The Boys Season 5 spent a lot of time following Billy Butcher and the gang's search for the Godolkin Virus, only for Soldier Boy to grant Homelander immortality by giving him a dose of V1.
With the show's final season moving away slightly from right-wing politics towards having Homelander believe he should be worshipped as a God, the stakes are higher than ever heading into today's series finale. Fortunately, with Kimiko granted power-sapping abilities similar to Soldier Boy by Frenchie, the heroes have a plan to put an end to Homelander once and for all.
As Billy and the team head to the White House, there is no Homelander rampage, no battle with the military, and none of the post-apocalyptic imagery teased in posters for The Boys (the closest we get is during his address from the Oval Office, when Homelander goes off script and vows to lay waste to the Earth and his non-believers).
Still, things get plenty violent in the Oval Office when Butcher and Ryan team up to fight Homelander. They keep him down long enough for Kimiko to render him powerless, though Billy also loses his abilities. That means they're just two normal men, and Butcher proceeds to savagely beat the monster who raped Becca, perhaps the only person he still loves.
A bloodied and beaten Homelander begs for mercy, offering to bring Becca "back" by getting a shapeshifter to pretend to be her. At his lowest ebb, he even says, "I'll eat your sh*t" and "suck your d*ck" if Butcher if he lets him live.
"You can't f***ing do this. I am the Homelander," the pathetic, desperate villain says, prompting Butcher to reply, "No, you ain't nothing, and this, this is for my Becca." With that, he impales his crowbar in Homelander's head and scalps him. Later, his humiliation is broadcast to the world.
Oh Father and The Deep are also killed, while Terror dies from old age. His dog is gone, and Ryan also wants to move on, leaving the triumphant Butcher to continue down a self-destructive path. With the Supe-killing virus in hand, he heads to Vought Tower with the intention of committing genocide. Hughie arrives to stop him, and a fight ensues, ending with a regretful Billy dying in his friend's arms after he's gunned down.
The Gen V characters show up for a fairly superfluous cameo at the start of the finale, but everyone else gets a happy ending. Mother's Milk gets married, Kimiko heads to France with her pet dog, and even Stan Edgar gets to return as Vought CEO.
The main focus at the end is on Hughie and Starlight. She's pregnant with a child they plan to call Robin (a reference to his late girlfriend, and the reason he joined this fight), and they're both content with living a normal life, which is why Hughie turns down a job at the Department of Supe Affairs offered by President Singer.
There are still a few loose ends to tie up beyond what becomes of the Gen V characters. Still, it's a mostly satisfying finale that, despite lacking the destruction porn that many fans were hoping for after the show spent years teasing Homelander being on the brink of a murderous rampage.
Ultimately, the villain gets what he deserves, Butcher's story reaches arguably the only conclusion it could, and the world is saved from being forced to worship a luctic like Homelander. Still, there's a tinge of tragedy for Billy. Hughie reminds him of his younger brother, and his finger slowly moves away from the trigger that releases the virus seconds before he's shot.
The Boys Season 5 is now streaming on Prime Video.