Who Died (and Who Lived) in The Boys Finale

This nonfiction contains spoilers for the bid finale of The Boys.

After 5 seasons of superhero insanity, The Boys wrapped up this week with the bid finale, “Blood and Bone.” And arsenic you mightiness expect, not everyone made it retired live aft the climactic showdown betwixt Homelander (Antony Starr) and Billy Butcher (Karl Urban).

…But actually, present that we deliberation astir it, a astonishing magnitude of characters did marque it retired alive, contempt the “scorched earth” committedness that the dynamic duo made to each different backmost successful the Season 3 premiere “Payback” – and reminded each different astir during a face-off successful the Oval Office. Yes, immoderate of your faves kicked the bucket, but plentifulness of different bully guys – and atrocious guys – lived to origin havoc different day.

With that successful mind, let’s interruption down who lives, who dies, and to crib a operation from the philharmonic that helped marque Daveed Diggs (aka Oh Father) a household name, who tells their story? Here are the last fates of each the large characters connected The Boys, arsenic of the closing moments of the last episode.

Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles)

Status: Alive

Just to get this 1 retired of the way, contempt being a large portion of the season, Soldier Boy does not look successful the bid finale, either successful the main occurrence due oregon arsenic portion of a astonishment extremity credits scene. In fact, there’s nary post-credits country astatine all, truthful erstwhile you deed that Kripke scrap metallic logo: ya done.

What that means, though, is Soldier Boy, begetter of God, is not successful Bogota snorting stroke disconnected hookers. Instead, erstwhile the last curtain closes, helium is backmost successful cryostasis. Or rather, that’s wherever helium is erstwhile Episode 7, “The Frenchman, The Female, and the Man Called Mother’s Milk” ends… Whether idiosyncratic thawed him retired earlier the extremity of the time is TBA.

Unlike the fates of a batch of our characters, things are very overmuch up successful the aerial with Soldier Boy. He’ll beryllium appearing successful the already-filmed prequel bid Vought Rising, which is acceptable successful the 1950s. But there’s ever a accidental that the amusement is acceptable successful 2 timelines, similar your Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, oregon to get from different Jensen Ackles show, The Winchesters, wherever successful some cases idiosyncratic successful the contiguous is telling an root communicative successful the past.

As acold arsenic The Boys is concerned, though, Soldier Boy is alive, but very, precise acold and asleep.

The Gen V Kids

Status: Alive, But Canceled

After a batch of anticipation and an untimely cancellation announcement, the kids of Gen V exited their little sojourn connected The Boys by taking a truckful of refugees to Canada. That includes Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), who did not usage her humor powers successful the last conflict against Homelander arsenic foretold/predicted by galore fans. The female-presenting facet of Jordan Li (London Thor) besides returned and near for Canada. And proving that girls get it done, Emma Meyer (Lizze Broadway) besides showed up to driblet a clump of profanities and thrust the motortruck to safety.

Unaccounted for and unmentioned by sanction are the remainder of the Gen V kids, who we’re told are harmless successful hiding, already enjoying Tim Horton’s northbound of the border. That apt includes Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips), Sam (Asa Germann), and presumably Marie’s sister Annabeth (Keeya King), each of whom joined Starlight’s (Erin Moriarty) absorption astatine the extremity of Gen V Season 2.

But yeah, that’s a wrapper connected the Gen V kids, unless they amusement up aboriginal successful the VCU (Vought Cinematic Universe) arsenic showrunner Eric Kripke has teased.

Sister Sage (Susan Heyward)

Status: Alive

We got different unrecorded one! One of the archetypal main characters to exit successful the finale is Sister Sage, the insanely astute Supe who switched sides from The Seven to The Boys a fewer episodes back. She was moving with Frenchie (Tomer Capone) to assistance foodstuff up Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) successful bid to springiness her the aforesaid powers arsenic Soldier Boy, but successful the aftermath of Frenchie’s decease it seems similar the experimentation was a dud.

…Or possibly not. At the urging of Butcher, Sage taunts Kimiko, telling her she’s useless and was fundamentally a favored for Frenchie (among different things). Enraged, Kimiko blasts Sage with her uranium-infused, Compound V frying blast and gives Sage her fondest wish: to beryllium a mean magnitude of smart. Or adjacent better, arsenic Sage says, “I’m fucking anserine similar you guys! Thank you.”

And portion the remainder of The Boys program to interruption into the White House to halt Homelander earlier helium kills astir of America successful a thought purge, Sage decides she’s going to unrecorded retired immoderate clip she has near by visiting Harry Potter World successful Orlando. “Wands up, bitches! Sage out!” she says, leaving her discarded Taco Bell behind.

The past we spot of Sage, she’s walking distant from the location The Boys are hiding retired in, happily smiling to herself, yet having gotten escaped of each the sound successful her head.

Gunter Van Ellis (Ivan Sherry)

Status: Dead

Our archetypal decease of the episode, and it’s a quality we’ve ne'er seen before. While Homelander is attempting to marque himself the caller deity of America, Oh Father explains that they each truly enactment for the billionaires – including Van Ellis. The black-clad, achromatic shot hat-wearing billionaire surely is reminiscent of the mode a peculiar billionaire and Cybertruck purveyor dressed mode backmost astatine the opening of the 2nd Trump administration, and his speech astir achromatic fertility rates and involvement successful abstraction clinches it: he’s expected to beryllium Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.

Just kidding, it’s an Elon Musk stand-in, and portion Oh Father isn’t looking, Homelander flies him into abstraction and leaves him there. RIP, classical TV quality Gunter Van Ellis.

Oh Father (Daveed Diggs)

Status: Dead

Once The Boys breach The White House, Hughie (Jack Quaid) and Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) lure the preacher Oh Father distant from Butcher with a beauteous bully Butcher impersonation. And portion helium gets a fewer bully licks successful acknowledgment to his sonic scream, Chekhov's Ball Gag comes into play.

Earlier successful the episode, implicit vino and dinner, President Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie) talented her husband, Oh Father, a shot gag truthful beardown helium won’t beryllium capable to interruption it with his scream. So portion Oh Father approaches Hughie and is astir to blast him to smithereens, MM jumps down the Supe and puts the shot gag on. The sonic shriek blows backmost into Oh Father, making his caput explode. Whoops, possibly not specified a large contiguous aft all, Ashley!

The Deep (Chace Crawford)

Status: Dead

While MM and Hughie are warring Oh Father, and Butcher and Kimiko instrumentality connected Homelander successful the Oval Office, Annie is warring The Deep connected the beach. She adjacent tries to crushed with the aquatic Supe, telling him to “take immoderate work for yourself,” to which The Deep yells a precise Luke to Darth Vader “Nooooo!”

Instead, they fight, and Annie knocks The Deep into the ocean. Which usually would beryllium a miscalculation connected her part, but successful past week’s episode, Xander (Samuel L. Jackson) told The Deep that if helium enactment 1 tiny toed successful the water, helium would dice for his relation successful the lipid pipeline food holocaust that led to the decease of 1.4 cardinal fish. And definite enough, they travel for him, and instrumentality him retired not conscionable for March 15 (the time of the food holocaust), but specifically for Ambrosius (Tilda Swinton).

If you don’t recall, though the “previously on” helps here, Ambrosius was The Deep’s octopus lover, whom helium jilted, betrayed, and yet killed. “Say her name,” outcry the food arsenic they situation him, with an tremendous octopus tentacle piercing the backmost of The Deep’s head, ripping his jaw disconnected and sidesplitting him.

“Huh,” says Annie, confused arsenic she watches him die.

Frenchie (Tomer Capone)

Status: Still Dead

Though helium died distracting Homelander successful past week’s episode, everyone’s favourite warring Frenchman returns for 1 past scare this week. While Homelander’s lad Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) returns to assistance clasp backmost Homelander, and Butcher holds the baddie from the different side, Kimiko finds herself incapable to make the rage she needs to marque the Compound V frying blast.

That’s erstwhile Frenchie returns successful a imaginativeness Kimiko has. She explains she’s not angry, conscionable sad. To which Ghost Frenchie answers, “Rage is not what makes you strong. It has ne'er been mon coeur… It has ever been yours.”

In lawsuit you don’t talk Frenchie, archetypal of all, he’s dormant and this is each successful Kimiko’s head; determination are nary ghosts, and nary Supe manipulation going connected here. Just a bully ol’ pep speech from the imaginary Frenchie who lives successful Kimiko’s mind. And second, he’s telling her that he’s not the 1 with the heart, she is… Specifically moving against what Sage told her earlier successful the episode.

In immoderate case, earlier we get excessively acold afield: Frenchie’s dormant and loving it.

Homelander (Antony Starr)

Status: So Very Dead, Like, 100% Dead

In 1 of the astir satisfying decease scenes ever filmed, Kimiko does blast Homelander, Butcher and Ryan (more connected the second 2 successful a second), taking distant their powers. Homelander tries to usage his vigor vision, but can’t. Then helium tries to alert but alternatively does small bunny hops.

Smiling, Butcher proceeds to bushed the crap retired of the present wholly quality Homelander, until he’s bleeding and crying connected the level of the Oval Office portion the full satellite watches connected a TV feed. He begs Butcher to spare his life. But, of course, Butcher lone wants justness for his wife, Becca (Shantel VanSanten), who was raped by Homelander and impregnated with Ryan, fundamentally motivating the events of the full series.

So Butcher does what immoderate antheral successful his close caput would do: shoves a crowbar done Homelander’s head, and past pries the apical of his caput off, spilling his brains each implicit the President’s office. And yeah, there’s nary coming backmost from this. It’s the eventual humiliation for a Supe who antecedently obliterated the scant self-esteem of The Deep earlier successful the hr for being, successful his eyes, little than nothing. Now, Homelander is nothing, arsenic well, a quality who has wholly debased himself successful the eyes of the world. Not a god, not a man; conscionable a worm (no discourtesy to the talented drama writer and manager Worm played by Ely Henry, who does not look successful this episode).

Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie)

Status: Alive

After stepping up and redeeming The Boys from a trap successful the White House, Ashley has reunited with the psychic Back Ashley (aka the mutant maturation connected the backmost of her head). She stops abbreviated of helping them get to wherever Homelander is, and alternatively gives vague directions portion getting herself to safety. When Homelander is dead, Ashley does her media thing, lying during a property briefing that Homelander went rogue and a radical of individuals moving astatine her directive took him down. In addition, she definitively states she is not quitting her occupation arsenic President…

…Which we past smash chopped to a quality study that Ashley was unanimously impeached and instantly removed from office. “So ends the scandal-plagued tenure of America’s archetypal pistillate President,” intones the reporter, adding insult to injury.

While we don’t find retired what’s adjacent for Ashley, determination are immoderate options for her if she wants to instrumentality to her aged occupation astatine Vought, which we’ll get to successful a second.

Terror

Status: Dead

So sorry, did you bid the punch successful the gut? You whitethorn announcement that aft Homelander is killed determination are inactive 20 minutes near successful the episode, ne'er a bully sign. And the atrocious times statesman with Butcher getting told disconnected by Ryan, who rejects his connection to tally distant unneurotic due to the fact that Butcher inactive isn’t a bully man.

Saddened, Butcher heads to his country to speech to his beloved bulldog Terror… But Terror is dead. Now, successful the comics by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, a quality called Jack From Jupiter kills Terror, ending a tentative truce betwixt The Boys and The Seven and opening the comic publication series’ endgame. In the show, Terror astir died eating cocoa a fewer episodes back, but determination was nary cocoa eating going connected successful this episode.

Instead, Terror conscionable died, apt of earthy causes oregon aged age. It’s capable to thrust Butcher to spell scorched world for existent by utilizing the Supe virus. But arsenic for Terror, it seems similar helium was conscionable an aged canine whose clip had come.

Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito)

Status: Alive

While The Boys proceed to chill retired aft their triumph implicit Homelander, 1 hiccup arrives successful the signifier of Stan Edgar, who has returned to his aged bureau arsenic interim CEO of Vought. Stan’s code connected TV is the accustomed premix of pretending to beryllium disturbed astir caller events and promising the institution volition person a renewed absorption going forward. But also, this is precisely what Stan told Mother’s Milk earlier this season, that adjacent if they bushed Homelander, oregon merchandise the Supe virus… Well, the instrumentality indispensable inactive beryllium fed, and companies indispensable inactive grow.

The spice indispensable flow, and Stan Edgar is backmost successful complaint of Vought to fig retired what the adjacent iteration of Homelander, Supes, possibly adjacent his ain Supe microorganism looks like. Basically: the neverending combat continues.

And to loop backmost to what we said earlier, depending connected however things proceed successful the VCU, possibly there’s a spot for Ashley Barrett, by Stan’s side?

Billy Butcher (Karl Urban)

Status: Dead

In a astonishing twist, Billy Butcher does not dilatory and painfully dice of the crab that was antecedently wracking his body… Perhaps the Compound V that gave him super-cancer, followed by Kimiko’s irradiation, cured him? Instead, Hughie kills him.

Or to explicate this a small better, Butcher takes the Supe microorganism to Vought Tower, and puts it into the sprinkler strategy – a program helium hatched with Frenchie. Once the bureau opens for the day, he’ll property a trigger and merchandise the virus, spreading it done the gathering and past the satellite successful a substance of days. That’s crippled implicit for each Supes, everywhere.

After Hughie unsuccessfully tries to person Butcher not to bash it, they fight. Butcher, of course, overpowers Hughie, and is astir to merchandise the microorganism erstwhile helium erstwhile again, arsenic helium has antecedently successful the series, sees Hughie arsenic his brother. His manus eases disconnected the trigger… And Hughie shoots him.

To beryllium just to Hughie, helium apt didn’t spot Butcher having 2nd thoughts, and alternatively thought Butcher, similar Homelander, would ne'er halt unless helium stopped him. Hughie holds Butcher’s manus arsenic helium dies, sunlight dilatory pouring done the model of The Seven league country arsenic a caller time dawns.

The last spot of Butcher successful the episode? The Boys clasp a ceremonial for him, with his epitaph reading, “Oi, fuck disconnected you cunts.” Not rather “She saved the world. A lot,” a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it’ll do.

Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) and Ryan (Cameron Crovetti)

Status: Alive

Weird duo to enactment together, right? But arsenic Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” the fig 1 opus connected anyone’s Billy Joel Top Five, plays connected the soundtrack, we get a montage of wherever we’re leaving The Boys. The quickest bit? Ryan has recovered a bully antheral successful Mother’s Milk, 2 characters that possibly ne'er talked implicit the people of the full series? Weird.

Anyway, MM is reunited and gets remarried to Monique (Frances Turner) portion his girl Janine (Liyou Abere) and Ryan happily look on. The accusation is that the present powerless Ryan volition unrecorded a mean beingness arsenic Ryan Milk. And MM tin safely unrecorded with his household again, present that everything is wrapped up nicely, but of people Soldier Boy, who killed MM’s gramps and is inactive live and MM swore vengeance connected him but don’t interest astir that! Not adjacent 1 bit! Yay! Mother’s Milk and Ryan Milk! Hooray forever!

Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara)

Status: Alive

While Frenchie whitethorn beryllium dead, Kimiko is surviving retired each their dreams together, including going to Marseille, trying a madeleine, and getting a dog. Marseille is the birthplace of Frenchie, and they’ve discussed going to the metropolis unneurotic someday. The imaginable accusation here, aft the aggregate favored conversations passim the occurrence astir who is whose pet, is that the tone of Frenchie lives connected done Kimiko’s caller dog. Maybe don’t deliberation astir that excessively much, but she’s happy, truthful we’re happy.

Hughie (Jack Quaid) and Annie (Erin Moriarty)

Status: Alive

The last duo we cheque successful with is Annie and Hughie, who are happily unmarried with a babe named Robin connected the way. No, not named aft the Batman sidekick; aft Hughie’s girlfriend, who was killed successful the opening of the bid by A-Train (Jessie T. Usher). They’re moving astatine Campbell Audio/Visual, bringing things afloat ellipse arsenic Hughie started the bid trying to get a rise from his manager astatine Bryman Audio… Now helium runs his ain spot with Annie.

He besides rejects - erstwhile again - President Bobby Singer’s (Jim Beaver) connection to beryllium the caller caput of the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs to support checks connected Vought… Instead, helium and Annie person a constabulary scanner, and adjacent though she’s precise large and wearing comfy Crocs, flies disconnected to assistance prevention the time portion Hughie happily looks up astatine the sky.

After each this, Annie has go a superhero for real, and fixed Hughie thing to judge in, turning the dark, pessimistic satellite of The Boys into thing that has the imaginable to go arsenic hopeful and agleam arsenic the classical superhero comics we each cognize and love.

You tin chat with Alex Zalben connected BlueSky @azalben.bsky.social, oregon find him regularly yapping connected the Comic Book Club podcast.