‘The Boys’ season 5 is almost here: Here are 5 things you need to remember before watching

Key art poster for "The Boys" season 5 on Prime Video — (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

“The Boys” season 5 storms onto Prime Video next week on April 8. If it’s anything like what came before, we’re bracing for more brutal twists and bigger battles as Homelander tightens his grip and the Boys fight back through chaos. With the stakes higher and the world on the brink, now’s the perfect time for a quick refresher.

Since its explosive debut in 2019, the satirical superhero series has carved out a massive following with its dark humor and ruthless action, and its final season promises to be the most intense yet. With eight episodes leading up to what showrunner Eric Kripke calls its “ultimate conclusion,” fans are more than ready to dive back into the carnage.

Fair warning: I’ll be spoiling major events from season 4. So, without further ado, here are five things you should remember before “The Boys” season 5.

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1. Billy Butcher has gone rogue, but he’s dying

Karl Urban as Billy Butcher in "The Boys" season 5 on Prime Video — (Image credit: Jasper Savage / Prime Video)

Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) is facing a grim diagnosis: a terminal brain tumor caused by years of V24 abuse, giving him an estimated life expectancy of just six months. The disease hasn’t just affected his body but also fractured his mind. In season 4, he experienced vivid hallucinations of his late wife, Becca (Shantel VanSanten), embodying his conscience, and Joe Kessler (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), representing his darkest impulses.

Episode 6 confirmed that the Kessler figure seen in season 4 wasn’t alive but rather a manifestation of Butcher’s monstrous side, which metastasized alongside his cancer. Things have only grown more dangerous after Butcher injected a half-dose of Compound V. The tumor mutated into what could be called a “super cancer”: sentient, black tentacles beneath his skin, capable of extreme violence and even possessing him during blackouts.

Following the accidental death of Grace Mallory (Laila Robins) at the hands of Ryan (Cameron Crovetti), Butcher has fully embraced Kessler’s radical agenda of global Supe genocide. Now a rogue actor with the only remaining sample of the Supe-killing virus, he is more lethal and unpredictable than ever.

2. Government takeover masterminded by Sister Sage

Susan Heyward as Sister Sage in "The Boys" season 4 on Prime Video — (Image credit: Prime Video)

Recruited as the “smartest person in the world,” Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) has executed a ruthless strategy to seize control of the U.S. government. She orchestrated a sophisticated coup, installing a puppet regime while manipulating public perception through Firecracker (Valorie Curry), who spread alt-right rhetoric and personal scandals to undermine the “Starlighter” movement.

Using false flag operations that framed Starlighters for murder, Sage ensured the arrest of President-elect Robert Singer (Jim Beaver) and paved the way for Steven Calhoun’s (David Andrews) succession. Once in power, President Calhoun declared martial law and pledged complete allegiance to Homelander (Antony Starr), effectively transforming the country into a Supe-driven military dictatorship.

But Sage’s plan doesn’t stop there. She has hinted that the initial takeover was only “Phase One,” teasing that Phase Two is already in motion.

3. Most of The Boys were captured by a new Supe task force

Tomer Capone as Frenchie, Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko, Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, Erin Moriarty as Annie January aka Starlight, and Jack Quaid as Hughie Campbell in "The Boys" season 5 on Prime Video — (Image credit: Prime Video)

Most members of The Boys have been captured by a new Supe task force, leaving the team fractured and on the run. Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso), and Frenchie (Tomer Capone) are imprisoned in “Freedom Camp 47,” a compound branded with the Nazi-style slogan, “Freedom Sets You Free.”

Kimiko Miyashiro (Karen Fukuhara) is physically restrained by Sam Riordan (Asa Germann) and may be held at Elmira Prison or also at Camp 47.

Annie January/Starlight (Erin Moriarty) is the only member to evade capture. She has successfully unlocked her ability to fly and now leads an underground resistance, rallying those still willing to fight against the Supe-controlled regime.

4. Soldier Boy is alive

Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy and Antony Starr as Homelander in "The Boys" season 5 on Prime Video — (Image credit: Prime Video)

The season 4 finale of “The Boys” ended with one of its biggest teasers yet: Homelander and newly sworn‑in President Steven Calhoun are shown a secret CIA bunker containing a cryogenic chamber holding Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), who was put into cryosleep at the end of season 3 and is very much still alive.

Soldier Boy’s return sets up a major narrative thread for season 5. As Homelander’s biological father and one of the few Supes whose power rivals his own, his awakening could have huge implications: Homelander might see him as an ally to solidify his regime, as emotional closure for long‑standing wounds, or even as a threat to be eliminated. How their relationship will unfold is one of the most anticipated elements heading into the show’s final chapters.

5. Homelander becomes a ‘wrathful god’

The Boys season 4 poster featuring Antony Starr as Homelander — (Image credit: Amazon Studios)

Homelander has fully abandoned corporate PR to embrace his role as a “wrathful god.” The Seven have been reshaped under his command. For example, The Deep (Chace Crawford) has become a brutal enforcer, responsible for the deaths of several Vought employees, while Black Noir II (Nathan Mitchell), a narcoleptic actor with flight and super-strength, has assumed the mantle of his predecessor.

Firecracker now acts as a media vanguard, though her health is deteriorating due to hormones used to cater to Homelander’s twisted maternal fixations. Meanwhile, A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) defected after leaking information to The Boys, and his current whereabouts remain unknown.

Homelander essentially wants to take over the world in season 5. He ordered the execution of Vought staff who held compromising information on The Seven, including news anchor Cameron Coleman (Matthew Edison). Fearing for her life, Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie) injected herself with Compound V, leaving her with a rippling, monstrous scalp.

"The Boys" season 5 premieres with two episodes on Prime Video on April 8, 2026. After that, new episodes arrive weekly on Wednesdays through to the series finale on May 20.

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Alix is a Senior Streaming Writer at Tom’s Guide, which basically means watching the best movies and TV shows and then writing about them. It’s a dream job for someone who’s been obsessed with storytelling since she first figured out how to work a remote.

Before joining Tom’s Guide, Alix honed her skills as a staff writer with outlets like Screen Rant and Bough Digital, where she discovered her love for the entertainment industry.

She heads to the cinema every week as a tradition, no matter what’s showing. For her, movies aren’t just entertainment — they’re a ritual, a comfort, and a constant source of inspiration. When she’s not at her desk or at the cinema, you’ll probably find her deep into a horror video game on her PC.

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