The Boys season 5 episode 1 recap: Easter eggs, cameos and big deaths

The beginning of the end is here for Prime Video's bloody Supes now that The Boys season 5 has officially started. Things kicked off with a bang, too, with a brutal episode that upped the stakes for Billy Butcher and his team in their ongoing battle with Homelander.

On one side, Starlight and the rest of the rebellion are hunting desperately for a way to kill the maniacal blonde Supe. On the other, Homelander is edging ever closer to the supreme seat of power with the help of Sister Sage. All of the details on this, as well as the major reveals and key moments from the premiere, are rounded up in our The Boys season 5 episode 1 recap below.

Not only that, but we've also compiled all of the major Easter eggs we spotted, including some Marvel nods, callbacks to earlier seasons, and some unexpected cameos. Be warned, though: major spoilers for the 'Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite' follow below.

The Boys season 5 episode 1 recap

The episode begins with Homelander presenting to his loyal supporters at Vought's annual shareholder meeting, vowing his battle to take down Starlighters once and for all. However, Annie January is hiding in the wings with a plan of her own – to broadcast Homelander's incriminating Flight 37 video that shows him allowing a plane full of innocent people to die.

Team Homelander has a rebuttal, though, with newly minted Vice President Ashley Barrett and Sister Sage calling the video "deep fake". Homelander is concerned, vowing that he wants total devotion from America and concocting a plan to draw out Starlight and Billy Butcher. He wants it leaked that he'll execute Mother's Milk, Hughie, and Frenchie in a matter of days.

Speaking of incarcerated members of The Boys, we then head to Freedom Camp 47 where Hughie, MM, and Frenchie are doing their best to stay afloat and plan a way out. Butcher, meanwhile, is a wanted man, but he finds a bit of time to pay his old dad a visit. There's no love lost between the pair though as it's revealed that Butcher's mom has died and he kills his father with his new Supe powers.

Butcher then goes a bit further afield to start to get the gang back together, beginning with Kimiko, who's been living in Manila and can talk now (thanks TikTok and speech therapy). They find Annie and make a plan about how to get into the camp and save Hughie, MM, and Frenchie.

Meanwhile, The Deep and Black Noir have joined the Manosphere and have a new podcast. They're still running scared of Homelander though as he sets them on a path to locate A-Train. He's busy being recruited by Annie to help them get into the Freedom Camp and save Frenchie, Hughie, and MM. He's initially reluctant as his family may be in danger but, when The Deep pays them a visit, he's soon on board.

Butcher, Starlight, and Kimiko head to the camp where they use The Worm to dig them a tunnel under the border. When inside, they find Homelander waiting for them, but Annie has a plan as she uses her powers to light up the camp, temporarily blinding everyone before she starts flying each member of the team out, starting with Frenchie.

Frenchie and Kimiko are happy to see each other again, sharing a smooch while hellfire rails down on the camp. Homelander draws Butcher out by using Hughie as bait before A-Train swoops in to save the day by freezing time. He then flees, pursued by Homelander before he falls out of super speed to save a young woman walking in his path.

A-Train bows out in terrific fashion, laughing at Homelander's pathetic nature and realizing he's no longer afraid of him. He even gets a few tears out of the maniacal Supe before his neck is snapped. Ouch.

The Boys season 5 episode 1 Easter eggs and cameos

Freedom Camp 47: There are a few nods to Vought's past hidden in the background of the camp: Frenchie is carrying around 'Deeper', The Deep's autobiography; Vought-A-Burger is serving a Homelander special, and there are screenings of Dawn of the Seven.

Love Sausage: There's a brief cameo from Love Sausage at Freedom Camp 47 too, where he is seemingly working as one of Homelander's lackeys. He beats up one of the prisoners in an unorthodox way before he meets an untimely end at the hands of MM.

Godolkin: We also find out how The Boys are dealing with the events of Gen V season 2 during a segment on Firecracker's show. It seems like they're claiming that Godolkin's return was also Deep Fake and actually Starlight was behind the killing of the God U students.

Ivy: Hughie's old colleague at the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs makes a quick appearance as it seems she's been incarcerated in Freedom Camp 47 as well. Sadly, she's also one of the victims of Homelander's onslaught on the camp.

Cindy: Another Supe in the camp is Cindy, who we first met back in season 2. She has some brutal telekinesis powers which mean she can blow up anyone she likes, as she shows to full effect in the new episode.

Soldier Boy: While he doesn't appear properly in the opening episode, we do get a glimpse of Soldier Boy in the background of Homelander's lair. He's still being kept on ice, just as we last saw in the season 4 finale.

Oh-Father: As well as becoming Vice President, Ashley has found love as we meet her partner, Oh-Father (Daveed Diggs). The evangelical Supe is taken straight from the comics but it's not clear just what his powers are yet.

The Worm: TV writer and Supe, The Worm helps out with Starlight and Butcher's plans to get into the camp. He gives us a few tongue-in-cheek meta nods too, including when he mentions to Kimiko that "finales are the worst." Eric Kripke, are you projecting?

Gen V: We get a brief insight into what Marie Moreau and the Gen V team are up to, as A-Train reveals they've been in Pittsburgh while talking to Annie. "They're scoring a few wins, but not nearly enough," Annie reveals.

Quicksilver: When A-Train arrives in the camp, he freezes time to help turn the tide. This is very reminiscent of Evan Peters's Quicksilver from the X-Men movies, X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse.

Robin: When he's running away from Homelander, A-Train almost runs into a young woman on the road. He steps out of the way just in time, avoiding the mistakes of his past. Back in the very first episode of The Boys, this is how Hughie's girlfriend Robin was killed when A-Train ran right through her.

Who dies in The Boys season 5 episode 1?

• Love Sausage
• Ivy
• A-Train

Which Supes appear in The Boys season 5 episode 1?

• Homelander
• Starlight
• Ashley Barrett
• Sister Sage
• Firecracker
• Billy Butcher
• Love Sausage
• Cindy
• The Deep
• Black Noir
• Soldier Boy
• A-Train
• Oh-Father
• The Worm
• Kimiko

The Boys season 5 is releasing weekly on Prime Video. For more, check out our The Boys season 5 release schedule and our The Boys season 5 recap.