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With just two more episodes of The Boys left, there have been plenty of action, emotional moments, and a surprising appearance by Superman (kind of), but it is time to bring the Prime Video superhero series to an end. While some fans have complained about the pacing of Season 5, with many episodes focusing on side characters rather than setting up the climactic battle between Homelander and The Boys, showrunner Eric Kripke says anyone expecting big, flashy fights every episode is “watching the wrong show.”

“None of the things that happen in the last few episodes will matter if you don’t flesh out the characters,” Kripke said in a recent interview. “I’m getting a lot of online dissatisfaction, to put it politely. And I’m like, ‘What are you expecting? Are you expecting a huge battle scene every episode?’”

Many fans were apparently expecting exactly that, though Kripke argues that sort of pacing “would be so empty and dull, and it would just be shapes moving without having any import.”

“At no point during the writing of it was I like, ‘Oh yeah. We’re making filler episodes. So who cares?’ We all thought at the time we’re really getting these important character details. We have something like 14 characters, maybe 15. And I owe it to all of them – in that television is the character business – I owe it to all of them to flesh them out and humanize them and their stories.”

“But apparently, just because it’s not plot, you’re like, ‘Nothing happened!’ I’m like, ‘Nothing happened, what?’ The craziest, biggest moves happened. It just wasn’t someone shooting someone else and going, pew, pew, pew. And if that’s what you want, you’re watching the wrong show.”

While we would argue that fans are right to note that the pacing of The Boys Season 5 has been unexpected, Kripke is also right that no one should expect the finale to be nothing but a big series of punches and explosions when the rest of the series hasn’t been that. In fact, some of the best moments, such as Firecracker’s monologue in Episode 5, are about building these characters into something more than just archetypes. If all you’re waiting for is the next time Homelander eye-lasers someone in the fact, you’re missing the best bits of The Boys.

The Boys continues on Prime Video through May 20.

They are brash, unforgiving, and a little rough around the edges... and they're the good guys! The heroes of Prime Video's The Boys, led by Karl Urban's Butcher, go up against the 'superheroes' that is the Seven, led by Anthony Starr's Homelander, leader of the Seven. With that show's five seasons plus spinoffs such as Gen V, Diabolical, and reportedly more, there's a lot to the Boys Franchise, and we're here to help... with: 

• How to watch The Boys in order
• Watch the full, official Boys panel from New York Comic Con 2021
• The secret origin of The Boys as a DC Comics superteam to beat the Justice League
• What to watch after The Boys
• Watch The Boys Season 5 panel from ECCC 2026