How ‘The Boys’ ends and how it differs from the comic book finale
‘The Boys’ finale is now history. The Prime Video series has come to an end, and we’re breaking down its key changes—spoilers ahead.
This marks the end of a journey that has spanned five seasons over seven years, beginning in July 2019. The final episode of ‘The Boys’ is now available on Prime Video, bringing to a close a story that many feared wouldn’t live up to expectations. The inclusion of a few filler episodes had fans worried that this ending would be disappointing, but while we’ll leave that impression up to each viewer, let’s explore the main differences from the original work.
The following contains spoilers for the final episode of ‘The Boys’. Stop right here if you haven’t seen it yet!
What are the differences between the ending of ‘The Boys’ in the TV series and in the comic book? SPOILERS
‘The Boys’ is based on the series written by Garth Ennis (‘Preacher,’ ‘The Punisher’) and illustrated by Darick Robertson (‘Transmetropolitan’), first published in 2006 and comprising more than 70 issues. In the comic, the ending is quite different from what we saw in the series, though not as much as we might have expected.
In the series, just as it seemed likely in previous episodes, Kimiko plays a key role in stripping Homelander of his powers. Stripped of them entirely and reduced to a mere mortal, he ends up begging Butcher for his life. However, as was to be expected, Butcher shows not the slightest mercy, driving a steel bar into the villain’s forehead and splitting his head open.
Later, Butcher fails to complete his mission, because when Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) takes control of Vought, he believes the problem with the supers isn’t over. So, he makes his way to Vought Tower with the goal of releasing the virus and killing all the supers in the world, resolving the issue by force. Hughie follows him, shooting him and thwarting his plan... but also ending his life.
Now, what happens in the comic? Well, we’ve known for quite some time that the ending was going to be very different, since Black Noir’s true identity in Ennis and Robertson’s work is none other than that of a Homelander clone. In fact, this clone is responsible for most of the villain’s crimes, including the rape of Becca (Butcher’s wife). No one knows this identity, not even Homelander himself, and when it is revealed at the end, the two fight to the death.
Black Noir (or the Homelander clone) ends up killing the original Homelander, leaving him completely dismembered and mangled, but he is also left badly battered after the fight. Butcher, a mere bystander, ends up finishing off the clone using a modus operandi very similar to what we see in the series.
Just like in this one, Butcher doesn’t stop after Black Noir’s death, and he still intends to release the virus to kill every super on the planet. But the ending is much darker, since before doing so, he kills his entire team except for Hughie, whom he tries to provoke because everything suggests he doesn’t really want to carry out his plan. Finally, Hughie kills Butcher, who dies peacefully, knowing he remained true to his goals until the very end.
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So, what did you think of the finale of ‘The Boys’? Do you think it lived up to expectations? Let us know in the comments!
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