Queen Maeve did not appear in the series finale of The Boys (she did get a mention), but showrunner Eric Kripke has now revealed that he was thinking about bringing the character back - before Dominique McElligott declined his offer.
Maeve, a super-strong Supe who was a founding member of The Seven, ultimately turned against Homelander in season 3 and appeared to sacrifice herself to take down Soldier Boy in the finale. We later learn that she survived, and the last we saw of the now powerless Maeve, she was leaving to start a new life with her girlfriend.
We're not sure how effective Maeve would have been in the final fight against Homelander without her abilities, but Kripke did reach out to McElligott to ask if she'd like him to write her a part in the finale.
"I would have loved to have had Maeve," Kripke tells Gold Derby. "I was in conversation with [Dominique McElligott]. We still email once in a while. She's mostly retired from acting, and her schedule didn't work out. It was all a very friendly, non-controversial thing. I was like, 'If we wrote it, would you do it?' And she's like, 'I'm kind of out of it, and I'm busy, and unfortunately I can't, but send everyone my love.' That was sort of it."
The Irish actress rarely does interviews and clearly values her privacy, so it's not overly surprising that she decided not to reprise the role.
Kripke was also asked if he ever considered including a post-credits scene, as opposed to the shots of the show's crew that ended the episode.
"No, that was always the crew. What happened was, during our wrap party, they cut together a shorter version of that piece, and I really loved it. We were never going to have any mid-credit sting or anything, because the show's over, and those characters are retired. The actors, obviously, and rightfully so, get the spotlight. But we've had an incredible amount of the crew that have been there the entire time, and they work so hard, 14 to 15 hours a day, every single day, to make this show. They deserve their flowers as much as anybody, maybe more."
Were you disappointed that Maeve didn't return? Let us know in the comments.
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.
Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Phil Sgriccia, Michaela Starr, Paul Grellong, David Reed, Judalina Neira, Jessica Chou, Gabriel Garcia, Ori Marmur, Ken F. Levin and Jason Netter serve as executive producers.