The Boys Season 5 Must Avoid 1 Common Franchise Mistake To Ensure A Good Ending

Summary The Boys season 5 must focus solely on its own story, avoiding setup for future shows to ensure a focused, satisfying conclusion.

The final episodes should stand on their own without relying on connections to upcoming spinoffs for impact, or making the story feel like it didn't get fully resolved, as other franchises have done.

The storytelling needs to be tight to give characters fitting endings and not cheapen the series with unresolved plot threads.

The Boys season 5 is going to be the final batch of episodes in the main show, but it needs to avoid a common franchise mistake to ensure a good ending. The Boys season 4 ended with the titular group in the worst position they've ever been in. With Butcher killing Victoria Neuman now painting a target on their backs, everyone except their former leader and Starlight were captured by Vought in the last minutes of the finale. This sets the stage for The Boys season 5, which showrunner Eric Kripke previously confirmed will be the superhero show's last.

Since The Boys cast are mostly captured by Vought, their inevitable escape and subsequent battle with Homelander will be the largest conflict in the series so far. This also means the story will need all the time it can take to deliver a fitting sendoff to the characters who began the slowly-expanding franchise. But, with the final batch of episodes also comes the risk of an unsatisfying conclusion. In particular, the upcoming episodes need to avoid one common franchise mistake to ensure the final season sticks the landing.

Related The Boys: Every Upcoming Spinoff Explained The Boys is about to expand its lore and worldbuilding with many exciting upcoming spin-offs that'll unfold in myriad timelines and diverse settings.

The Boys Season 5's Ending Must Avoid Focusing On Setup For Future Shows

The Final Episodes Should Stand On Their Own

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Because of how successful The Boys has been, the franchise has started to expand on Prime Video, with multiple shows now in the works. At present, season 2 of Gen V, a spinoff following young Supes, is currently filming, while The Boys: Mexico is in development. In addition to these shows is the upcoming Vought Rising, a prequel announced at San Diego Comic-Con following Soldier Boy and Stormfront in the 1950s. While the franchise's growth is a strong sign of its success, it's also a worrying development for the flagship series' final episodes.

If The Boys season 5 doesn't focus solely on its own story, it runs the risk of making audiences feel like they need to continue watching after the end, making the grand finale less satisfying.

If The Boys is to end on a positive note, then it needs to avoid setting up future shows and focus only on its current storyline. While connections to Gen V in season 4 were interesting, important elements like the Supe virus, Sam, and Cate don't resonate as much without having watched the spinoff. While this connective tissue helped broaden the world in the latest episodes, it shouldn't be relied upon for the final season. Otherwise, the show will risk alienating viewers who haven't seen Gen V, or who don't plan on watching any of the future shows.

Many Other Franchises Have Made This Mistake

Lacking Conclusions Make For Unsatisfying Finales

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If The Boys season 5 doesn't focus solely on its own story, it runs the risk of making audiences feel like they need to continue watching after the end, making the grand finale less satisfying. To some extent, this has happened with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with some threads from Avengers: Endgame not being completely resolved to lead into the next batch of projects. However, a more comparable example would be The Walking Dead series finale, which focused on setting up three spinoff shows without delivering a complete conclusion for its major characters.

Since Vought Rising is a prequel and The Boys: Mexico will seemingly focus on a new cast, The Boys should be able to easily wrap up the stories of its existing characters. However, bringing elements in from other spinoffs, especially ones that don't exist yet, could make the ending feel less definitive than it should be. Without offering a stopping point at the end of season 5, the series wouldn't be providing a satisfying finale, making the end of the series feel cheapened, knowing plot threads will still be continued in later shows.

Why I'm Hopeful The Boys Season 5 Will Get Its Ending Right

The Storytelling Needs To Be Tight To Finish The Show

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While The Boys season 4's strong connections to Gen V are a worrying sign that season 5 could rely on the spinoff too much, it's more likely the final episodes will tighten focus on the main storyline. With Homelander having so much power in the US government, coupled with the dire circumstances the group now faces, the final season simply might only have time to focus on the present plot. This would be beneficial, as it would allow the series to give characters the endings they deserve without drawing too much focus on the shared universe being built.

Even though The Boys is the basis for two upcoming spinoffs, and one already released, acknowledging them would be detrimental to giving the main series a proper conclusion. While avoiding their stories could make the final season feel less connected to its upcoming spinoffs, it will allow a tighter focus that doesn't take away from the endpoint it's headed toward. With the show not returning until 2026, though, it will be some time before it's revealed what direction it takes, and how much other shows will be referenced.