock Hard is unleashed. This is the contingency Homelander didn’t warn the OG supe about, and in Butcher’s words, he becomes “The sacrificial cunt. Again.” Black blood oozes and putrid boils appear on the supes’ skin as the virus takes effect – it’s similar to what we saw happen to Thomas Godolkin in Season 2 of Gen V – and the Boys crew watch from behind gas masks as their operation for once brings promise.
But if you’re thinking The Boys would kill off Soldier Boy/Jensen Ackles after bringing him back for this series finale season, you’re as naive as the Boys crew, who don’t bother to check any bad guy vitals. Sure, they look gross and dead. But in this show, that means less than human life does to Homelander. He’s on scene as a Vought hazmat team cordons off the area and starts removing bodies. And in his haste to return to his self-involved ruminations on the state of poor Homelander, lonely king of the fascist super dorks, he turns away from Soldier Boy’s body bag as it’s being loaded into an ambulance. Which is exactly when his OG supe daddy sits up. Looks like Billy Butcher’s anti-supe virus is still in its beta stages.
Boys Noize for Season 5 Episode 2 of The Boys (“Teenage Kix”):
- The Deep is speed-running every stupid cliche of manosphere schlock. When he’s not hosting a men’s rights podcast (“Kissing is gay”), he’s sunning his perineum. “Don’t ignore your anal wellness – introducing the new Deep-brand Sigma Solarium by Vought Wellness. For bros, by bros.”
- Homelander has ordered anyone who ever posted anything negative about him on social media to be rounded up and executed. It’s an impossible escalation that startles Ashley Barrett. “If posting weird shit were a crime, I’d be serving two life sentences.”
- That relative voice of reason in Ashley’s head? It’s actually on her head. The former Vought exec, now vice president’s Compound V-created superpower is a “psychic fucking tumor,” with eyes and a mouth and everything, which resides on her rear skull like something out of Malignant. Arguing with her tumor, Ashley says going along with Homelander’s insane rule is the only way they’ll stay alive.
Johnny Loftus (@johnnyloftus.bsky.social) is a Chicago-based writer. A veteran of the alternative weekly trenches, his work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The All Music Guide, and The Village Voice.