The fifth season of The Boys delivered one of its wildest moments yet with the introduction of Malchemical, a supe played by Misha Collins. Episode 5, titled “One-Shots,” brought together Collins with his former Supernatural co-stars Jensen Ackles (Soldier Boy) and Jared Padalecki (Mr. Marathon) for a bloody reunion that ended almost as quickly as it began.
While the episode gave fans the long-awaited on-screen meetup of the three actors, their time together did not end well for Collins’ character. Malchemical managed to pull off something few others have done—but his victory was very short-lived.
Who Is Malchemical and What Are His Powers?
Malchemical is a supe created by Compound V, the same substance that gives all superheroes in The Boys universe their abilities. Unlike some supes who get their powers as adults, Malchemical was injected with Compound V shortly after his birth when his parents accepted money from Vought.
In the show, his main power is the ability to emit a toxic green gas from his mouth. This gas is powerful enough to knock out not just ordinary humans but also other supes—including Homelander himself. For a brief moment in Episode 5, Malchemical uses this gas on Homelander, and it works. The most powerful supe in the world drops to the ground unconscious.
Malchemical also has enhanced hearing, similar to many other supes in The Boys universe.
Before appearing in Season 5, the character was mentioned earlier in the series. He served on Super Duper, a second-tier supe team that never found major success. He also had a past run-in with Frenchie back in 2014, as Grace Mallory once mentioned. Later, Malchemical moved into entertainment work and was hired as the DJ at the premiere party for Dawn of the Seven.
How Malchemical Is Different From the Comics
The show took major creative freedom with Malchemical. In the original The Boys comics by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, the character has very different abilities.
In the comics, Malchemical is a powerful shapeshifter who can transform his body into any chemical compound. He can restructure his atoms to become as hard as metal or as light as gas. He often uses this power to copy the appearance of other people.
The comic version of Malchemical has a much darker history. He was an original member of the high-profile superhero team Team Titanic. He used his shapeshifting powers to imitate the team’s leader and commit a terrible act against the leader’s girlfriend. This led to his removal from the team by Vought. The show completely changed his power set to something more straightforward—toxic gas breath.
Malchemical’s Plan to Kill Homelander
In Episode 5 of The Boys Season 5, Soldier Boy and Homelander travel to Los Angeles to find V-One, a chemical formula that provides ageless immortality. They visit Mr. Marathon (played by Jared Padalecki), a former member of The Seven who has a collection of Vought memorabilia that might hold clues.
At Mr. Marathon‘s mansion, Malchemical is hanging out playing poker with several Hollywood celebrities. When Homelander and Soldier Boy arrive, Malchemical and Mr. Marathon see their chance.
Both supes are tired of Homelander‘s fascist rule. Malchemical complains that Homelander wants to ban things like pornography and abortions. So they hatch a plan. Malchemical uses his toxic gas to knock out Homelander. Then Mr. Marathon tries to convince Soldier Boy to kill his son with his chest blast while Homelander is down.
“I was quite gratified to learn that I was powerful enough to knock out Homelander. That felt like a big deal. And then my ego was brought back down to earth by the fact that Jensen so very quickly dispatches me. So I took the good with the bad. It was like, ‘Oh, I’m powerful. Oh, I guess I’m not that powerful.’” – Misha Collins on his character’s brief moment of triumph
Soldier Boy Kills Malchemical
The plan falls apart quickly. Instead of agreeing to kill his son, Soldier Boy turns on Malchemical and Mr. Marathon. In a twisted moment, Soldier Boy says, “Nobody f*cks my son but me.” He then breaks Malchemical‘s neck, killing him instantly.
Mr. Marathon does not survive either. After Homelander regains consciousness, he stomps on Mr. Marathon‘s head and kills him.
The scene shows just how powerful Homelander remains. Even though Malchemical could knock him out temporarily, that was not enough to actually kill him. Soldier Boy and Ryan are still the only supes who have any real chance against Homelander in a fight.
The Supernatural Reunion
The biggest talking point around Malchemical‘s appearance is the reunion of the three Supernatural stars. Eric Kripke, who created Supernatural and runs The Boys, brought together Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins for the first time since Supernatural ended in 2020.
Collins described the experience as both familiar and strange. Many of the same crew members from Supernatural worked on the episode, including director Phil Sgriccia. But the characters and the tone of The Boys are completely different from what fans remember.
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The episode has a 96% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes as of April 28, 2026, with a 75% Popcornmeter score from audiences.
The Boys Season 5 is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and worldwide.
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