The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke explains how the season 4 ending sets up season 5, which is confirmed to be the final season of the popular Prime Video series.

The season 4 finale saw Homelander gaining full control of the United States of America, while the Boys are in a worse position than ever before. This was the worst-case scenario that the vigilante team desperately tried and now failed to prevent from happening, with Homelander as president in all but name, and hundreds of supes legally deputized to carry out martial law.

While speaking with LADbible, Kripke discussed why he wanted season 4 to end this way, and teased what it means for the series’ final episodes. He shared insight into the gradual buildup to this pivotal turning point in the overarching story and how Homelander and the various members of the Boys will move forward now that the status quo has been significantly changed. Check out his explanation below:

You know, I think the finale of season four really shows you that we’ve been planning five years all along, because there’s no way a show goes one more season after the events of that finale. As far as we’re concerned, it’s our show’s version of the apocalypse.

Homelander gets everything he has wanted from the beginning, which is to completely remake the United States in his image, and according to his whims.

The boys are at their lowest point, most of them are captured, and we worry for their future. I always look at it as of the five seasons, we’re kind of at that point, that’s sort of the end of the second act of a movie where everyone’s really at their low point, and they’ve all faced their own personal demons. Now, they need to really come together in the fifth season and save the world.

What The Boys’ “Version Of The Apocalypse” Means For Season 5

Unprecedented Bloodshed Will Be Unleashed While Only One Hope Remains

“The Boys and anyone who threatens Homelander can now be 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed without consequences, which could lead to The Boys season 5 featuring more violence and destruction than ever before.”

The only way to undo The Boys‘ version of the apocalypse is to stop Homelander for good. If Homelander is destroyed, the hundreds of deputized supes will be leaderless, and Homelander will no longer be able to control the United States government by using President Calhoun as his puppet. As long as Homelander lives, he can now fully impose his will on others through his unparalleled superpowers and now through his own personal army and the legal system at his disposal.

Ryan, the sole superhero with his biological father’s powers, holds the most potential to stop Homelander. Homelander achieved his desired influence and prestige at the end of season 4 of The Boys. However, Ryan remains unsatisfactory. Ryan has lost control at times, and there are flashes of his darker side, but he is not the monster that his father is, giving him humanity in addition to his powers, which may allow him to overcome Homelander.

Ryan is not yet prepared to take on this duty, as evidenced by Grace Mallory confronting him with the idea. The Boys, and hopefully former members of the Seven, Maeve and A-Train, will have to hold firm and pave the path for Ryan until he is ready to save the planet. The Boys and any threat to Homelander can now be 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed without penalties, potentially leading to increased violence and destruction in season 5.