I’m Convinced Butcher Already Created Homelander’s Replacement in The Boys Season 5

I’m convinced that Butcher already created Homelander’s replacement in The Boys Season 5, and it would allow the franchise to continue beyond the main show. SPOILERS ahead for The Boys Season 5, Episodes 1-7. The Boys is quickly approaching its end, with just one episode left for its heroes to defeat Homelander and restore some semblance of normalcy to their world. Of course, that doesn’t mean the threat posed by supes will be gone. And if Stan Edgar is to be believed, something else is likely to take Homelander’s place and continue the cycle of violence and greed.

Given The Boys finale’s regular runtime, it’ll be hard for the ending to cover everything it should. It will reveal the fates of major players like Homelander, Butcher, Hughie, and Starlight, but it can’t properly deal with the aftermath of Homelander’s reign or give supporting characters thorough send-offs. Following the spinoff’s cancellation, Gen V‘s characters are unlikely to get satisfying conclusions, and even supporting players from the main show aren’t poised to get much attention. With Soldier Boy likely surviving, Eric Kripke teasing the return of Gen V’s characters elsewhere (via EW), and Stan Edgar’s promise, I think The Boys may be setting the stage for a sequel (or multiple). And the show already has the perfect Homelander replacement — ironically, thanks to Butcher’s obsession with defeating Antony Starr’s supe at all costs.

Ryan Could Become Homelander’s Replacement After The Boys Season 5

Despite his importance to both Homelander’s and Butcher’s stories, Ryan doesn’t get a ton of screen time in The Boys Season 5. It’s bizarre, especially since he’s a supe with the potential to reach Homelander’s level with time — and the only natural-born one in the show’s universe. Even if he does make an appearance in The Boys‘ final episode, it’s hard to see how it would properly honor that setup. After his showdown with Homelander in The Boys Season 5, Episode 3, Ryan isn’t the key to defeating his father, at least not on his own. At this rate, I’m struggling to picture where he fits into the show’s ending at all…unless The Boys has plans for him after its last hurrah.

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The Boys Season 5 May Not Give Us the Death We’ve Been Waiting For (But Its Alternative Is Better)

With everything Ryan experiences after The Boys Season 4’s finale, it’s doubtful he still has any loyalty to Homelander. Yet Butcher’s treatment of the boy doesn’t give him much incentive to join The Boys’ side of the fight either. With Ryan accepting that neither team cares about him, he may not enter the final confrontation at all. This leaves him perfectly positioned when the dust settles, as Vought and Stan Edgar are likely to carry on — and see him as a more palatable, easily controlled version of his father.

Butcher Set Ryan on a Darker Path (& It Makes His Own Story More Tragic)

If Ryan becomes the new Homelander, it’ll make Butcher’s story even more tragic. There’s a lot of talk about Butcher being nearly villainous as Homelander, as he’s willing to sacrifice almost anything and anyone to get his revenge. Karl Urban’s iteration isn’t quite as bad as his comic counterpart, but that remains a running theme of his character arc. He’s messed up with Ryan on multiple occasions, and it’s usually because he’s more focused on hurting Homelander than helping a boy that looks up to and loves him. That may backfire, with his rejection turning Ryan into the very thing he’s so bent on eliminating.

I’m doubtful Ryan will ever be quite as terrible as Homelander, but Butcher may uphold the cycle of violence by overlooking his own role in it. Choosing hate over love will allow the former to flourish. Doing so sends Ryan straight to Stan Edgar and Zoe, and if he trusts them, that makes it even more likely he’ll become Vought’s next puppet. There are multiple places throughout The Boys where Butcher could’ve made a different choice and set Ryan on a different path. But with Season 5 no closer to giving him a real purpose, hinting that Vought may outlive Homelander, and showing a more ruthless side of Ryan, I’m beginning to think he’ll become the franchise’s next villain. If he does, it puts a much darker spin on Butcher’s story and legacy.

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