The Boys creator Eric Kripke says "the world changed to reflect the show"
By Ashley Hurst
The world of The Boys is one of, if not the single craziest superhero universe ever put to screen. The subversive series not only flips the genre on its head, but in its four seasons has taken blood, gore, violence and vulgarity to another level; look no further than the infamous 'Herogasm' episode, which featured a literal superpowered orgy. It's as disgusting as it sounds.
In season 4 especially, the show got extra political, with a focus on authoritarianism and media-fueled controversy. With the series increasingly honing in on political satire, it's feeling more and more in touch with real-world events. For instance, the show doesn't hide that Homelander's cult-esque following echoes that of Donald Trump, who was recently elected to serve a second term as president of the United States.
For showrunner Eric Kripke, making a brilliant TV show was always the first and foremost goal; the fact that it's echoed reality in such a stark way came after. “It’s not like we were designing it to reflect reality,” he told Variety. Going into its fifth and final season, The Boys has bizarrely become one of the most culturally significant shows on TV, almost by accident. “But we happen to be making a show about violent authoritarians who present as celebrities. Then suddenly, the world changed to reflect the show, not just in the States – all over the world. Suddenly we found ourselves making one of the most current shows on television.”
As the show went on, Kripke decided to embrace real-world satire. “We realized that we felt an obligation really, and an opportunity, to say, ‘Well, let’s make a really current show, make it reflect reality and let it be a satirical take on reality as much as possible,” he explained.
Homelander will get even worse in the final season of The Boys
Of course, one of the key political players in the show is Homelander, an unhinged superhero who will do literally anything to get what he wants. Looking ahead to the final season, Kripke teases that Homelander's wrath will be fully unleashed. With the show ending, the writers have no obligations to keep anyone alive.
“The more Homelander gets what he wants, the less happy he is,” Kripke said. “And that really frustrates him. You can expect a real ratcheting up of stakes and emotion, and the Boys really have their work cut out for them.”
The Boys season 5 began filming in November 2024. The final season isn't expected to land in 2025, but early 2026 seems likely. In the meantime, spinoff Gen V will release its second season in 2025!
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