After four explosive seasons, The Boys is heading into its final chapter — and for Kiwi stars Karl Urban and Antony Starr, it’s the end of a wild, often brutal ride. As the hit Prime Video series returns for its fifth and final season, the pair reflect on saying goodbye to their iconic roles as Butcher and Homelander, what fans can expect from the endgame showdown, and how it feels to close the curtain on one of the most chaotic superhero shows ever made.
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How does it feel to reach the fifth and final season of The Boys?
Antony: Everyone keeps using the word bittersweet, so I’m not going to, but it was pretty brutal finishing up shooting in the middle of this really heavy winter in Canada nine months ago. Now a little bit of time has passed, it’s actually really amazing to be releasing the last instalment. I’m really excited for everyone to see it, but it’ll be strange once it’s all done, dusted and wrapped up.
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Karl: I feel grateful for the show, everybody that I’ve worked with and the friends that have come out of this. It’s a really good thing to finish this on our terms, complete the story as it was originally envisaged and not overstay our welcome.
Where do we find your characters at the start of this season?
Antony: Homelander finally got everything he wanted and it’s still not enough, so he’s still in restless discontent, trying to figure out why everyone turns on him. He’s the perpetual victim. He’s in a good spot to cause trouble.
Karl: Butcher’s given himself over to this organism that’s living within him – his darker nature – and he’s learned to control that power. He’s also continued to develop a biological weapon to take down all Supes [superhumans]. There’s a duality in his character. When he allows his superpower to come forth, he’s very robotic and Terminator-like, but there’s an internal war going on for his humanity. In the beginning of season five, we’re really on a track to try to stop Homelander from becoming an immortal god, which is the most dangerous existential threat in all five seasons of The Boys.
How have your characters developed over the series?
Antony: Homie’s been all over the map, man! My character is just so screwed up and it’s been a real journey. He was really funny, but then he turned dark as well, which embodies the show. It’s entertaining and funny, but underneath there’s a really dark, malicious undertone.
Karl: When we first met Butcher in season one, he was hellbent on getting his revenge on Homelander, but through the series, it’s become more than that. He now perceives all superheroes as an existential threat – a corporate experiment that has gotten out of control, like AI. He’s been saying since season three, “Guys, this is a problem.” Now, finally, in season five, everyone’s woken up to the fact he’s right
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