With The Boys Season 5 set to begin on April 8, 2026, on Amazon Prime Video, it is time to look back at the game-changing events of Season 4. The chaotic season left the world under Homelander’s control and the team scattered, setting the stage for an epic final chapter.
The State of the World After Season 4
The fourth season ended with the United States in a dire new reality. Following a failed mission to stop Victoria Neuman and the political manipulation of Sister Sage, Homelander achieved ultimate power. With President Robert Singer arrested, the Speaker of the House, now President Calhoun, declared martial law. He appointed Homelander to lead a national security force made up of superheroes.
โAmerica will be safe again. And to the Starlighters- whatever rock you’re hiding under, we’re coming for you. I’m coming for you,โ Homelander declared in a national address.
The members of The Boys were captured by supes working for Vought, including Cate Dunlap and Sam Riordan from Godolkin University. Only Starlight, who regained her ability to fly, managed to escape immediate capture. Billy Butcher, fully embracing his dark impulses and new vine-based powers, drove off alone with a virus designed to kill every supe on Earth, guided by the hallucination of his old friend, Joe Kessler.
Major Character Arcs and Developments
Billy Butcher’s journey was defined by a terminal diagnosis and a steep moral decline. Given months to live from his use of Temp V, he wrestled with visions of his deceased wife, Becca, and the toxic ghost of Joe Kessler. Kessler, revealed to be a hallucination representing Butcher’s worst instincts, pushed him to develop a genocidal virus. Butcher’s final act of killing Victoria Neuman and abandoning his team showed he had fully surrendered to his anger.
Homelander faced his own insecurities about aging and fatherhood while consolidating political power. His recruitment of Sister Sage, the smartest person in the world, was a key strategic move. In a chilling mid-credits scene, President Calhoun showed Homelander that Soldier Boy has been kept in a cryogenic chamber, setting up a major reunion for the final season.
Hughie Campbell and Starlight fought to maintain their relationship amid public attacks. Firecracker, a new supe with ties to Annie’s past, leaked Starlight’s private secrets, including her decision to have an abortion. Hughie grappled with his father’s illness and a reunion with his long-lost mother, Daphne.
Other team members faced deep personal trials. Mother’s Milk struggled with leadership and family stress. Frenchie confessed to his boyfriend, Colin, that he murdered Colin’s family, destroying their relationship. Kimiko confronted the trauma of her past and, in the finale, spoke for the first time to beg Frenchie not to leave her.
Among the supes, A-Train continued a path toward redemption, secretly working with Mother’s Milk and saving lives. The Deep’s story took a bizarre turn with his relationship with the octopus Ambrosius, voiced by Tilda Swinton, and a strange dynamic with Sister Sage.
How Season 4 Connects to Gen V
The season is set after the events of Gen V’s first season and included several direct links. News reports teased the arrival of Cate and Sam at the V52 Expo before they appeared in the finale to capture The Boys. Butcher’s mission involved the supe-killing virus discovered in the underground lab at Godolkin University. The character Tek Knight, who first appeared in Gen V, hosted a key party where The Boys attempted to assassinate Sage.
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The Road to the Final Season
Showrunner Eric Kripke confirmed that Season 5 was always planned as the series’ conclusion. The story will pick up about six months after the events of Gen V Season 2. The official plot setup describes a world completely under Homelander’s control, with Hughie, Mother’s Milk, and Frenchie imprisoned in a “Freedom Camp”. Annie struggles to build a resistance, while Kimiko is missing and Butcher is on the run with the virus.
The final season will see the return of Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy as a series regular, exploring the unresolved father-son dynamic with Homelander. New cast members include Daveed Diggs and Mason Dye, with cameos from Gen V characters like Marie, Jordan, and Emma expected.
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