The Boys Season 5 Finale: 3 Big Wins, 3 Brutal Losses

Well, The Boys really did it. The show wrapped for good on May 20, and the finale hurled every kind of chaos you expect from this series: betrayals, flips, and some cold-blooded gut punches. A few characters actually got the peace they’ve been chasing since forever. Others got steamrolled. No middle ground.

Who walked away whole (ish) — and who didn’t

• Hughie Campbell — After years as the show’s moral barometer, he finally gets a win. He saves Annie from a Supe-killer virus and lives long enough to see Homelander go down for real. That’s a lot of weight off one guy’s shoulders.
• Starlight (Annie January) — Freedom at last. She steps out from under the fear and rot that’s been clinging to her since Season 1. For once, she isn’t looking over her shoulder.
• Mother ’s Milk — A unicorn in this universe: an actual clean victory. He reunites with his family and starts rebuilding the life the show has been demolishing piece by piece.
• Kimiko Miyashiro — Physically survives the war, emotionally gets wrecked. Losing Frenchie is the cruelest cut she’s taken, especially after finally finding someone who understood her down to the bone.
• Ryan Butcher — Roughest hand of the bunch. By the end, he’s lost both Butcher and Homelander, and he’s still carrying the old scars tied to his mom, Becca. That’s a lifetime of therapy before he even hits adulthood.
• Ashley Barrett — The queen of spin spins out. After years chasing power and control, she gets voted out of the presidency and watches the whole empire she curated crumble without her.

So… is there a Season 6?

Nope. Season 5 is the endpoint. The show signed off with Episode 8, titled 'Blood and Bone,' on May 20. Creator Eric Kripke has been open about the plan for a while: five seasons was the target, not a negotiating tactic.

"I like five seasons. People have been asking me why that number, and I think honestly, as a TV writer, I was trained on five acts, and so it just makes sense to me to stretch out for that long. It gives you enough time to delve into the characters, but it’s also not so long that it wears out its welcome."

He said that to TheWrap, and the finale backs it up — no loose teeth left rattling around.

A very pointed Episode 7 tease

Karl Urban wasn’t bluffing when he warned that "major characters don’t even make it to the end credits of Episode 7." The hour is literally titled 'The Frenchman.' Not exactly subtle foreshadowing, and it makes Kimiko’s ending land like a brick.

What’s next in this universe

The Boys is done, but the world isn’t. The prequel series 'Vought Rising' is set to dig into the early days of the company and the origins of Soldier Boy and Stormfront. Kripke has also teased more projects, including 'The Boys: Mexico.' As always, the fate of those spin-offs depends on whether audiences show up and whether Amazon wants to keep the blood-slicked train rolling.

Bottom line: some people made it out with a heartbeat and a future. Others got the kind of endings this show has been promising from day one. Which ending hit you the hardest?