The wait is almost over. We now know that The Boys will return for its fifth and final season on April 8, 2026 with the first two episodes. New episodes will roll out weekly on Amazon Prime Video until the series finale premieres on May 20, 2026.
The trailer dropped on December 6 at CCXP Brazil, and we’ve reached the bloody endgame. Literally. The teaser puts special focus on a bloody Homelander punching a mystery victim.
One thing stood out above everything else. We see Billy Butcher rally his former teammates for one final mission to end Homelander’s fascist, pro-Supe, anti-human regime once and for all. Which is weird.
The Butcher Problem
It seems odd that The Boys would willingly work with Butcher after he killed Victoria Neuman, no matter how reluctant they are. Butcher pretty much handed America over to his arch enemy Homelander on a silver platter.
The trailer shows us some of the damage his actions caused. Hughie, Mother’s Milk, and Frenchie are imprisoned in a “Freedom Camp.” Annie/Starlight struggles to mount a resistance against Vought. It’s Homelander’s world and everyone is struggling to survive in it.
This is Butcher’s doing, so why would they take him back?
And What About The Supe-Killing Virus?
Here’s where things get even more complicated. The trailer implies that Butcher returns ready to use a virus that will wipe all Supes off the map.
That’s his solution. Go scorched earth until there are no Supes left.
The problem is that Annie and Kimiko are Supes. So is Ryan, Butcher’s step-son and Homelander’s kid (it’s complicated). Butcher’s “endgame” would kill two of their own team members and his late wife’s son.
This underscores one of the show’s story arcs. Butcher’s intense hatred of all Supes conflicts with the reality that some of them, like Kimiko and Annie, are good people. The fact that Butcher is still willing to go through with this plan, knowing this fact, shows how far gone he is.
Why would The Boys choose to work with someone whose plan involves genocide? Even in their desperation to stop Homelander’s regime, how could they possibly agree to something like that?
Why This Reunion Might Not Be What It Seems
The thing to remember is that the scenes featured in the teaser trailer were shown out of order. There’s a lot of context missing.
This isn’t going to be a happy “the gang’s back together” moment. The Boys are in a desperate situation where they might need him despite everything he’s done.
Also, it’s very possible that The Boys only take Butcher back to keep an eye on him. Then they’ll either kill or turn him in to the authorities after they take down Homelander. That would make more sense than an actual reconciliation.
Can Butcher Even Be Redeemed?
Is it possible for Butcher to redeem himself at this point? His actions helped create the nightmare scenario everyone is living in.
Either he realizes the gravity of what he’s done and tries to make it right. Or he doubles down on his extremism, turning him into a secondary antagonist. Given The Boys’ theme of how far people will go for revenge, the show could go either way.
Is this Butcher’s redemption arc or his villain arc? The only thing we know for sure is that “big stuff’s gonna happen” when season 5 drops.
