This post contains major spoilers for episode six of The Boys’ final season. If you would rather get laser eyes to the temple than see them, check out our episode five coverage instead.
One of the many things that has always made The Boys great is that important things happen in every episode. We know that. We know that. And yet, we still couldn’t have predicted the end of season five, episode six. We expected the hunt for V-One to be the final battle between the sociopathic Supe and his enemies. Instead Homelander finally got his hands on the immortality-granting serum. Even more surprising? He only got it because his father who hates him gave it to him. And the most shocking thing of all? Soldier Boy gave Homelander the V-One because they once both loved the same Nazi.
Sister Sage’s grand plan to stop Homelander might have doomed the entire world. It backfired in spectacular, terrifying fashion. Sage was counting on Soldier Boy’s hatred for his weird son to prevent Homelander from getting V-One. First she helped the Boys lure Bombsight out of hiding (with what might be the last remaining dose of V-One on the planet). She assumed, because people are “predictable,” Soldier Boy would then make sure Homelander didn’t get it.
Instead Soldier Boy’s “love” for Clara Vought, a.k.a. Stormfront, a.k.a. Liberty a.k.a. the woman both men cared for deeply. Clara believed in Homelander, and because she did Soldier Boy gave him the V-One even though he does, in fact, hate his son.
It was a curious decision considering how much Soldier Boy has not wanted to help the kid he despises. It also reframes Clara’s importance to The Boys. Her role on the show now feels far more signifiant than it did before. But most importantly Soldier Boy’s decision completely changes the outlook for the show’s final two episodes. Homelander is now immortal. The Supe-killing virus Butcher has been waiting to unleash won’t work against him or Soldier Boy. The Boys have no way to kill Homelander, who (short of a switcheroo we aren’t aware of yet) is the essentially the god he has been claiming to be.
Except, the episode revealed he’s not quite as invincible as he thinks. Right before Homelander injected himself V-One we saw Soldier Boy use his chest blast to shoot the V-One right out of Bombsight. It instantly made Bombsight mortal.
The person who gave Homelander V-One is also the person who can take it away. And once he sees what his son will do with this new immortality Soldier Boy might decide he didn’t love Clara enough to unleash an immortal Homelander on the world.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He would not take V-One, but thanks for the offer. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.