'The Boys' Season 5 Premiere Recap: Prime Video's Superhero Satire Says Goodbye to a Major Character

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Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) and Homelander (Antony Starr) in 'The Boys' Season 5.

Published Apr 8, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT

Nate Richard is a Resource Editor for Collider, a film and television critic, and a part-time amateur filmmaker. He graduated from Ball State University in December 2020 with a Bachelor's degree in Telecommunications.

Nate has been with Collider since August 2021 and became a Resource Editor in March 2022. With Collider, Nate has interviewed some of the biggest names in Hollywood including Robert De Niro, Michael Fassbender, Steven Yeun, and J.K. Simmons.

Nate has also covered several film festivals, both in-person and digitally, including the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the Heartland International Film Festival (HIFF), and South by Southwest (SXSW).

He's also an avid runner and is very proud of his dogs Hazel, Rex, and Turbo. He currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Editor's note: The below recap contains spoilers for The Boys Season 5, Episodes 1 and 2.The fifth and final season of Prime Video's bold and bloody superhero satire, The Boys, has finally kicked off with a two-episode premiere. It's been two years since we last saw most of these characters, and the Season 4 finale culminated in Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) getting tentacle powers from Compound V, using them to kill Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit). Stepping into the role of President is Speaker of the House Steven Calhoun (David Andrews), who has now sworn allegiance to Homelander (Antony Starr). Season 4 also ended with Hughie (Jack Quaid), Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso), Frenchie (Tomer Capone), and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) being detained, while Butcher and Annie, aka Starlight (Erin Moriarty), evade capture. A mid-credits scene revealed that Homelander has now obtained his father's, Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), frozen body. Season 5 has premiered with two episodes, "Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite" and "Teenage Kix," both of which come with shocking revelations that help tee up the long-awaited showdown between the Boys and Homelander.

Annie Leaks Homelander's Flight 37 Video in 'The Boys' Season 5 Premiere

Homelander holds his hand up to quiet a crowd, looking behind him in irritation.

"Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite" begins at the Vought International Annual Meeting of Shareholders, as Homelander speaks to his supporters during a presentation. Backstage, Annie, disguised as Firecracker (Valorie Curry), sneaks into a control room, where she is caught by Black Noir II (Nathan Mitchell). Annie quickly overpowers him, and the tech person uploads the video of Homelander on board the crash of Flight 37, leaving its passengers to die. The video plays at the conference, shocking the audience and causing Homelander to nearly snap, only for Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) to step in and calm him down.

A series of TikToks plays, including one by Sage that claims the Flight 37 video was made using deepfakes and AI. At a press assembly at the White House, Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie), now the "supe-abled" Vice President, tells reporters that the video is all part of a Starlighter Smear Campaign. When asked by Chris Hayes (playing himself) about Homelander's internment camps, dubbed "Freedom Camps," she denies their existence. At Vought Tower, Homelander berates Sage, telling her that posting memes mocking him should be a crime and that those who do so should be sent to the Freedom Camps. Sage warns Homelander that no matter how much power he amasses, he'll never be truly happy. The two concoct a plot they believe will finally draw Butcher and Annie out of hiding, involving "leaking" the public execution of Hughie, Mother's Milk, and Frenchie.

At one of Homelander's Freedom Camps, Frenchie, Mother's Milk, and Hughie are finding ways to hustle despite their imprisonment. Frenchie smuggles in drugs to fellow campers in exchange for food and money, with Hughie serving as his lookout for potential spies in their midst. Mother's Milk makes his money by fighting other prisoners in the camp and betting on himself. The three watch as one of the guards, Love Sausage (Derek Johns), beats a prisoner with his abnormally long penis. Meanwhile, Butcher arrives in England, where he confronts his father, Sam (John Noble), in his apartment. Upon noticing a trophy that his deceased brother won as a child, Butcher begins taunting his father before embracing him. He then proceeds to fatally stab Sam using his tentacles.

While on the set of Firecracker's show, Truth Bomb, Homelander notices the rapid heartbeats of the crew members, thinking that people are now afraid of him. During the broadcast, Firecracker furthers the claims that the Flight 37 video was made using AI, using a doctored version of the video depicting Homelander with seven fingers as evidence. The premiere also reveals that Kimiko has been hiding out in Manila, Philippines, having broken out of custody after violently attacking multiple Vought guards. Butcher pays her a visit, and she initially attacks him, but stops when he tells her that Homelander is going to execute Frenchie. At the Freedom Camp, Hughie talks with Ivy (Jessica B. Hill), a former FBSA employee whom he worked with under Neuman, and talks to her about how, despite everything that has happened to him over the past several years, he is still holding out hope for the future. As they talk, they witness the telepathic supe Cindy (Ess Hödlmoser) using her powers to execute a prisoner trying to escape.

At her hideout, Annie analyzes a manosphere podcast hosted by The Deep (Chace Crawford) and Black Noir II. She is interrupted by Butcher and Kimiko, with the latter finally speaking. Kimiko explains that therapy and "lots of TikTok" taught her how to speak over the course of the last year, after she was deported back to the Philippines. Annie tells Butcher that she knows Homelander is laying a trap by announcing the execution of Hughie, Mother's Milk, and Frenchie, but Butcher insists, saying it's now or never. She also calls out Butcher for only wanting to break Frenchie out so that he can work on perfecting the supe-killing virus.

At the Freedom Camp, Hughie, Mother's Milk, and Frenchie meet in their hiding spot, underneath a bathroom at the Freedom Camp, where they work on making Molotov cocktails. Hughie tells them about the upcoming execution, and they all agree to escape the camp before anything happens. Annie shows Butcher and Kimiko a map of the Freedom Camp and reveals that the only reason she hadn't saved Hughie, Mother's Milk, and Frenchie yet was that she felt they were safer there than constantly evading Homelander and his goons. Butcher tells Annie and Kimiko that he knows someone who will be able to help them sneak into the camp unnoticed.

A-Train Makes the Ultimate Sacrifice in 'The Boys' Season 5 Premiere

At Vought Tower, Homelander has killed two of the crew members who were working at the Vought International Annual Meeting of Shareholders. He calls in The Deep and Black Noir II, berating them for letting Annie get away. He then walks back to his bedroom, where he's been keeping Soldier Boy in his cryo-chamber. While being interviewed by Firecracker, we learn that Ashley is now married to the evangelical clergy supe, Oh Father (Daveed Diggs), a relationship set up by Sage for PR reasons. Sage pulls Ashley aside and tells her about Homelander's plan to detain all anti-Homelander meme-posters and Starlighters. Ashley stresses that they won't have enough camps, but will try her best, as she ultimately wants to become the President and needs Homelander's approval.

Butcher visits The Worm (Ely Henry), a dirt-eating supe who spends most of his days writing spec scripts of popular television shows like Reacher. Butcher tells Worm that he needs him to dig a tunnel for him, but doesn't elaborate on the details, only telling him that it'll be a way of sticking it to Vought. Annie and Kimiko contact Reggie (Jessie T. Usher), the supe formerly known as A-Train, and admit that they need him to help rescue Hughie, Frenchie, and Mother's Milk from the Freedom Camp. After briefly discussing God U student Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), Reggie tells Annie that helping them will put his family in danger. He's not scared, but he needs to protect his brother and nephew. Annie doesn't push back, telling Reggie that she had to place her mother in hiding as well, and she understands his sentiment. While working on Molotov cocktails with Mother's Milk and Frenchie in their hiding spot, Hughie retreats to the bunks to get more materials, only to find Homelander waiting for him, having killed other prisoners who were standing in his way.

Reggie returns to his family in Brittany, France, where they've been hiding for the past year. Upon noticing movement in the water, Reggie tells his brother and nephew to hide. The Deep arrives and attempts to interrogate and taunt him, but Reggie snaps back, mocking the aquatic supe for being in denial of his fear of Homelander. As Reggie leaves, The Deep threatens his family. Butcher, Annie, Kimiko, and Worm arrive on the outskirts of the camp, where Butcher tells Annie that she shouldn't feel guilty for not saving Hughie earlier. Seeing what Butcher needed him for, Worm tries to refuse to help them further, but Annie threatens him, causing him to submit.

Worm removes his pants, revealing he has no genitals, and begins sucking up dirt quickly, digging a hole for the crew to crawl through. Having accomplished what Butcher needed from him, Worm leaves as the others make their way into the camp. Upon their arrival, they find that Homelander has already gotten to Hughie, Mother's Milk, and Frenchie first, with them tied up and gagged. Kimiko yells at Homelander to "suck my fat dick," and in response, he lasers her in half. Because of her powers, she obviously survives. Homelander taunts Butcher, revealing that he knows about his powers. He tells him, "You're the only one who has challenged me. There's a part of me that will be sad to see you go."

Annie uses her powers to create a distraction outside, allowing Hughie, Mother's Milk, Frenchie, and Kimiko to escape. Frenchie and Kimiko get to a hiding spot and passionately make out as Butcher fights Cindy, and Mother's Milk takes on Love Sausage. Annie swoops in and carries Frenchie and Kimiko to safety, planning to go back for more. While Mother's Milk is successfully able to strangle Love Sausage to death with his own penis, Butcher is stopped short of finishing off Cindy by Homelander. Hughie tries to calm down Ivy, only for her to be lethally executed by Homelander. Homelander then grabs Hughie by the throat and calls out for Butcher.

Suddenly, having had a change of heart, Reggie runs in and uses his super-speed to rescue Butcher, Hughie, and Mother's Milk. Annie finally returns, with Hughie berating her for leaving them. Now being pursued by Homelander, Reggie runs away at super-speed and has a moment where he nearly runs through a woman walking down the street, but quickly dodges her. A moment of redemption, considering the fact that this is what happened at the beginning of the very first episode of the series, in an accident involving Hughie's girlfriend, Robin. Reggie trips while running through the woods, causing Homelander to catch up to him and put him in a chokehold. Bloodied, Reggie laughs at Homelander, telling him, "What was I so afraid of? You're fucking nothing but an empty suit. You're a weak, sniveling loser." Angered, Homelander snaps Reggie's neck, killing him, and the episode cuts to credits.

Soldier Boy Wakes Up in 'The Boys' Season 5 Premiere

Soldier Boy looks up at something off-screen in The Boys Season 5.

"Teenage Kix" begins with the Vought-sponsored funeral for Reggie, complete with a gospel choir and a sermon by Oh Father, who frames Starlight for the murder. Oh Father uses his sonic scream to move the audience, something that Homelander takes notice of. The Boys have now claimed a new base of operations in an abandoned school in Erie, Pennsylvania. Dr. Sameer Shah (Omid Abtahi) is being held at the base, with Butcher having forced him to create a new version of the virus. The plan is to test out the virus by injecting it into the body of Teenage Kix member, Rock Hard (Andrew Iles). Hughie and Frenchie have separate conversations with Annie and Kimiko about how they want to protect them from the supe-killing virus. With Hughie telling Annie, "We can figure this out," while Frenchie tells Kimiko, "I won't let anything take me away from you again." After Reggie's funeral, Homelander manically talks to himself about how Reggie left him no choice and that no one truly understands him. Out of desperation, he awakens Soldier Boy from his cryo-chamber.

The Boys wait outside the Kix Crib, Teenage Kix's home base. Hughie notices that Rock Hard has not posted on his Instagram in over a year, but Frenchie notices in other recent Instagram Reels that Rock Hard's teammate, Countess Crow (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), is seen in the background bringing protein shakes down to the basement, presumably for Rock Hard. Hughie cuts off the internet in the Kix Crib, and the team embarks down to the basement, where they find a severely overweight Rock Hard, who can now only talk through the use of a computer. Now fully reawakened, Soldier Boy is greeted by Homelander, who promises to forgive him for previously working alongside the Boys (during the events of Season 3) if he finds Butcher and reports back to him. He additionally offers him the position of #2 in the Seven before handing him his shield. Back in the Kix Crib, the Boys realize that they won't be able to move Rock Hard to another location to inject him with the virus. To make matters even more complicated, he overhears them talking about the virus and begins holding his breath. Butcher leaves the Boys to figure out how to deal with Rock Hard, asking Kimiko to come with him. However, Hughie demands to go instead, as he doesn't trust him, and Kimiko is more interested in making out with Frenchie.

Sage shows off her plan to triple Homelander's Freedom Camps to President Calhoun, Ashley, Deep, and Firecracker. When the camera gets closer to Ashley, we hear what we think is her inner monologue, telling her to call out the insanity of Sage's plan. Ashley then tells Sage that this plan could backfire easily, as this new plan will not only increase taxes but also turn away Vought's customers. As Calhoun asks for immunity, Homelander enters the room with Soldier Boy, asking Calhoun to give him a full pardon. The Deep senses that Homelander is trying to replace him with Soldier Boy. Frenchie and Annie stick with Rock Hard, who begins ejaculating lava, as Mother's Milk sneaks through the house and is caught by Countess Crow. Annie sees a news report about more raids and begins feeling guilty for not being there for her followers and not saving them from being killed. Frenchie realizes that Annie doesn't want to receive a cure from the virus, and she confirms this, saying, "If I follow them, it's the only thing that makes sense." Frenchie tries to talk sense into her, but as he does, Mother's Milk walks in with Countess Crow. Annie says that she needs to be killed alongside Rock Hard.

Ashley's Powers are Revealed in 'The Boys' Season 5 Premiere

Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett in The Boys Season 5.

As Butcher, Hughie, and Kimiko make their way back to their base, they pass by two other Teenage Kix members, Sheline (Emma Elle Paterson) and Jetstreak (Dylan Colton), filming a video where they arrest a single mother in front of her son. Hughie and Kimiko try to convince Butcher to allow them to step in and save her, but he rejects them, saying they'll blow their cover. Sage meets with Homelander, questioning whether waking up Soldier Boy was a surprise and why he hasn't told him about the virus. Homelander suggests that it'd be better for Soldier Boy to catch the virus than anything of them, to which Sage comments, "He's tactical." Butcher, Hughie, and Kimiko arrive back at their base to take a vial of the virus from Sameer, who warns them that it's incredibly fragile, and if it breaks, it could also kill regular humans.

As Frenchie and Annie try to cut through Rock Hard, Mother's Milk talks with Countess Crow. While he initially tries to interrogate her, he realizes that she has been taking several prescriptions of antidepressants. He attempts to reason with her, telling her that she shouldn't be grinding herself so hard to work with people who truly do not care for her. Hughie, Butcher, and Kimiko make their way back to the Kix Crib, and Soldier Boy attacks them, with the virus vial nearly shattering, but Hughie is able to catch it. Hughie and Kimiko make their escape and call Frenchie, Annie, and Mother's Milk, warning them that they've been caught. Butcher confronts Soldier Boy, with the latter accusing him of selling him out. Butcher tells Soldier Boy about the virus, and the two fight. Sheline and Jetstreak notice the two, and Soldier Boy orders them to go after Hughie and Kimiko.

Mother's Milk tells Annie and Frenchie that they need to leave, but as they leave, he begins to have second thoughts about leaving Countess Crow behind to die. As Kimiko fights Sheline, Jetstreak grabs Hughie and flies up high with him, dropping him from the sky. Annie flies in and saves Hughie. Hughie makes his way back to the basement, with Soldier Boy and Jetstreak following him. Soldier Boy grabs the vial from Hughie, but is startled to see that Jetstreak and Rock Hard have already been infected. He turns around to see that Frenchie, wearing a gas mask, has already unleashed the virus in the basement. Jetstreak and Rock Hard vomit black fluid and die, while Soldier Boy convulses, and Hughie and Mother's Milk make their escape, quarantining the Kix Crib. As The Boys get ready to leave, it is revealed that Mother's Milk let Countess Crow escape, and she silently thanks him from a distance.

After stressing to Sage her concerns about arresting memeposters, Ashley's inner monologue tells her that they need to talk. She gets into her car and takes off her wig, where it's revealed that the Compound V she took in the Season 4 finale gave her a psychic tumor on the back of her head, named Other Ashley. Other Ashley attempts to convince Ashley to defy Homelander, but she refuses. Sameer tells the Boys that humans are immune to the virus, and Frenchie privately tells Kimiko that they should run away and go someplace remote. Kimiko turns him down, saying that they need to stay, "for the lives we've taken. I think we have to." Hughie tells Annie that he's not going to let her die and is going to continue to fight, saying, "Just don't turn into fucking Butcher." Homelander arrives at the Kix Crib, panicking about Soldier Boy's supposed death. The Deep tries to lighten him up, but Homelander tells him, "It should have been you," ordering him to leave. The episode ends with Homelander walking away from Soldier Boy's corpse in a body bag, not noticing him get up, somehow still alive.

The first hour of The Boys Season 5 premiere is definitely the stronger of the two episodes, with the death of Reggie/A-Train signaling that any of the characters can go at any moment this season. While it is sad to see him go so early in the season, his arc feels complete, and he's finally come full circle in his rejection of Vought and Homelander. The second hour has a similar formula to past episodes: Butcher and the gang form a plan to confront other corrupt supes, and blood and gross-out gags ensue. It's an entertaining hour, and certainly lighter than the grim premiere, but it's not something we haven't seen from the show before. There's a lot of setup, and it's not without the "shock" moments The Boys is known for, but both episodes are mostly focused on the plot rather than making you squirm every 10 minutes. We're off to a bloody good start.