The hunt for the original Compound V formula is pushing everyone to their limits. Prime Video dropped the fourth episode of The Boys Season 5 on April 22, 2026, and it takes the characters to a dangerous place called Fort Harmony. This location holds the secrets of how supes were first created.
The episode, titled “Though the Heavens Fall,” runs for 62 minutes. Both Billy Butcher’s team and Homelander’s group head to the same abandoned facility. They all want the same thing: the V1 formula that can make supes immortal. The episode builds up the tension for the final episodes while setting up the upcoming spin-off show Vought Rising.
The Race for V1 Brings Both Sides to the Same Location
Fort Harmony is not a normal place. It was an old army hospital where Frederick Vought did his first experiments on humans after World War II. The documents the team found in earlier episodes show that this was the testing ground for the first version of Compound V. Only a few people survived those tests, including Soldier Boy and Stormfront.
The V1 formula is much stronger than the Compound V used today. It stops aging completely and gives total immunity to the supe-killing virus that Butcher wants to use. This is why Homelander wants it so badly. He already sees himself as a god-like figure, and the formula would make him truly unstoppable.
Soldier Boy recognizes Fort Harmony as soon as he hears about it. He was experimented on there decades ago. The place brings back painful memories that shake his usual confident attitude. On the way to the facility, he and Homelander have an uncomfortable conversation about Stormfront (who Soldier Boy knew as Clara Vought). Both of them had relationships with her at different times.
The Fort Harmony Trap Turns Heroes Against Each Other
The Boys arrive at Fort Harmony hoping to find V1 before Homelander gets there. But something is very wrong with the facility. The team finds dead bodies of both humans and animals scattered around the area. They enter a secret lab but cannot find any V1. Instead, they discover a shelf that someone recently broke into, suggesting someone else already took whatever was inside.
Then things get much worse. The team members start acting extremely angry and aggressive toward each other. Everyone except Frenchie begins fighting. Hughie, Mother’s Milk, and Butcher nearly kill each other in blind rage.
Frenchie realizes the problem. The air or water at Fort Harmony contains something toxic that makes people violent. The dead animals and people likely killed each other because of the same effect. Frenchie stays normal only because he has experimented with so many drugs over the years that his body is immune.
The source of this rage is a supe named Quinn. He is stuck to a wall with strange tentacles, similar to the infected people in The Last of Us. Soldier Boy recognizes Quinn as someone who was jealous of him during the experiments. Quinn has been radiating hatred for decades, affecting everyone who comes near him.
Frenchie convinces Soldier Boy to kill Quinn by manipulating his emotions. Once Quinn dies, the rage effect stops, and The Boys return to normal. But Soldier Boy feels deeply sad about killing someone from his past. He asks Homelander (who escaped from a vault where Soldier Boy locked him) to kill him. Homelander refuses and leaves the facility instead.
Homelander’s Rebrand Turns Him Into a Religious Figure
While the fight at Fort Harmony happens, Team Homelander works on a different project. The episode opens with Homelander telling Firecracker about his plan to become a god. She is shocked at first but agrees to help him.
The group works with a Vought executive named Worm (the same supe who helped Butcher break into the Freedom Camp earlier in the season) to rebrand Homelander. They want to sell him as a messianic figure to the public. The Democratic Church of America helps with this plan. In the closing minutes of the episode, Oh Father introduces Homelander during a sermon as a savior figure.
Firecracker has a difficult moment in this episode. She is chosen to spread Homelander’s new message, but you can see her struggling with what she is becoming. She sells out the last bit of her morals to stay close to power.
Annie Reconnects With Her Estranged Father
Annie (Starlight) flew away at the end of the previous episode. This episode reveals where she went. She lands at the home of a man clearing snow from his porch. That man is her father, who works as a police officer and has a new family with a wife and son.
Annie spends time with them even though people have been told she is an enemy. The conversations between them feel real and emotional. Her father tells her:
“People we love aren’t our weakness. They’re the reason we fight.”
This moment helps Annie remember why she keeps fighting. She has been feeling hopeless and unsure throughout this season. Seeing her reconnect with family reminds viewers why Starlight remains one of the most human characters in the show.
Ryan Recovers and Flies Off Again
Butcher tends to Ryan at the start of the episode. He tries to convince the young boy to stay hidden for a while. But Ryan, still angry about everything that has happened, flies away again. This continues the pattern of Ryan running from his problems rather than facing them.
The show has struggled to give Ryan a clear direction this season. He is incredibly powerful but often feels like a side story rather than a main part of the plot. His scenes with Butcher carry emotional weight because of their connection to Becca, but Ryan keeps leaving before anything gets resolved.
The Episode Sets Up the Vought Rising Spin-Off
Many viewers noticed that this episode feels like it is setting up future stories rather than moving the main plot forward. The deep dive into Fort Harmony and the early Vought experiments connects directly to the announced prequel series Vought Rising.
The episode does not give clear answers about what happened at Fort Harmony or who Quinn really was. It raises many questions that will likely be answered in the spin-off show. Some fans think this approach slows down the final season, while others appreciate the deeper look at the show’s history.
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Episode Release Time for Global Audiences
The Boys Season 5 Episode 4 arrived on Prime Video on April 22, 2026. The release time was 12:00 AM Pacific Time (PT). Here is when the episode dropped in other regions:
- United States (East Coast): 3:00 AM Eastern Time (ET)
- Canada: 12:00 AM PT / 3:00 AM ET
- United Kingdom: 8:00 AM British Summer Time (BST)
- India: 12:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST)
- Australia: 5:00 PM Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT)
The final season runs for eight total episodes. Episode 5 titled “One-Shots” will release on April 29, 2026, followed by episode six on May 6. Episode seven arrives on May 13, and the series finale streams on May 20, 2026.
Also Read: Unchosen on Netflix: Is This Dark Cult Thriller Based on a True Story or Complete Fiction?
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