- The boys‘ season 5 finale premieres on Prime Video
- It brings to an end the hugely popular satirical superhero series
- Fans have reacted with dismay and disbelief at its final ever appearance
The boys season 5 episode 8 has made its Prime Video debut — and furious fans aren’t holding back in their criticism of the Amazon TV Original’s final episode ever.
With the popular satirical superhero series nearing its end, viewers had indeed hoped The boys would end in a satisfactory way. But following the release of its final episode, titled ‘Blood and Bone’, large sections of its fanbase have reacted with dismay and disbelief at its last hurray.
It goes without saying, but full spoilers immediately follow The boys season 5’s finale. My advice if you haven’t seen ‘Blood and Bone’ yet? Bookmark this page, go see it, read my article about The boys season 5 finale, then re-read this article to see why fans feel shortchanged by it.
Let’s start with some of the more general negative comments fans have left on various social media platforms and forums since the Prime Video show’s finale premiered.
On ResetEra, Bor Gullet called it a “flabby dick finale” that “chose the most clichéd, cheapest and unimaginative” ending. So upset was Bor Gullet with ‘Blood and Bone’ that they later slammed it for looking like it “was recorded on two sound stages” and “no sense of scale or spectacle.”
Taking the theme of Bor Gullet’s other comment, fellow ResetEra user Narastel theorized that “something must have happened behind the scenes” to make ‘Blood and Bone’ feel like some “YouTube fan film stuff.”
Similar sentiments have been expressed by users like Corncob and Redditors including The_Swarm22, with some pointing out that previous seasons had a higher production quality and then speculating about potential budget cuts for The boys season 5’s smaller scale feel. Back on ResetEra, Nooblet summed things up as part of their message, which ended: “It all felt… like it was created by a scene generator bot.”
Moving on to more specific plot threads — many of which are covered in the above Reddit post — fans had plenty to say about the finale’s big showdown between Homelander and Butcher, with the latter aided by Kimiko and Ryan in taking down the tyrannical Supe.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think the ‘scorched earth’ showdown would happen entirely inside the Oval Office, resulting in nothing more than burned carpet and broken furniture,” lamented Redditor SectionMore. Meanwhile, on X/Twitter, YesItsM1g3ul added: “7 years. 5 seasons. Homelander never became ‘scorched Earth’. You gotta be f***** g kidding me.”
“‘Scorched Earth… *fights in a single room in the White House*… f**k off, [showrunner Eric] Kripke,” Reddit user MattTheMLGPro also wrote, before IDKandfranklyIDC added, “They literally blew up buildings in Season 2 and Season 3. In the show’s finale, we get some broken tables.”
As for Homelander’s death, X/Twitter user ChappellTardis spoke for many by questioning the entire point of Season 5’s primary narrative. That’s the story of V1, also called the very first version of the Supe-creating serum that also grants immortality to anyone who takes it. In fact, with Homelander completely depowered and rendered lethal once again by Kimiko’s nuclear blasting ability, the aforementioned user angrily wrote, “ENTIRE season V1 plotline meant NOTHING.”
Kripke really had the audacity to put that finale in theaters. It was absolute rubbish. #TheBoys20 May 2026
Fans’ frustration boiled over with other confusing narrative beats.
“No, they just skipped from the White House straight to their house at night for a while, and casually celebrated what they did, JUST LIKE THAT??” Playful-Complaint-227 inquired about the titular team walking away without a shot after killing the Homelander. “No Supes protecting anything? The White House had ABSOLUTELY NO DEFENSES??”
“Starlight is going to name her daughter after Hughie’s dead ex is a WILD way to end both her character and the show,” ResetEra user MadLaughter said of the couple’s happy ending. “Imagine having a baby with your current wife and naming the baby after your dead ex-boyfriend,” said Redditor dirtyconsolepeasant7.
“I think Mother’s Milk adopting Ryan was pretty nice, but I feel Hughie should have recommended Gene V cast for task force,” Redditor Nopeisawesome said of Season 5 Episode 8’s epilogue in regards to Gene V‘s latest cancellation. “I mean that would be a bit of a foregone conclusion Gene V‘s plot point that they completely wasted, but oh well.”
We have another one, boys from r/TheBoys
Most annoying of all, though, especially for Kripke and company, is that fans are suggesting it The boys‘ final episode is not only one of the worst series finales ever, but arguably weaker than Game of Thrones‘ universally panned ending – something that ResetEra forumite Policy Chonk thought for many.
There are viewers who enjoyed ‘Blood and Bone’ and the show’s final season, including Redditor xziggy123x, as well as ResetEra users ratcliffja, SamualDude, and Kuroi the Black.
Nevertheless, the general consensus – at least in online circles – is that The boys dropped the ball with his last installment ever. Like Stranger Things and countless shows before it, its finale will go down in history for all the wrong reasons.
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