The Boys Season 5 Trailer Promises An Apocalyptic Final Season

The Boys heads for its inevitably bloody apotheosis as Prime Video’s superhero satire comes to a close.

I’ve been saying that Paul Verhoeven is right about everything for so long that I’m getting bored with it, so maybe I’ll start saying it about Eric Kripke, the showrunner on The Boys. Of course, Kripke has a shorter lead time with his stuff – the parallels between Robocop, Starship Troopers, and our own horrible moment in history are uncanny. By contrast, The Boys launched in 2019 – all Kripke and his crew have to do is open a browser tab and start transcribing.

Anyhoo, let’s look at the trailer for the fifth and final season.

The Boys Season 5 Trailer

What’s the plot?

Based on the controversial comic by writer Garth Ennis (go read Preacher now) and artist Darrick Robertson (go read Transmetropolitan next), The Boys takes place in a world where superheroes are a) real, b) controlled by the evil Vought International corporation, and c) complete sociopathic assholes. As a counterweight to their excesses, we have The Boys, a covert black ops squad dedicated to kicking supes in the dick whenever they need it – which is frequently, as it happens.

Now, as for the final season, let’s go to the official synopsis:

In the fifth and final season, it’s Homelander’s world, completely subject to his erratic, egomaniacal whims. Hughie, Mother’s Milk, and Frenchie are imprisoned in a “Freedom Camp.” Annie struggles to mount a resistance against the overwhelming Supe force. Kimiko is nowhere to be found. But when Butcher reappears, ready and willing to use a virus that will wipe all Supes off the map, he sets in motion a chain of events that will forever change the world and everyone in it. It’s the climax, people. Big stuff’s gonna happen.

Who’s in it?

• Karl Urban as William “Billy” Butcher, the leader of The Boys.
• Jack Quaid as Hughie Campbell, a normal guy who joined The Boys after his girlfriend was callously killed by the super speedster A-Train.
• Antony Starr as Homelander, essentially Superman with the serial numbers filed off, except completely insane and megalomaniacal.
• Erin Moriarty as Annie January, AKA Starlight, one of those rare supes with actual ethics, who winds up working with The Boys and in a relationship with Hughie.
• Jessie T. Usher as A-Train, speedster member of The Seven, who are an expy of the Justice League.
• Laz Alonso as Mother’s Milk, Butcher’s 2IC.
• Chace Crawford as The Deep, another member of The Seven. He’s Aquaman if Aquaman fucked fish. Patton Oswalt voices The Deep’s gills.
• Tomer Capone as Frenchie, a member of The Boys trying to make up for his criminal past.
• Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro, AKA The Female, The Boys’ muscle.
• Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett, a publicist for Vought International who later becomes its CEO.
• Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy, the original premier superhero, and a riff on Captain America.
• Susan Heyward as Sister Sage, the smartest supe in the world and the new CEO of Vought.
• Valorie Curry as Firecracker, an alt-right supe influencer.
• Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Joe Kessler, a dead CIA agent and Butcher’s mentor.
• Daveed Diggs as Oh Father, a spiritual leader manipulating the supes vs humans conflict for his own benefit.

When’s it out?

The Boys season 5 hits Prime Video on April 8.

What’s the vibe?

I’m in like you would not believe. I dug the original comics back in the day, and here’s the thing: the series is better, shaving off Ennis’ more misanthropic tendencies and using the premise to talk about what’s happening right now. But all that aside, after four seasons I gotta know if they stick the landing.