The fifth and final season of Prime Video’s irreverent superhero satire, The Boys, has officially wrapped filming, marking the end of a chaotic, blood-soaked journey that began in 2019. Showrunner Eric Kripke announced the milestone in a heartfelt Instagram post on July 1, 2025, sharing a set photo and reflecting on the bittersweet moment of leaving the Toronto soundstages for the last time. With production complete, the series is now in post-production, gearing up for an expected 2026 premiere, likely in the summer, based on the show’s typical two-year production cycle and comments from cast members like Karl Urban, who teased a 2026 release in a July 2024 Instagram post. Fans are bracing for what Kripke has described as the show’s “apocalypse,” promising an explosive conclusion to the battle between Billy Butcher’s vigilantes and Homelander’s supe regime.

Filming for the eight-episode season began in November 2024 and wrapped on July 1, 2025, as confirmed by posts from cast members and fan accounts on X. The production timeline aligns with earlier updates from Kripke, who noted in March 2025 that filming was halfway done. The season’s wrap was celebrated with a party attended by stars like Antony Starr (Homelander), Jack Quaid (Hughie), Jessie T. Usher (A-Train), Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko), and Nathan Mitchell (Black Noir), with photos shared by Isabella and Cameron Crovetti capturing the festive mood. Jensen Ackles, reprising his role as Soldier Boy, hinted at the wrap in a June 2025 interview with CBR, noting he believed his scenes were complete, though reshoots remain a possibility. The extensive post-production process, involving intricate visual effects and sound design, is expected to take around 14 months, based on the gap between The Boys season 4’s filming wrap in April 2023 and its June 2024 premiere.

The final season picks up after the shocking season 4 cliffhanger, where Homelander consolidated power, imposing martial law with an army of supes and internment camps, as revealed in leaked set photos. Most of The Boys—Hughie, Starlight, Frenchie, and Kimiko—were captured, while Butcher embarked on a rogue mission with a supe-killing virus. Kripke has teased a “super big, apocalyptic” story, with Black Noir actor Nathan Mitchell telling GamesRadar+ that the season includes twists “not on your bingo card.” Antony Starr, in a Deadline interview, described the season as the “compression” of an accordion, pulling together the setup from season 4 for a climactic end. The return of Soldier Boy, confirmed in the season 4 post-credits scene, and new cast members like Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, Daveed Diggs, and Mason Dye as the 1950s supe Bombsight, promise fresh dynamics and potential ties to the prequel spinoff Vought Rising.

The season’s stakes are heightened by Kripke’s vision of a five-season arc, a plan he confirmed to Variety in June 2024, likening it to the “magical” structure of five-act TV storytelling. He emphasized the freedom of a final season, telling GamesRadar+ that with no need to preserve characters for future seasons, “shocking, big things” can happen, potentially leading to significant deaths. Fans on X have speculated wildly, with some predicting a brutal showdown between Butcher and Homelander, while others worry about the survival of beloved characters like Hughie and Starlight. The season’s narrative will also integrate elements from Gen V season 2, set to premiere in September 2025, which may bridge plot points and maintain audience engagement during the wait.

While the 2026 release feels distant, the delay reflects the show’s commitment to high-quality visuals and storytelling, as seen in its Emmy-nominated run. The extended gap has sparked mixed reactions on X, with some fans lamenting the wait—“2026!?” one user posted—while others are eager to rewatch earlier seasons to dissect clues. The franchise’s expansion, with Gen V and the in-development The Boys: Mexico, ensures the universe will continue, but Kripke has stressed that season 5 will definitively end the main story. As anticipation builds, the final season promises to deliver the gory, emotional climax fans have come to expect, with Kripke expressing gratitude to the cast, crew, and audience for supporting a series that has redefined the superhero genre. Whether The Boys can “stick the landing,” as Kripke hopes, remains to be seen, but the stage is set for a visceral, unforgettable finale.