The Boys creator and showrunner Eric Kripke has revealed that some Amazon bosses questioned the decision for the Prime Video superhero series to stop at five seasons – so he left them with no choice thanks to the explosive ending of the fourth season.
"I kept saying to Amazon, ‘This is going to be five’," Kripke told SFX Magazine. "They let me finish season four, and it ends with the world exploding, right? There’s really nowhere else to go except the finale. Some of the senior executives were like, ‘Wait, do you really want to end it with season five?’ I’m like, ‘I wasn’t joking. And respectfully, you have no choice.’"
Kripke noted, "I mean, you cannot go back to the status quo after Homelander takes over the United States. So they’re letting me end it on our terms."
As a refresher, The Boys season 4 ending saw the President framed for Neuman's murder. With martial law in effect, Homelander is deputized into a position of power in the White House, making Vought's Supes judge, jury, and executioner.
To that end, several members of The Boys are captured, though Annie/Starlight manages to escape. The post-credits scene threw another superpowered spanner in the works with the reveal that Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy is still alive, his body kept in cryogenic storage.
Starlight actor Erin Moriarty has recently predicted that reactions to the finale could be "mixed" – at least in terms of it not being a fist-pumping farewell.
"I think it's going to be mixed. You think with The Boys it would just be like, 'Holy fuck,' but I think it's going to be emotional," Mortiarty told Collider.
Moriarty added, "There's going to be a lot of shock, there’s going to be a lot of laughter, there's humor. There's everything that you would imagine, but the emotional gravity of it kind of caught me by surprise."
The Boys season 5 debuts on Prime Video on April 8.
For more, check out our picks for the best shows on Prime Video.
