Before 'The Boys' ends: From Butcher vs Homelander to Soldier Boy and Ryan’s rise

After five seasons of superheroes, political chaos, Vought conspiracies, and escalating conflict between Butcher and Homelander, The Boys is finally heading into its series finale.

From Hughie losing Robin in the very first episode to Homelander gaining even more power through V1, here’s a complete recap of the major events, character arcs, and deaths that shaped the story so far.

The world of The Boys

In the world of The Boys, superheroes, known as Supes, are controlled and marketed by Vought International.

The company presents heroes as celebrities, military assets, and public figures while secretly creating them through Compound V, a drug injected into children from infancy.

The most famous superhero team is The Seven, which at different points includes:

• Homelander
• Queen Maeve
• A-Train
• The Deep
• Black Noir
• Starlight
• Stormfront
• Soldier Boy
• Sister Sage

Season 1

The story begins when A-Train accidentally kills Robin, the girlfriend of Hughie Campbell, while running through a city street at super speed.

After the incident, Hughie is recruited by Billy Butcher into a vigilante group dedicated to exposing corrupt Supes.

The Boys team includes:

• Mother's Milk
• Frenchie
• Kimiko Miyashiro

At the same time, Annie January joins The Seven as Starlight. Shortly after joining, she is assaulted by The Deep.

Hughie and Annie later begin a relationship without Annie initially knowing Hughie is connected to The Boys.

During the season:

• The Boys capture and kill Translucent
• Compound V is exposed as the source of superpowers
• Homelander secretly creates superpowered terrorists overseas

The season finale reveals that:

• Homelander kills Madelyn Stillwell
• Butcher attempts to kill Homelander using explosives
• Homelander rescues Butcher
• Butcher discovers Becca is alive
• Becca has been raising Homelander’s son, Ryan

Ryan is revealed to be the first naturally born Supe child.

Season 2

The Boys become fugitives while Vought introduces Stormfront as a new member of The Seven.

Stormfront quickly gains popularity and begins a relationship with Homelander.

Later, it is revealed that Stormfront is one of Vought’s earliest Supes and has connections to Nazi ideology.

Other major events during the season include:

• Kimiko reunites with her brother Kenji
• Stormfront kills Kenji
• Congresswoman Victoria Neuman is revealed to have head-exploding powers
• Ryan begins developing his abilities

The season ends with a confrontation involving Stormfront, Homelander, Butcher, Becca, and Ryan.

Ryan uses his powers against Stormfront, severely injuring her, but the blast also fatally wounds Becca.

Before dying, Becca asks Butcher to protect Ryan.

Queen Maeve later blackmails Homelander using Flight 37 footage, forcing him to back down.

The charges against The Boys are dropped afterward.

Season 3

One year later, The Boys begin working under Victoria Neuman’s Bureau of Superhuman Affairs.

The season introduces Soldier Boy, a former superhero believed dead after disappearing decades earlier.

It is revealed that:

• Soldier Boy was imprisoned in Russia
• Soldier Boy can remove superpowers with radioactive blasts
• Butcher and Hughie begin using Temp-V
• Temp-V causes fatal brain damage with repeated use

Several major developments follow:

• Soldier Boy hunts former members of Payback
• Homelander learns Soldier Boy is his biological father
• Soldier Boy, Butcher, and Hughie temporarily fight Homelander together

During the finale:

• Homelander kills Black Noir
• Queen Maeve loses her powers stopping Soldier Boy’s explosion
• Annie publicly turns against Homelander
• Butcher turns on Soldier Boy to protect Ryan

The season ends at a Homelander rally where Homelander kills a protester in public after an object is thrown at Ryan. The crowd supports him afterward.

Season 4

Season 4 begins with political instability increasing across the country.

Homelander recruits Sister Sage into The Seven.

Sister Sage helps expand Homelander’s political influence through manipulation and strategic planning.

Meanwhile:

• Butcher learns Temp-V has left him terminally ill
• Butcher experiences hallucinations involving Becca and Joe Kessler
• Ryan becomes more publicly aligned with Homelander
• Victoria Neuman continues rising politically

Throughout the season, The Boys investigate plans involving Vought and Neuman while Homelander gains more control.

By the finale:

• Victoria Neuman dies
• President Singer is arrested
• A Homelander ally becomes president
• Martial law is declared
• Homelander gains authority over national security operations

Most members of The Boys are captured.

Annie escapes and goes into hiding.

Butcher leaves with a virus capable of killing Supes.

A mid-credits scene reveals Soldier Boy is still alive in containment.

Season 5

Season 5 begins after Homelander’s allies consolidate political power.

Several members of The Boys are imprisoned in Freedom Camps while resistance groups attempt to oppose Vought publicly.

Annie and her allies try exposing Homelander using Flight 37 footage, but Vought dismisses it as fake propaganda.

During rescue missions carried out by Butcher and Kimiko:

• A-Train sacrifices himself saving Hughie
• Homelander later kills A-Train

The season also introduces V1, an earlier and more powerful version of Compound V.

It is revealed that:

• Soldier Boy survived the anti-Supe virus because of V1
• V1 may significantly strengthen or stabilize Supes
• Multiple groups begin searching for remaining V1 samples

Other major events include:

• Ryan kills a Russian special forces squad
• Homelander publicly reveals Soldier Boy is his father
• Stan Edgar returns
• Cindy and Maverick die during a bunker confrontation
• Firecracker dies later in the season
• The Deep becomes isolated after losing Homelander’s support

The Boys continue developing the anti-Supe virus while trying to stop Homelander from obtaining V1.

Episodes 6 and 7

The search for V1 eventually leads The Boys to Bombsight and Golden Geisha.

Bombsight confirms he possesses the V1 formula and later gives it to Soldier Boy.

Soldier Boy eventually delivers V1 to Homelander, who injects himself with it immediately.

Later developments include:

• Homelander kills the president
• Soldier Boy attempts leaving but is placed back into cryogenic containment
• Kimiko undergoes experimentation connected to a plan against Homelander
• Frenchie dies protecting Kimiko
• Butcher’s mental condition worsens further

By the end of Episode 7:

• Homelander has taken V1
• Butcher still possesses the anti-Supe virus
• Ryan remains caught between Homelander and Butcher
• Annie, Hughie, M.M., and Kimiko are still trying to stop Homelander
• Soldier Boy is back in containment
• Sister Sage continues working behind the scenes

The series finale airs today with the conflict between Homelander and The Boys still unresolved.