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The Boys' Eric Kripke says that "one of the joys" of ending a show is "you don't have to be precious with keeping anybody alive" – and now we're seriously worried for our Homelander-fighting faves.
In a new interview with SFX magazine, which hits newsstands on March 25, the showrunner shared his disdain for "big, epic sci-fi" series that wrap up with no major deaths. In other words, he not-so subtly confirmed that the likes of Billy Butcher, Hughie, and co won't all make it to the credits of the Prime Video drama's last-ever episode.
"You can let people have the emotional confrontations that they'll never recover from. We wanted to take full advantage of that, having these mind-blowing moments. It's a battle, and there are going to be casualties," Kripke added. "It would be unrealistic not to. It bums me out when you have a big, epic sci-fi show, and then at the end, it's like, 'Oh, everyone's fine.' I keep yelling at the screen, 'Things cost things, you can't just get away with this!' So yes, I wouldn't get too attached to any single character."
While Kripke's comments are the most definitive we've had so far, the cast and crew haven't been coy about the fact that The Boys season 5 will have bigger stakes than ever in the run-up to its release. Back in February, Karl Urban, who plays Butcher, told Variety that "no one is safe" – and even hinted that there'll be a game-changing fatality in the very first episode.
I'd argue that the show has actually played things pretty safe up 'til now, despite wearing its guts and gore like a badge of honor. Aside from Hughie's girlfriend, who we didn't really have any connection to, it's only really been villains who have met their maker onscreen, so it'll be interesting to see how the final installment shakes things up.
As spelled out by its full trailer, the upcoming chapter, which premieres on April 8, will see the titular team plot to "kill every Supe". As Homelander (Antony Starr) ascends in political rank (did you catch the glimpse of him in the White House's Oval Office?!) and hunts V1 in the hope of becoming immortal, the rebels join forces with Gen V's bloodbender Marie Moreau to take down the cape-wearing, breast milk-guzzling antagonist once and for all.
For more, check out our picks of the best shows on Prime Video for some watchlist inspiration.
