The boys season 5 episode 3 is out now on Prime Video — and its fanbase has been split over a key moment in the Amazon TV show’s latest entry.
In fact, this week’s episode, titled ‘Every One You Sons of Bitches’, almost sees another Supe lose his life at Homelander’s hands. And while some viewers are happy that the show’s Big Bad doesn’t go through with killing said person, others argue that Homelander should have delivered the final blow for reasons I’ll get into shortly.
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Is Ryan dead in The Boys season 5?
No. Ryan, the son of Homelander and Billy Butcher’s dead wife Becca, survives the near-fatal encounter with his unhinged and incredibly powerful father.
Seething over Billy’s decision, and after learning that Homelander had sexually assaulted Becca years earlier—a traumatic event that led to Ryan’s conception—in The boys season 4 finale, a distraught Ryan finally confronts the Homelander alone.
Ryan manages to keep a lid on his anger as the pair chat. However, when Homelander mentions that he has found a way to achieve immortality via V1, aka the Supe-creating serum first given to Homelander’s father Soldier Boy, Ryan loses it and attacks Homelander. The latter tries to calm his son down, but eventually Homelander loses his cool and uses his own superhuman abilities to overpower Ryan and nearly kill him.
Fortunately for Ryan, Homelander doesn’t deal the final blow as, in a moment of mercy from the normally impulsive Supe, he simply decides to leave. Not long after, Billy finds a seriously injured Ryan where Homelander left him – and luckily, Ryan is still breathing. The wait then continues for The boys season 5 to claim his next victim.
Why The Boys’ fanbase can’t agree on whether Homelander should have killed Ryan
This had me holding my breath the whole time, it was so intense. You can tell homelander decided to constantly hit Ryan because he made him bleed 🫢😭 #TheBoys https://t.co/ZSlAwmLPWu15 April 2026
In the wake of The boys‘ latest episode, which airs on one of the world’s best streaming services, its fanbase has not been able to agree on whether it was the right decision to let Ryan live.
On the surface, the argument of those who say Homelander should have killed him may shock you, but they have their reasons.
On Reddit, user ztoff27 wrote: “Feel like they should have gone through with it and killed Ryan here. Really wanted to knock it down that there’s nothing holding Homelander back anymore.”
Able_Contribution407 agreed, saying, “Yeah, same. Would have been a big moment. Hopefully they have something cool for Ryan later to justify not doing it”. Meanwhile, on the ResetEra forums, user Stavo opined: “I wish they would commit to Homelander killing Ryan because Butcher got it.”
Latest episode of The Boys. Hopefully this actually causes Ryan to finally join with others against the Homelander and stop trying to do it all on his own. pic.twitter.com/qUqb7dW4Wf15 April 2026
Other viewers breathed a sigh of relief that Ryan had lived to tell the tale.
“I really thought Homelander was about to crush Ryan’s skull,” Redditor Quinn_Maeve wrote. “Me too. I was scared to see too when butcher showed up,” jalapenopizza_ replied. “I thought he would be dead and the next plot would be Marie reviving him,” Nice_Reading5272 added.
Of course, like every Supe that populates this universe, Ryan’s fate is yet to be determined. Will he perish along with everyone else with a version of compound V coursing through their veins, or will he miraculously make it out alive?
“I knew he wasn’t going to die, but still, the way the plot is going, he, Butcher, and Homelander will all die together. The whole reason the writer had Ryan kill those Russians was so no one would feel sorry for him,” cganimat mused, to which EdgyBoi79 replied, “I really doubt Ryan will end up the hopeful need not end up dying. non-Supes and Ryan being Superman in this show, is too good of a hopeful Supe ending to miss.”
“I’ve really grown to like the theory that Ryan will become the true Superman of this universe after all the vile Vought crap destroys [sic]”, vcmac surmised. “The idea of him getting better and doing so in spite of the machine, rather than because of it, would make for an upbeat ending after what is likely to be a bloodbath. I never cared much for his character, but this episode really sold me on him. Accepting his own death and standing up to his father is what a real superhero would do.”
However, the love scenario icon objected to the possible ending, saying, “I think the best fate for Ryan is for him to lose his powers. He mentions in the episode that he hurts everyone he knows, and even though he’s straight up doing it, he says it all because of his status and powers. Being powerless and living a normal life would be the perfect ending for him.”
What do you think will happen to Ryan at the end of the series? Tell me in the comments.
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