The Boys Creator Teases “Lots of Deaths” in Season 5, and No Guarantee Your Favorite Will Survive

The Boys showrunner Erik Kripke is warning fans to stay on their toes as the series heads into its fifth and final season. In an interview with Deadline this weekend, Kripke said that “there will probably be lots of deaths” in the upcoming episodes, and “there’s no guarantee of who’s gonna survive.” It’s a frightening warning for any series, though not too surprising for this brutal deconstruction of the superhero genre. The Boys is an adaptation of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic book series by the same name, but the show has taken some major deviations from the source material. That means even comic book readers can’t predict where this story is headed, and that seems to be just how Kripke wants it.

Kripke has long said that his plan for The Boys would go on for just five seasons, and in a way, it has already exceeded that, since it has spawned multiple spinoffs. While some fans and even cast members are disappointed that the main series is ending, they also acknowledged that this is a chance for Kripke and the writers to go all out and truly shock the audience again. In the same group interview, Nathan Mitchell warned that “there are some things that are coming in Season 5 that you’re not going to have in your bingo card.”

Meanwhile, Colby Minifie addressed the decision to end the series, saying, “Sometimes things go on too long and then it starts to run away from you and you don’t get to tell the story you want to tell. When the announcement came out, Kripke said we get to end it on our terms, which I think is a really beautiful thing. The best stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Knowing the end is in five, we were able to tell the middle really well.”

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The prospect of more character deaths in this upcoming season clearly has fans feeling nervous, especially knowing that Kripke doesn’t need to keep anyone alive for later storylines. The Boys started off with a spattering of blood, and it has seen more than its fair share of gore and tragedy since then. For some, it’s simply too brutal to watch, even if the story at hand is poignant or significant. However, the ratings show that many people have kept up for this long, meaning that many people will be tuning in for whatever this final season brings.

The Boys Season 5 is filming now, and is expected to continue throughout this summer. The season is expected to premiere sometime in 2026, but so far no release date has been set. In the meantime, The Boys Seasons 1 through 4 are streaming now on Prime Video, along with the spinoff series. The original comics are available in both print and digital formats.