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The much-anticipated return of The Boys graced fans with two explosive episodes this week, bringing us back to a transformed America, now under the ominous rule of Homelander. The landscape has dramatically changed since we last left Butcher and his crew, presenting a nation caught in the vice grip of the ruthless Supe.
Antony Starr delivers a chilling portrayal of Homelander, whose authoritarian hold has tightened over the past year between Seasons 4 and 5. However, it becomes evident that his control is beginning to falter, intensifying his desperation. This struggle for dominance propels him into a dangerous feud with Butcher, played by Karl Urban, and his team, setting the stage for dire repercussions as the new season unfolds.
**Warning: Spoilers for The Boys Season 5 are ahead!**
The season premiere of The Boys Season 5 begins with a bold move by Annie, portrayed by Erin Moriarty. She leaks the incriminating footage of Flight 37, which captures Homelander’s cold decision to let a plane full of passengers perish, despite Queen Maeve’s desperate appeals. Vought, in a cunning maneuver, spins the narrative to convince the public that the footage is nothing more than an AI-generated fabrication. Although Annie initially believes her efforts have failed, the leak strikes a nerve, driving Homelander to a frenzied determination to eliminate both her and Butcher.
Initially, this narrative twist might give viewers a false sense of security. However, the opening episodes quickly shatter any calm with shocking developments, notably the deaths of A-Train, played by Jessie T. Usher, and Soldier Boy, portrayed by Jensen Ackles. Yet, the question lingers: is Soldier Boy truly gone for good?
Jack Quaid and Moriarty told DECIDER there are “quite a few characters who meet their end” this season.
“The most shocking thing that I would read on the pages wasn’t so much the big, gory, explosive moments. It was more so the character deaths. It’s a thing,” Quaid said, adding this season is “very weighted in that way, which I think is really, really cool.”
Moriarty also warned “no one is safe” this season. The actress suggested The Boys fans “mentally prepare” themselves for what’s to come.
“Do not get to get too attached to any character. If you are emotionally attached or invested in any character, mentally prepare yourself, because no one is safe at any given moment,” she said.
A-Train’s death is as tragic as it is sudden. Annie and The Boys have been attempting to flip A-Train for some time now. The Supe chose to keep his distance from the Starlighter movement in order to protect his family, but A-Train shows up just in the knick of time to save Hughie’s (Quaid) life when Homelander comes to kill him at the Freedom Camp.
But The Boys doesn’t take place in a universe known for its fairness. A-Train knew he was dead as soon as Homelander spotted him. His death is tragic considering the character’s redemption arc in recent seasons, but it was almost expected compared to Soldier Boy’s shocking death, which follows close behind in Episode 2.
Homelander unleashes Soldier Boy to hunt Butcher down once and for all, but the Supe gets unexpectedly captured in the Teenage Kix house with Rock Hard and Jetstreak just as The Boys release the deadly virus for the very first time. One thing’s for sure: That virus works. The three Supes – who are reach violent and psychopathic in their own ways – meet their end in bloody, pustule-filled deaths in what feels like a rare win for The Boys. Somehow, after several failed plans and false starts, they managed to finally hit Homelander where it hurts.
Soldier Boy, by all accounts, is very dead at the end of Episode 2, leaving Homelander to mourn his father once again. But is there a chance fans will get to see him again this season? The episode ends on yet another shocking note when Soldier Boy unexpectedly sits up in the stretcher, revealing The Boys’ fatal virus is not as deadly as they thought.
There’s plenty more Soldier Boy where that came from. Fans may remember seeing a glimpse of Ackles’ highly anticipated reunion with his former Supernatural co-stars Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins in The Boys Season 5 trailer. Ackles told DECIDER fans should expect a “disgusting and outrageous” appearance from his former co-stars.
“I hope you like it – for their sake,” Ackles added.
New episodes of The Boys air Wednesdays on Prime Video.