The Boys season 5 episode 2 recap: Easter eggs, cameos, who dies

The Boys season 5, episode 2 is a bloody, action-packed, and did we say bloody, follow-up to that breath-snatching season 5 premiere. With Soldier Boy unceremoniously back on the board and on Butcher's trail, The Boys' top dog has more than Homelander to worry about now.

It's a great start to the fifth and final season of Prime Video's flagship superhero show (dive into that with our The Boys season 5 episode 1 recap), with new episodes set to air weekly until the series finale in May. But until then, there's plenty of bloodshed to come, with Hughie star Jack Quaid recently promising there wouldn't be a fairytale ending to the show.

But for now, we've got the events of The Boys season 5 episode 2, 'Teenage Kix', to dive into in full spoilerific detail. So if you've yet to see the latest episode of The Boys, turn away now and check out our The Boys season 5 recap instead. Either way, be sure to bookmark our The Boys season 5 release schedule so you never miss an episode.

The Boys season 5 episode 2 recap

After murdering A-Train in the closing moments of the season 5 premiere, episode 2 opens in the middle of Reggie Franklin's evangelical funeral, presided over by season 5 newbie Oh-Father (Daveed Diggs). Homelander seems indifferent to Oh-Father's proclamations until the Supe uses his power – a voice of god that would make Paul Atreides proud – on his flock. This seemingly causes something of an epiphany for Homelander, who hears the comforting words of someone who might well be Homelander's thus far unseen mother. No question we'll be returning to this dangling thread later in the season.

In Erie, Pennsylvania, Butcher has found a new home for the Boys, where he's successfully engineered a Supe Virus strong enough to kill Homelander thanks to 'diamond geezer' (and scientist) Sameer, who believes that Homelander is responsible for Victoria Neuman's death. But, first, they need to test it on a Supe almost as indestructible as Homelander: granite-man Rock Hard, a member of adolescent super-group Teenage Kix.

As the group work out their conflicted feelings over re-teaming with Butcher and resorting to a blunt weapon as potentially genocidal as the Supe Virus, Himiko and Frenchie, and Hughie and Annie reconcile biblically. Later, in the basement of the Kix Crib, the Boys discover why Rock Hard hasn't been seen in public since the Lincoln Memorial incident (which is sadly, unprintable) – he's a 30,00lb literal mountain of a man who can't move and needs a text-to-speech machine to talk. Killing him with the virus won't be so easy.

While Rock Hard continues to commit unprintable acts, Mother's Milk heads upstairs and encounters Countess Crow, Countess of the Crows, who doesn't put up much of a fight. After a potty-mouthed heart-to-heart, Mother's Milk eventually talks Countess Crow around, who reveals that most of her murder of crows have been eaten by fellow Teenage Kix member Sheline, and she just wants to go home. Butcher, Hughie and Kimiko return to Sameer to retrieve a sample of the Virus.

Back at Vought Tower, Homelander wakes Soldier Boy up from his 2-year "deep freeze" and convinces Daddy to track down Butcher in return to rehabilitating his image with the general public. In the boardroom, Homelander introduces Dad to the new president and vice president, and lets the assembled members of the Seven know that Soldier Boy is Homelander's new number two, in charge of tracking down Billy Butcher and Annie January, in return for a full pardon.

Cue a disorientating time jump, as not a scene or two later, Soldier Boy turns up in Erie and intercepts Butcher and co. as they're driving back to the Kix Crib. Soldier Boy's still salty after being betrayed by Butcher, and gets a car thrown at him for his troubles. Sheline and Jetstreak hear the commotion and are enlisted by Soldier Boy to help find Butcher and his buddies. Kimiko makes quick work of the hairball-spewing Sheline, while Hughie is taken up into the clouds by Jetstreak, but saved by Starlight before he goes splat.

With Soldier Boy and Jetstreak on his tail, Hughie leads the Supes to the same room as Rock Hard. After a bit of misdirection, Frenchie exposes everyone in the room to the Virus, killing Rock Hard and Jetstreak instantly. While it takes a beat to affect him, Soldier Boy is also seemingly killed by the Virus as his skin blisters and the breath is snatched from his lungs. Pleased with the gruesome results, Butcher and co. take off.

At Vought HQ, Ashley tries to talk Sage around about Homelander's plan to persecute anyone who has so much as tweeted anything negative about him. We also find out that Ashley is unable to read Sage's mind, presumably because of her massive brain. A moment later we learn Ashley's dark secret: she has another face on the back of her head, Professor Quirrell-style (or Malignant-style, if you're cool), which is presumably the source (and a side effect) of her new powers. Ewww.

In the final scene of the episode, Homelander and The Deep are standing outside the Kix Crib as Soldier Boy is wheeled on a gurney into an ambulance. The ever-miserable Homelander isn't sure whether he should be happy his plan to use Soldier Boy as a guinea pig paid off, or if he should be even a little upset his father is dead. Only, Solider Boy isn't dead, as a moment later he sits bolt upright, still in the body bag. And credits.

The Boys season 5 episode 2 Easter eggs and cameos

Dr. Sameer Shah – the good(ish) doctor returns for season 5 after having his leg hacked off in season 4. He was the former leading scientist at Vought R&D, and partner of Victoria Neuman. He's working with Butcher to engineer the Supe Virus because he believes Homelander killed his partner.

Kix Crib – The Boys team is clearly riffing on any number of shared, frat-style influencer houses here. On the picture wall halfway up the stairs, there are pictures of A-Train and Sister Sage, revealing they are former members of Teenage Kix.

"He ain't our first whale, is he?" – Butcher is referring to The Boys' memorable encounter with a Deep-mounted Whale in season 2 episode 3, which ended in rather grisly fashion.

Sponsored snacks – Sheline and Jetstreak are seen hawking 'Lean Lady Diet Water' (zero calories!), 'Turbo Rush' energy drink and 'Firecracker's Flaming Freedom Sticks' on a TikTok like social media platform in now standard influencer fashion.

QR code – The QR code on Countess Crow's arm leads back to this previously released promo short.

Countess Crow's crows – Perhaps a stretch, but the countess of the crows being neutralized after her crows Russell and Cameron (nods to Kurt Russell and James Cameron, perhaps?) are bunged in a closet evokes cult classic The Crow, where the source of Eric Draven's power is a crow.

"I got you… I know" – Though the circumstances are different, Hughie nods to a classic Empire Strikes Back moment when he's caught in mid-air by Starlight.

Medusa statue – One of the biggest theories following Ashley's hair loss in season 4 was that Compound-V would give her some kind of hair-based powers. While that decidedly isn't the case, the Medusa statue seen behind her is a reminder of that fact.

Who dies in The Boys season 5 episode 2?

There are two confirmed deaths in The Boys season 5 episode 2.

• Rock Hard – dies by Supe Virus
• Jetstreak – dies by Supe Virus

It's unclear if Sheline is dead or unconscious.

Which Supes appear in The Boys season 5 episode 2?

• Oh-Father
• Homelander
• The Deep
• Black Noir
• Sister Sage
• Firecracker
• Ashley
• Butcher
• Himiko
• Starlight
• Soldier Boy
• Rock Hard
• Jetstreak
• Countess Crow

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.