The Boysseason 5 will put an end to one of the most popular shows on Prime Video, and it’s already shaping up to follow the comic book ending closely. In 2019, The Boys landed on Prime Video and it took the world by storm. A gritty superhero TV show that broke all the typical rules, and offered an alternate look at a world where powered people roamed free. While a few don costumes and become iconic superheros, the show features a large number of supes who behave in a way that places them firmly above ordinary humans.
Over the past four seasons,Billy Butcher and his team have been waging war against the supes, highlighting their indecency and carelessness and making the supes accountable for their actions. However, the show also sees these heroes worshiped and praised, including Homelander, despite some of their most vile actions taking place on a global stage. The result is a tense set-up ahead ofThe Boys’final season, and it is in great shape toadapt the original comic book endingthat Garth Ennis created for the comics that inspired the show.
The Boys Season 5 Is In A Good Position To Recreate The Comics’ Ending
The Show Is On Track To Deliver A Faithful Ending For The Boys
In the comics, Billy Butcher has descended into such an intense and vile hatred towards the supes, that he believes the only way to resolve the issue is by killing all supes, and wiping out any trace of Compound V. This leads Butcher to go on a murder spree that also sees him murder all of his team apart from Hughie, due to their partaking in Compound V as a way to combat the supes. However, before he can complete his goal and exterminate all the supes,Hughie is the one who kills Butcherto protect the remaining supes, because they already dismantled all the superhero teams.
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The series has obviously made some adjustments, with some members of the team having never been exposed to Compound V, while Billy is now using the drug to keep himself aliveand trying to take down Homelander. The show has also introduced a lethal disease that has the power to kill all supes, which will likely play a key part in the final season’s storyline. Considering Hughie’s relationship with Annie, and his less comprehensive hatred towards supes, it is likely he will be the one to stop Billy, which meansThe Boyscould very well follow the comic book ending.
The Boys Comics’ Ending Would Fit The Tone Of The Prime Video Show Just Fine
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The Prime Video adapted show has a very similar tone to the comics, with dark humor, cynical representation of fallible supes, and intense and brutal violence. In this way, it makes sense for the series to follow in the footsteps of the comics that inspired it, but the show is not a perfect repeat of the comics. There are severalpoints of the story which have been altered for the TV series: relationship dynamics have shifted, and reveals that diverge from the source material. While it may be in a strong position to take the story down a similar route to the comics, it does not mean that that is necessarily what’s best for the show.
For instance,The BoysTV series has seen Homelander’s popularity grow spectacularly, even after his brutal and violent ways have been exposed. And while the original comics end withButcher’s death and the supes being decommissioned, the epilogue series,Dear Becky, reveals what the world looks like after the events of the original comics, and that feels significantly more challenging to pull off. For one, the spin-off story sees people denounce the supes, and put their faith back in mortal men, rather than allowing powered people to rule the world unchecked.
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The reality is that while the characters resemble their comic book counterparts inThe Boys, the show has made the story its own, and transformed the world beyond the pages of the source material. Homelander is popular in both versions, but his freedom to do evil in plain sight is enhanced in the TV series. The Boys who fight back against the supes have muchstrongeropinions about Compound V, and for the most part, they steer clear. And the world is at a crossroads with incredible division between those who support the tyrannical and strong-handed rule of Homelander, versus those who want to see truth and light guide the way as they put their faith in heroes like Starlight.
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With the series having developed such a vivid and realistic world over four seasons, it wouldn’t make sense to fall back on the comics and repeat the ending beat for beat. In addition to feeling somewhat lazy, it doesn’t feel as though that fits with the series, or the intended spin-offs which willcontinue the story of supes and humans beyond the original series. In this way, the show needs to find a new path forward, and deliver an ending that better suits the story that has played out since 2019, rather than trying to bend itself into the place that makes the original comic book ending make sense.
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The Ending Should Draw Inspiration From The Comics, But Not Duplicate It
And for the writers, all they need to do is look back on the show, and forward to the future of this world to see where the story needs to end. WhileThe Boyshas revealed numerous supes who abuse their powers and use them to behave in any way they like, there are plenty of decent supes out there. In fact, in thefirst spin-off,Gen V, the story revolves around supes who genuinely want to help others and prevent harm from befalling anyone. Simplykilling these supes and branding them as dangerous would be an unsatisfying resolutionto the story.
Billy has already put himself on a path to self-destruction that is sure to create an intense fallout.
But the show can still use elements of the original comic book ending in the final chapter. There are supes who use their power to gain popularity and control others. There are supes whose corruption is beyond redemption. And Billy has already put himself on a path to self-destruction that is sure to create an intense fallout. If the comics were to inspire one detail, it is likely to be the wrapping up of the relationship between Billy and Hughie, the two characters who are the center of the stories, and despite their vastly different approaches, they grow to love each other. For Billy’s sake, Hughie is likely to be the one who puts him down inThe Boysfinale, before it’s too late.
The Boys
Cast
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
