The Boys season 5: Release date, trailer, and latest news

Finally, we have a release date confirmed for The Boys season 5!

Fans have been waiting for the hard-edged superhero show's final season for some time now, especially after the end of the latest season of spin-off Gen V.

It's sure to be an emotional (and gruesome, and explosive) ending to the beloved show, but at this point, what do we actually know for certain about season 5?

Read on for everything you need to know, but beware – spoilers for seasons 1-4, plus seasons 1-2 of spin-off Gen V, abound.

The Boys season 5 release date

The Boys season 5 will premiere on 8th April 2026 on Prime Video - so not long to wait now! The first two episodes will drop at once, with the rest releasing weekly until 20th May.

The news was announced alongside a new trailer, which offered fans their first look at Jared Padalecki’s mystery role, staging a Supernatural reunion with Jensen Ackles, who returns as Soldier Boy.

Fans have been waiting for this news since filming wrapped in July 2025. When filming came to an end, a number of the show's central cast members took to Instagram to reflect on their journeys with their characters.

For instance, Starlight star Erin Moriarty posted: "The tears have begun. The posts are incoming. I said goodbye to most of my work family today and I’ll be ready to smile about it when I’m ready to smile about it."

Meanwhile, Homelander actor Antony Starr wrote on Instagram: "I love this show. And I love this character. Truly. I will dearly miss heading to work, knowing what we were aiming for but never knowing where we would find ourselves by the end of the day…only that we would have fun and it would be creatively rewarding in the extreme.

"This complicated character allowed the space and range to discover and push boundaries in a way I never expected and I will always be grateful for this experience.

"And of course huge gratitude to my co-parent with this twisted gem of a character - @erickripke1 . We created a monster, sir. And I will miss him, and you. Til we roll out the last season. When I’ll see you. But this creative chapter is closed , and I’ll miss it, brother.

"And finally - massive thank you to the fans. You are the life blood. Without you, we don’t get to do this. And our fans are second to none. Mad love to you… and deepest respect for your taste. Okidoke people. We cooked for the last time. Can’t wait to show you what we made. Til that day, Homelander, signing off."

Alongside a picture of co-star Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Urban wrote: "Working with the illustrious @jeffreydeanmorgan was the best part of my day every day. That’s all @theboystv for now folks. See you in …2 years (wish it was sooner) for the final season on @primevideo."

The Boys season 5 cast

The following stars have been confirmed to star in The Boys season 5:

• Jack Quaid as Hughie Campbell
• Karl Urban as Billy Butcher
• Antony Starr as Homelander
• Erin Moriarty as Annie/Starlight
• Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk
• Jessie T Usher as A-Train
• Chace Crawford as The Deep
• Tomer Capone as Serge/Frenchie
• Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko
• Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett
• Cameron Crovetti as Ryan
• Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy
• Mason Dye as Bombsight
• Paul Reiser as The Legend
• Jaz Sinclair as Marie Moreau
• London Thor and Derek Luh as Jordan Li
• Lizze Broadway as Emma Meyer
• Maddie Phillips as Cate Dunlap
• Asa Germann as Sam Riordan
• Keeya King as Annabeth Moreau
• Daveed Diggs as TBC
• Jared Padalecki as TBC
• Misha Collins as TBC

Jensen Ackles will reprise his role as Soldier Boy in The Boys season 5, it has been confirmed.

The news was announced at San Diego Comic-Con, in which Ackles made a surprise appearance.

Showrunner Eric Kripke said (via Deadline): "We can announce that Soldier Boy will be a regular in season 5. The motherf***er’s back."

Kripke had previously said in a 2022 interview: "We’ll all have to wait and see, but I can’t imagine the series ending without Soldier Boy making another appearance."

It was also revealed that, once The Boys final season ends, Ackles will appear in a new prequel series called Vought Rising.

We're not sure at the moment who else could return, but it seems likely that all of the main stars from The Boys season 4 will be back for season 5. That is, those who managed to survive.

While we assumed that meant we wouldn't be seeing Claudia Doumit's Victoria Neuman again due to her death in the season 4 finale, Deadline has listed Doumit as a cast member who's set to return. We also wouldn't expect to see Robin's Grace Mallory again, except in flashback form, after her demise. Either way, fans will have to keep their eyes peeled on who returns in the upcoming season.

We also have some new castings to look forward to! Stranger Things star Mason Dye, who played Jason Carver in the series, has been cast as Bombsight.

While little is known about the character, Bombsight has actually been mentioned in The Boys before. In season 4, it was mentioned that he starred in the 1950s film The Curse of Fu Manchu from Vought International.

Sources claim that Dye will also appear in upcoming spin-off Vought Rising but Prime Video declined to comment on that element of the casting.

Dye isn't the only new face we'll see in season 5. Daveed Diggs, star of Hamilton, Snowpiercer, and The Little Mermaid, was recently cast in a mysterious role in the upcoming season.

Meanwhile, there will be a reason to rejoice for Supernatural fans who watch The Boys. Jensen Ackles will be joined by his former co-stars Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins in the new season, a Supernatural reunion that nobody saw coming. Who Padalecki and Collins will be playing has yet to be announced.

The trio shared the news in a video posted to social media, alongside the tagline "Season 5 just got a bit more supernatural".

Padalecki recently teased what fans can expect from his on-screen reunion with his former Supernatural co-stars in the final season of The Boys, telling Business Insider during the 2025 Texas Film Awards.

Confirming he will share screen time with Ackles, he continued: "I don’t know a whole lot about it, which is effing terrifying," he said.

Meanwhile, Ackles said of welcoming Padalecki and Collins, when speaking with People: "It was weird. It was like inviting my friends over to somebody else’s house for dinner. I was like, 'Listen, guys, don’t make me look bad. I got to stay here.' They were amazing. I can't wait to talk more about it because it was quite an experience."

We also know that a number of Gen V stars will be making an appearance, after the season 2 finale of that show saw them joining the official resistance against Homelander's reign, seemingly led by Starlight and A-Train.

Those expected to appear include Jaz Sinclair as Marie Moreau, London Thor and Derek Luh as Jordan Li, Lizze Broadway as Emma Meyer, Maddie Phillips as Cate Dunlap, Asa Germann as Sam Riordan and Keeya King as Annabeth Moreau.

The Boys season 5 plot: What could happen?

The synopsis for The Boys season 5 reads: "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."

In an interview with RadioTimes.com, the show's creator Eric Kripke also opened up about how Gen V sets up The Boys season 5, teasing: "Season 5 takes place a good amount of months after Gen V ends, so you'll also catch up what's been happening in the intervening time and how this resistance has been going. The spoiler I can give you is 'not well'."

When asked whether the end of Gen V season 2 was teasing a showdown between the two Odessa babies, Marie and Homelander, Kripke teased: "Stay tuned. I mean, I feel like there's a long line of people waiting to get their shot at Homelander, and there's a few people that have been waiting in line longer.

"So while I think she's a crucial player, we also want to honour each show, and I think the main protagonists of each show kind of live in those worlds. So she'll be a part of it, but she won't be the deciding factor. This doesn't all come down to Marie versus Homelander."

Why will The Boys season 5 be the final season?

Showrunner Eric Kripke has explained his reasoning for ending The Boys with its fifth season, saying it was always his plan and he just had to convince Prime Video.

He told TVLine that Prime Video pushed back "lovingly", adding: "There was no, like, 'You have to keep this show going.' It was more of like a very friendly and respectful, like, 'Are you sure season 5 is the last season? Are you sure you don’t want to do more?'"

He continued: "But we were already, like, barreling towards this. The truth is we knew that it was going to be a five-season story for years now. I mean, probably since writing the beginning of season 3, we knew, and so we were already laying down track that was always heading in this direction.

"Honestly, they’ve been great about letting us end it on our own terms. I’m really grateful."

However, fans don't need to worry that the fifth season will be a full-stop on the world of The Boys. Gen V could be renewed for season 3, and another Mexico-set spin-off in development, it seems there is plenty of potential for the universe to run and run.

Kripke told Entertainment Weekly: "This story of The Boys will not continue on. With any luck, Gen V will continue on, there will be hopefully a couple others in development that we're talking about that can continue on, but The Boys story ends in season 5."

Is there a trailer for The Boys season 5?

Yes! Check out the teaser trailer for The Boys season 5 below:

The Boys seasons 1-4 are available to stream now on Prime Video – try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days. Plus, read our guides to the best Amazon Prime series and the best movies on Amazon Prime.

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