The Boys Season 5, Episode 5 continues to uphold the current power ranking, with its big character death and introduction of Jared Padalecki’s Mister Marathon doing little do move the needle on that front. SPOILERS ahead for The Boys Season 5, Episode 5. The aptly titled “One-Shots” gives certain characters greater depth and even sees a new feud forming (the one between Black Noir 2 and The Deep). Yet it doesn’t kill any of the show’s most powerful players, nor does it give them any significant power-ups.
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And with V1 supe Bombsight still eluding Homelander, and Stormfront still allegedly dead, The Boys‘ power scale looks a lot like it did in Season 5, Episode 4. Of the most prominent characters, there are a few who still seem the most likely to kill Homelander — and The Seven’s leader continues to surpass them when it comes to sheer strength. His place at the top of this ranking is fairly cemented already, which highlights how dangerous he’d be with V1 in his bloodstream.
5) Billy Butcher
With Bombsight not yet in the picture, and the rest of the supes on The Boys not having any significant power-ups, Billy Butcher remains in the top five after this week’s episode. Although Butcher doesn’t have anything making him special — whereas every other character on this list is a Project Odessa survivor, natural-born supe, or Homelander — he goes toe to toe with the best of them. And while it’s unlikely Butcher could beat Ryan, Soldier Boy, or Homelander in a fair 1:1 fight, he’s certainly bold enough to try. He’s become adept at keeping himself alive when countering the supes on The Seven, and I’d argue he’s just as strong as a few of them. His tentacles, strength, and speed all give him an edge physically, and his ruthless nature makes him a daunting opponent too (though we see he’s got some humanity left in Episode 5).
4) Marie Moreau
Marie Moreau has yet to appear in The Boys Season 5, so we’re keeping her at number four for now — though a demonstration of her power against the likes of Ryan, Soldier Boy, or Homelander is needed before the Prime Video series is through. The Boys has been good about keeping Gen V‘s characters from overshadowing Season 5’s narrative, but Marie is set up as the only other supe to survive Project Odessa, and thus, one of the few characters with the potential to reach Homelander’s heights. We’ve yet to see that manifest as pure muscle, but her blood-manipulation skills are enough to make her an intimidating foe. They get a serious power-up at the end of Gen V Season 2, but it’s unclear if she’s experienced enough to make a difference against The Boys‘ strongest players. I’d wager she could put Butcher in his place, but how she’d hold up against the rest is hard to predict.
3) Ryan Butcher
We don’t see much of Ryan after his loss to Homelander in The Boys Season 5, Episode 3, though we can probably assume the boy is still licking his wounds. Ryan continues to be a wild card in the final season, as he’s no longer aligned with his father — but he also has little reason to help Butcher, especially after their conversation in Episode 4. And Ryan showcases that he has a better grasp on his power in Season 5, along with a more merciless approach to getting things done. Judging by his fight with Homelander, it wouldn’t be enough to take out Antony Starr’s supe or even Soldier Boy. But the fact that he makes Homelander bleed and survives his wrath places Ryan in the middle of this list. It’s more than we’ve seen Marie do, though the two could swap places in the coming chapters.
2) Soldier Boy
Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy continues to be the supe closest to Homelander in terms of power in The Boys Season 5 — but his newfound protectiveness of his son makes him unlikely to take advantage of that. And even pitting the two characters against one another, it’s not clear Soldier Boy would come out on top. His ability to survive the supe virus, and his more laidback nature, give him strengths that Homelander doesn’t have. Defense-wise, he’s better off against The Boys team, and he’s also more equipped to sway people. Yet he lacks the heat vision that allows Homelander to instantly kill and destroy, he can’t fly, and he seems slightly slower (at least if his fight with Mister Marathon is anything to go by). In terms of strength, they’re close to even. And the question of whether Soldier Boy can take away Homelander’s power with his radiation blast remains unanswered, but it could tip the odds in Soldier Boy’s favor.
1) Homelander
Homelander continues to reign supreme in The Boys Season 5, and he’d be a pretty underwhelming villain if that wasn’t the case. There’s a reason Homelander continues to thrive and gain power throughout the Prime Video series, and it’s because no single supe has the raw strength and opportunity to defeat him. Season 5 introduces a few unexpected weaknesses, but even those would rely on luck and multiple characters to do any real damage. Homelander’s speed, strength, heat vision, and flight make him nearly untouchable, and his political sway gives him influence to boot. Even without V1, he’s The Boys‘ strongest character. With it, there’s little hope of his downfall happening.
Where would you place The Boys‘ strongest supes after Season 5, Episode 5? Leave a comment and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
