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  1. Entertainment
  2. TV
  3. Superhero Shows
  4. The Boys

The Boys creator says season 5's latest death was on the cards since the character was first introduced: "We felt that was the right punishment"

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By Lauren Milici published 1 May 2026

Eric Kripke says it's a cautionary tale

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Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys season 5
(Image credit: Amazon Prime Video)
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The Boys creator Eric Kripke says that surprise death in the latest episode was actually a long time coming...

Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Boys season 5 episode 5!

"We always knew he was going to kill Firecracker, maybe as long back as when we introduced the character," series creator Eric Kripke told TVLine, explaining that she was inspired by notable Trump loyalists and extremists. "It's the most predictable pattern in the world, which is Trump demanding ultimate allegiance, making someone compromise every value they've ever had, and then kicking them out into the cold."

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In The Boys season 5 episode 5, Homelander tells Firecracker to pack her things and leave, ending their weird little romance. In an effort to make him change his mind, she appeals to his humanity, commenting that we all need love, and even referring to him as a man (and separate from God himself). Not surprisingly, ol' Homes did not like any of this. He holds the side of her face for a brief second, and then bashes her head into the wing of a metal eagle statue in Vought Tower. Funnily enough, she gets killed by the bird's left wing... (get it?)

Some fans, including myself, knew she was dead the moment she pledged her allegiance to the most evil man in the entire VCU.

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  • Homelander (Anthony Starr) saluting The Boys creator was "initially resistant" to killing off season 5's first big casualty so early
  • Hughie in The Boys season 1 The Boys' Eric Kripke slams sci-fi shows that end with no casualties: "'You can't get away with this!'"

Continued Kripke: "It's just to make the point that it doesn't matter how much you kiss Homelander's ass. It doesn't matter how much you give up. Nothing will ever be enough, and you'll eventually get hoisted on your own petard, which just means stabbed on your own spear, and that's what happens to her. ... So we felt that was the right punishment for this character, for giving up everything she's ever believed. Even in this episode, she had the opportunity to do the right thing, and it would have changed things."

You might be thinking, wait... there are only three episodes left of the entire series, and Homelander is still alive? Well, there's still time. And if you're wondering who might be the one to pull the trigger, check out our list of all the possible Supes.

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The Boys season 5 continues to air weekly. See our The Boys season 5 release schedule for exact timings, and check out our The Boys season 5 recap.

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Lauren Milici
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Senior Entertainment Writer

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys season 5
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