The Boys season 5 theory speculates Homelander might face a fate worse than death

The Boys season 5 got off to an explosive start, and it's already got fans wondering about Homelander's ultimate fate.

The following will contain spoilers for The Boys season 5 premiere, so turn back now if you're not up to date!

It's well known by now that the mission to kill Homelander is the driving force of this fifth and final chapter, but one fan has noticed another aspect of the story that could come into play.

"Idk why it's taken me so long to realise that the worst thing that could happen to Homelander is not being killed off but him losing his powers," they say on Reddit, which has sparked a discussion.

"The worst thing that can happen is him being the emperor of the world only to discover it's not enough, that he's still empty and hollow," suggests another person. "THEN losing his powers. Double whammy THEN getting his ass kicked."

"I do want to see him lose his powers. To be put in the same situation all of his victims were in. Powerless. That way A-Train would be proven right. I could see him losing his powers and the gang taking turns pummelling him lmao," says another person.

"That's what I keep saying. He shouldn't die, but he should lose his powers and be an absolutely pathetic man who everyone hates and can't adapt to normal life. Death is too good for him. A-Train literally says that without his powers he's nothing. I know the writing is quite abysmal for this show the last few seasons, but that line felt like deliberate foreshadowing," predicts someone else. A-Train threw this particular taunt at Homelander shortly before being murdered by him, in a full circle moment from the speedster's introduction.

"With the amount of people who absolutely hate Homelander, him getting de-powered would almost immediately end with his death. Not even counting the Boys, a TON of people would be gunning for him," says another person.

"They seem to have foreshadowed this twice just in the two episodes of this season. I'm worried that's where this is heading and we don't actually get a HL death scene," is another person's prediction.

"Him losing his powers would be way more satisfying because for him, it'd be a fate worse than death," says another fan.

"Him getting his powers taken away, then getting killed by his very fans who worshipped him, getting killed as this false god, would be INSANE," is another person's thoughts.

"My theory is that for the Supes the virus doesn't kill, it depowers them," guesses another fan.

So far, it's hard to guess what might happen next – but it's obvious that de-powering Homelander would be a seriously poetic way to end his story, which is why it seems likely this might actually happen.

The Boys season 5 continues weekly on Prime Video, and you can keep up to date with our The Boys season 5 release schedule. For more, check out our The Boys season 5 recap to refresh your memory on what has happened so far.