Homelander actor Antony Starr has addressed concern that The Boys may join the growing list of controversial TV show endings by insisting it won't conclude like a recent series finale that failed to kill anyone.
In an interview with Wired, Starr said that he truly believes it’s impossible to satisfy all fans of a show as The Boys nears the end with its fifth and final season wrapping up soon. But he did promise plenty of character deaths, and in doing so pointed to the recent conclusion of Netflix megahit Stranger Things.
Warning! Spoilers for Stranger Things follow:
Stranger Things came to an end earlier this year with a divisive series finale in which none of the main characters died. At least, that’s the suggestion. Stranger Things ends with a definitive wave goodbye to all the central characters except Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, who appears to sacrifice herself to ensure she cannot be used to create super weapons, another Vecna / Henry, or another bridge between our world and The Abyss. But the jury’s out on whether Eleven in fact faked her own death so she could live in peace.
Before the Stranger Things finale came out, co-creator Matt Duffer insisted it shouldn’t be compared to Game of Thrones and wouldn’t kill off characters in a bloodbath.
“It’s not Game of Thrones. We’re not in Westeros,” he said. “I love Game of Thrones, but it’s just a very different type of show than that. There’s not going to be a Red Wedding situation. I think some things happen in the finale that are very surprising, but we’re not trying to shock or upset anyone. I hope by the time people get to the end of the finale that it just feels like there’s something inevitable about what happens, and that it doesn’t feel painful but feels satisfying.”
Without naming Stranger Things, Starr talked about what The Boys is trying to do as it wraps up.
“Has any show ever provided an ending that satisfies everyone? I don't know that you can, because everyone's different and everyone wants different things,” he began.
“But something just finished — I won't say what — and nobody died. I was scratching my head at the end going, ‘There's nowhere else to go. This is the end of the run. Kill some people.’
“As our boss Eric [Kripke, The Boys showrunner] has said, don't get attached to any characters on this show because everyone's head is potentially on the block.”
Warning! Spoilers for The Boys Season 5 follow:
The Boys has already killed two major characters in Season 5 so far, both at the hands of Homelander himself: A-Train and, most recently, Firecracker. The suggestion is plenty more will follow with just a few episodes left of the series. Will Homelander himself finally bite the dust? Butcher? Hughie? More?
While you wait to find out, check out what Kripke had to say about the real world inspiration behind Firecracker’s fate, and his reaction to the cancelation of spinoff, Gen V. The Boys Season 5, Episode 6 hits Prime Video next week.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
