Prime Video has renewed 'The Boys' for season 5 — and I don’t know if that’s a good thing

Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys season 3
(Image credit: Amazon)

Yes, “The Boys” will be back in town for another insanely chaotic rodeo in season 5, as announced by Vought — no, sorry, Prime Video. This gory series focuses on a group of superheroes who abuse their powers rather than use them for good. A group of vigilantes known as The Boys are determined to bring these supes down while exposing the evil, secretive organization that manages them. 

Based on the comic book series of the same name, “The Boys” became one of the most popular streaming series after its first season. Now, with season 4 of "The Boys" approaching in June, there is more to look forward to in the coming years.

Today introduced quite a few celebratory posts that highlighted the news of season 5, including a special video from Prime Video properly announcing the fifth season. Karen Fukuhara’s Kimiko is seen carving the confirmation into a table with a knife before smiling into the camera, an iconic move that earned more excitement in the comments. 

Although it is exciting, it doesn’t mean that the season renewal is necessarily a good thing. And this is coming from someone who has been a huge fan of “The Boys” since the very first episode. You might be thinking: “But we’ll get to see the characters again, right?” While that is definitely true and a valid reason to be excited, there are some looming concerns that I just can’t ignore. 

He’s the Homelander, and he can do whatever he wants

Homelander is one character that just won’t die, no matter how many opportunities there are to end him for good. Antony Starr does such an outstanding job at playing this evil superhero, and his performance makes me hate Homelander and shiver whenever his creepy smile appears on the screen. 

But there is one issue with another season being in the works for “The Boys”. Homelander could fly into season 5, since he's such a big character and can do "whatever he wants." While this antagonist has made the show incredibly tense and unsettling, it is concerning that his story will be dragged out even more. We’ve seen The Boys attempt to kill him multiple times, only to fail, give up, try again, and then fail. I’m not the only person who wants to see Homelander get what he deserves. 

Even though the revenge on him would be satisfying, season 5 might feel strange without such a dominant figure (if he does end up dying). If they were to kill off his character, it only makes sense to focus on his son Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) as he deals with some increasing inner rage that puts him in a very vulnerable position. There’s also the chance that more Gen V characters will appear in season 5 since they were in the season 4 trailer. This could make up for any big deaths, such as Butcher (Karl Urban) or Homelander. 

So, it’s a bit of a predicament really. Homelander dying in season 4 could lower the viewership for season 5, but keeping him alive might drag out his story.  

Season 5 should say goodbye to 'The Boys'

Laz Alonso (Mother's Milk), Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko), Jack Quaid (Hughie Campbell) in The Boys season 3

(Image credit: Prime Video)

As much as it pains me to say this, “The Boys” should end with season 5. Far too many shows have succumbed to their wounds of being dragged out just for the sake of it. Take “The Walking Dead” for example, one of my favorite shows that got worse and worse with every season. I don’t want such a good series like “The Boys” to end up ruining the characters and following a repetitive narrative. 

Instead, season 5 should focus on giving each character a well-deserved ending, including the end of Homelander (if he doesn’t die in season 4, of course). Wrapping up one of the best series on Prime Video will still keep the world alive if more spinoffs, and even a potential movie, were to come about. 

For now, we can be excited about “The Boys” season 4. This upcoming season will be available to watch on Prime Video starting June 13.  You can also check out our guide on the best shows to watch while you wait for season 4.  

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Alix Blackburn
Staff Writer, Streaming

Alix is a Streaming Writer at Tom’s Guide, which basically means watching the best movies and TV shows and then writing about them. Previously, she worked as a freelance writer for Screen Rant and Bough Digital, both of which sparked her interest in the entertainment industry. When she’s not writing about the latest movies and TV shows, she’s either playing horror video games on her PC or working on her first novel.