The Boys Is Over, But The Final Episode Promises A Sequel

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Boys season 5 finale, "Blood and Bone."

After seven years of gripping drama, hilarious comedy, and non-stop bloodshed, The Boys has finally come to an end, and it had a fitting conclusion. Despite the reviews being divisive, it felt like the series got its biggest calls right in the end, leading to most characters getting exactly the sort of fate they deserved.

However, despite The Boys' ending providing a definitive crescendo for its main heroes and killing off its most evil villains, "Blood and Bone" still left the door open for a sequel, which looks inevitable. Characters like Hughie and Starlight will likely ride off into the sunset, with showrunner Eric Kripke almost guaranteeing they won't be back in future projects.

Meanwhile, it's unlikely we'll see much of MM or Kimiko either, other than maybe some short cameos. Nevertheless, The Boys still has plenty of figures from the main show who are still alive and could carry a potential sequel, especially since Vought International remains in operation following the final outing.

In addition, some of these The Boys characters didn't get satisfying endings, most notably Soldier Boy. The antagonist was essentially written out in the penultimate episode by being put back in his cryo chamber, a decision that his Vought Rising prequel looks bound to explain.

Still, assuming the franchise remains popular through its next few projects, it's hard to picture The Boys ignoring Soldier Boy and Vought's survival. Therefore, a sequel to the main show is very much on the cards, for better or for worse.

Soldier Boy Being On Ice Hints He'll Return After The Boys

For how involved Soldier Boy was in The Boys' final season and the show as a whole, having Homelander choke him out, put him back on ice, and then be forgotten about seems way too suspicious to be his actual ending. Each character got a very particular send-off, be it a main protagonist like Butcher or a secondary villain like Ashley.

Even if some fates didn't go the way audiences wanted them to, there's no doubt the writers planned these conclusions carefully. Therefore, the idea of Soldier Boy's final moments being so disappointing only makes sense if he returns in a future project, excluding Vought Rising.

The Boys heavily set up Vought Rising during its final season, hence why Soldier Boy got such a big spotlight. He was just as central to the plot as Homelander at times, and while this upcoming prequel looks set to answer some questions about his history and relationship with Stormfront, it will be set in the 1950s.

This makes it unlikely to jump to the present, so even if the spinoff ends with him being put on ice — a mirror to his season 5 fate — it still won't really justify the way he was written out of the main show, since he is far too important to the franchise overall.

If they wanted to end his story by putting the villain back to cryo sleep, there was no reason to undo his season 3 ending. As a result, he must still have unfinished business in The Boys, and his supposed last scene makes it feel inevitable that he'll be back following the events of season 5.

Soldier Boy's Hints About Stormfront Being Alive Mean She Could Return Too

The constant Stormfront references certainly got tiring for some throughout The Boys season 5, but it may have been about more than setting up Vought Rising. While establishing the history between Stormfront and Soldier Boy is crucial for understanding their relationship in the spinoff, the franchise may also be quietly preparing for her official return.

Both characters will feature heavily in Vought Rising, but we don't know how long this spinoff will last, meaning it's possible it could consist of just eight episodes. This would make Soldier Boy constantly prodding for information about his former lover feel like overkill if there wasn't another angle at play.

Instead, Stormfront may be alive and potentially The Boys' next main villain if season 5 is anything to go by. The series originally hinted that she took her own life off-camera, something the final season reiterated, but we've only heard about this via Vought and Homelander, who aren't the most reliable sources.

In actuality, there may have been secret experiments going on designed to heal Stormfront from her near-fatal injuries. Having such a sinister villain return would be massive, and assuming she showed up alongside Soldier Boy, it would give the franchise a Homelander-level threat once again.

Knowing Kimiko likely won't be back would also make defeating this duo extremely difficult. Given Stormfront's extreme views that she has retained over the better part of a century, it's safe to presume she'll likely be as evil as ever, meaning Soldier Boy's suspicion about her death could change everything.

After Homelander's Downfall, Vought Supes Are Loose And Unaccounted For

Homelander may be gone, but he was far from Vought's only corrupt supe, and there are plenty still roaming around unaccounted for. While the Seven all had GPS trackers implanted to keep tabs on them, it seems unlikely this applies to all of Vought's supes, meaning there are plenty more villains out there potentially causing trouble.

Sure, all the main ones were taken down, but it's impossible to know how many more may have gone rogue once Homelander was killed. Even if Stan Edgar managed to entice a large number to stay, who knows what sort of mischief the loose villains could be up to, which warrants some kind of continuation.

Homelander's satisfying death in The Boys' finale may have felt like the show's biggest threat was removed, but Vought has always been the true enemy deep down, as they helped create Homelander, Soldier Boy, and all these other corrupt supes. Therefore, it's not hard to see how the story may continue.

Even without The Boys opposing this corporation, seeing how Vought responds to its missing supes and the company's attempt to rebuild would be fascinating. Likewise, having some of Gen V's heroes either oppose Stan's new version of Vought or join the organization to try and make it better suggests there is plenty to unpack, especially if Soldier Boy and Stormfront return.

Butcher Is Right About A "New Homelander," Especially With Stan Edgar Back

Billy Butcher's final arc saw him threatening to release the supe virus after killing Homelander, as he believed someone similar was bound to come along eventually. While this ultimately cost him his life, Butcher wasn't wrong about his fear, especially now that Stan Edgar is back in charge of Vought.

It was his version of the company that allowed Homelander to become so powerful in the first place, and despite Stan keeping him in check, it was only a matter of time before a supe that strong went rogue. Now, this process looks bound to repeat itself, and the fact that Soldier Boy had a similar trajectory before Homelander proves that.

Both were presented as the most powerful supe's on Earth, leading to them becoming more and more immoral. Even though Vought should realistically learn from its past mistakes and be held accountable, Stan Edgar's speech early in The Boys season 5 indicates that he will continue to use supes as a product, all in the name of profit.

As a result, this PR-heavy, corporate machine looks like it will follow the exact same process it always does, meaning it's only a matter of time before the next Homelander comes around. When this day comes, a new The Boys show will likely cover it, suggesting there will always be another story to tell so long as Vought exists.