In this past Wednesday's episode of The Boys, Frenchie dies at Homelander's hands while keeping the villain distracted. His final act is to ensure Kimiko—who, hopefully, has acquired Soldier Boy's power-sapping abilities—remains hidden, and Homelander's killing blow occurs off-camera.
Bleeding from his midsection, Frenchie dies in Kimiko's arms after a heart-wrenching farewell. He'd already been exposed to a massive amount of radiation, but what exactly did Homelander do to him before he flew away?
In some officially released behind-the-scenes photos, we see that Homelander stuck his finger into Frenchie's gut and dragged it across. So, it was the equivalent of stabbing him in the stomach and making sure he kept going for good measure (a painful way to go, regardless of the weapon).
Before Frenchie dies a hero's death, he flips Homelander off, tells him to "gargle my hairy nuts," pointing out with glee that, "I bet you've never danced a day in your life."
Asked by Variety which of those insults he thinks hit the villain hardest, Tomer Capone said, "It’s got to be the dancing. I loved the link to Frenchie and Kimiko doing their dance in Season 3. With his tragic past, Frenchie was always about surviving the next day, and dancing was a big part of it."
"To use something like that a moment before Homelander takes him down, something so sincere, it met Homelander in the right spot in terms of who he is and what he is chasing after," the actor added.
In the Instagram gallery below, we see Capone and co-star Antony Starr actually sharing a dance. Reflecting on that, he pointed out, "Honest answer: We were dancing between takes. Listen, the scene is dark. We had to keep it light. Antony and I are very good friends. I won’t lie, it was a lot of fun behind the scenes."
"When they yelled 'action,' we got in character and did what we had to do," Capone recalled. "So we kept it light and danced, and I think they have footage of that. It’s gonna come out, I bet."
As for why The Boys cut Frenchie being brutalised by Homelander, it's possible that showrunner Eric Kripke decided that including such a violent moment was a step too far when it came to the farewell for such a beloved character.
In the fifth and final season of The Boys, it's Homelander’s world, completely subject to his erratic, egomaniacal whims. Hughie, Mother's Milk, and Frenchie are imprisoned in a "Freedom Camp." Annie struggles to mount a resistance against the overwhelming Supe force. Kimiko is nowhere to be found.
But when Butcher reappears, ready and willing to use a virus that will wipe all Supes off the map, he sets in motion a chain of events that will forever change the world and everyone in it. It's the climax, people. Big stuff's gonna happen.
The Boys stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Cameron Crovetti, Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jensen Ackles, and Daveed Diggs.
The series is based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, who also serve as executive producers, and was developed by executive producer and showrunner Eric Kripke.
The Boys Season 5 is now streaming weekly on Prime Video.