The Boys Ending Explained: Was Homelander Truly Unstoppable?

The fifth and final season of  The Boys   has come to an end, but was anybody able to stop Homelander? Find out below.

- READ MORE: ‘The Boys’ season five review: grisly superhero satire nails the endgame

The eighth and final episode of the run, titled ‘Blood And Bone’, premiered on  Amazon Prime Video  on Wednesday (May 20), bringing to an end the saga based on the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.

Overseen by showrunner Eric Kripke, the show was always designed to run for a total of five seasons, and it climaxed with the titular group of vigilantes joining forces with Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher to try one last time to end Homelander’s villainous reign.

Check out the trailer for  The Boys  season five here:

NME’s  five-star review  of the first six episodes of season five said that the show “avoids the traps that most final seasons stumble into by chasing a clear endgame, instead of trying to constantly subvert expectations. Funny, crass and devastatingly poignant, those hoping for a suitable send-off will get the bloody masterpiece they were searching for.”

Since the finale aired, many fans have reacted enthusiastically,  with some comparing it to the ending of  Breaking Bad , while  Kripke has responded to others who had complaints by declaring they are “watching the wrong show” . He also  rejoiced in Elon Musk labelling the finale as “pathetic” .

The ending of The Boys explained: could anyone stop Homelander?

The finale of  The Boys  revolved around one concrete question that the series had spent years building toward: can anyone actually stop Homelander?

At the start of the episode, the answer still appeared to be “probably not.” Homelander was preparing a televised address from the Oval Office in which he planned to openly declare himself a god-like ruler. Even his own allies feared him because he was effectively indestructible.

The Boys finally discovered a workable strategy through Sage. After deliberately provoking Kimiko into using a new anti-V weapon on her, Sage loses her powers completely and walks away, proving the process works.

The team then launches an assault on the White House with help from Ashley. During the chaos, Annie fights and kills the Deep, while Hughie and M.M. lure the terrifying Oh Father away from the main battle. That allows Butcher and Kimiko to confront Homelander directly.

The crucial moment comes when Ryan — Homelander’s son — sides against his father and helps Butcher hold him down. Kimiko then blasts all three of them with the anti-V effect, neutralizing the Compound V in their blood. Suddenly, Homelander is no longer invulnerable.

The shift is immediate: Homelander instantly becomes frightened and pathetic, begging Butcher to spare him. Butcher refuses and kills him.

After Homelander’s death, Butcher spirals further, devastated by Ryan rejecting him and by learning his dog has died. He goes to Vought Tower intending to release a virus that would kill all superpowered people indiscriminately. Hughie ultimately shoots and kills Butcher to stop him.

By the end, Homelander is dead, Butcher is dead, Vought is back under Stan Edgar’s control, and the Boys disband — with Ryan taken in by M.M. and Hughie and Annie preparing for a normal life together.

The post The ending of ‘The Boys’ explained: could anyone stop Homelander?  appeared first on NME .

_Originally reported by [NME](https://www.nme.com/news/tv/the-ending-of-the-boys-explained-can-anyone-stop-homelander-3947062?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-ending-of-the-boys-explained-can-anyone-stop-homelander)._