Could Soldier Boy strip away Homelander’s powers? What to expect from The Boys season 5 episode 7

Episode 7, 'The Frenchman, the Female, and the Man Called Mother’s Milk,' arrives on May 13, 2026

With only two episodes left in the final season of The Boys, episode 7 is shaping up to be one of the most crucial chapters yet.

The penultimate episode is set to release on May 13, 2026, and after the major turn in episode 6, the story is expected to deal almost entirely with the fallout of the V1 finally changing hands.

Episode 6 ended with the season’s biggest shift in power so far. After the long hunt for the serum, Soldier Boy ultimately handed the V1 to Homelander, who injected it immediately. In one moment, the one advantage The Boys were desperate to control ended up inside the one person they most feared giving it to.

That makes episode 7 likely to begin with the consequences of Homelander taking the V1.

The biggest question heading into the next chapter is what the serum actually does to him. Episode 6 made it clear that Homelander’s fear of mortality has become one of his defining obsessions. If V1 increases his durability, healing, or gives him some form of near-immortality, then the virus plan that has driven much of the season could suddenly become far less useful.

But episode 6 may also have quietly introduced a possible loophole.

When Soldier Boy confronted Bombsight he offered to take away his mortality. By removing his powers, Soldier Boy effectively gave him the chance to live out an ordinary human life with Golden Geisha. That moment strongly suggests Soldier Boy still has the ability to strip powers away.

That could become extremely important in episode 7.

If Soldier Boy can neutralize powers the way he did with Bombsight, then he may also have the ability to take away whatever Homelander has gained from V1. That possibility suddenly makes Soldier Boy more than the man who strengthened Homelander, he may also be the one person capable of reversing it.

Whether he would actually choose to do that is another matter.

By the end of episode 6, Soldier Boy had chosen to honor Clara’s vision over his own resentment.

Episode 7 could now test whether that emotional shift holds.

If Homelander becomes even more unstable after taking the V1, Soldier Boy could easily begin questioning the choice he just made.

The title attached to episode 7, “The Frenchman, the Female, and the Man Called Mother’s Milk”, also suggests the episode may spend more time with the core team as they regroup after losing the V1.

Kimiko could be especially important. Episode 6 used Bombsight and Golden Geisha’s story to push her toward confronting what immortality really means. That emotional thread could carry directly into the next chapter, especially as her relationship with Frenchie remains one of the show’s last emotional anchors.

Mother’s Milk also seems headed for a harder moral crossroads. The Legend already forced him to confront what releasing the virus would actually mean. If Homelander is now even harder to kill, M.M. may have to decide whether stopping him is worth crossing a line he has spent the entire season trying not to cross.

Then there is Sister Sage.

Her calculations began slipping in episode 6, but she remains one of the most dangerous players left. Episode 7 could reveal whether she still has another move prepared, or whether the board is finally becoming too chaotic even for her to control.

Meanwhile, The Deep may have created another major problem heading into the next episode.

Episode 6 did not just show him emotionally unraveling over the oil spill and dying marine life. His conflict with Black Noir II also turned deadly. During their confrontation, The Deep strangled Black Noir II with a cord before driving a knife up through his neck, apparently killing him.

That moment pushes The Deep even further into chaos and could carry major consequences in episode 7, especially if Vought or the remaining members of The Seven start dealing with the fallout.

Most importantly, episode 7 is likely to start positioning the final direct confrontation between Butcher and Homelander.

With only one episode left after it, the story almost has to narrow the board. Alliances could shift, a major death would not be surprising, and The Boys will almost certainly need a new plan.

And if Homelander truly has become stronger than ever, the question hanging over episode 7 may be the one episode 6 quietly planted:

If Soldier Boy had the power to take Bombsight’s powers away, could he also be the only one capable of taking V1 away from Homelander?