Amazon Confirms Who Replaces Homelander Before The Boys Season 5 Finale

If you feel like The Boys Season 5 has been way less about Homelander melting heads and more about Soldier Boy sulking and scheming, you’re not imagining things. Amazon is setting up its next chapter, and it’s putting Jensen Ackles’ Superdad front and center—whether you’re ready or not.

Homelander’s Downward Spiral, Soldier Boy’s Quiet Takeover

We’re barreling toward the Season 5 finale, and while fans are waiting to see if Homelander (Antony Starr) gets his comeuppance or extends his infantile reign, the show has been doubling down on Soldier Boy. Not only is he back from the dead (literally, thanks to a not-so-great nap in a chamber), but he’s also getting more screen time than ever. And here’s the kicker: the writers aren’t even hiding that he’s now the franchise’s Next Big Thing.

This season, Soldier Boy doesn’t just pop in for a scene or two—he’s practically a co-lead. And despite feeling like a dad who’d rather be golfing than dealing with his resentful superhero son, the show keeps putting him in the spotlight. The reason is pretty obvious once you put the pieces together: Homelander might be the main villain, but his best days (or worst? It’s debatable) are numbered, and it’s time to hand off the scepter.

Compound V1 and Daddy Issues, The Show’s New Fuel

Episode 6 dropped a bomb: Soldier Boy decides to give Homelander the last of the big bad magical juice—Compound V1. If you missed it, Compound V1 is a tweak on the usual supe-making serum. If the science babble is to be believed, it could make its subject more or less immortal. Anyone else getting ‘let’s keep options open for future spin-offs’ energy from this?

Pretty much every intense Homelander moment lately has revolved around him desperately wanting his dad’s approval. He even throws Soldier Boy a get-out-of-jail-free card for old treason charges, then immediately does a proud-son press conference to announce 'Hey world, that’s my dad!' If it feels a little on the nose... well, that’s the point. Meanwhile, between moments of plotting and acting unbothered, Soldier Boy is on his own weird journey to reluctantly becoming the new face of Vought.

With Homelander’s mental state getting shakier (yes, he’s apparently now seeing Madelyn as an angel and declaring himself holier than Jesus), it’s hard not to feel like the wind's coming out of the guy's cape. While Homelander spirals, Soldier Boy quietly becomes the rational, less explosive flavor of supe—a switch that’s a little awkward, considering he once tried to nuke New York with his bare hands.

Amazon’s Master Plan (or: Soldier Boy, Apparently, Has a Heart)

Amazon is stacking the deck: Gen V is off the map, but the Vought Rising prequel is coming. That show will flash back to the '50s, with Soldier Boy and Clara Vought/Stormfront (played by Aya Cash) as the headliners. In the meantime, this season is doing everything short of putting up billboards to tell us, 'Hey, Soldier Boy is coming. Care about him, please.'

The writers are pouring effort into making Soldier Boy into more than just a meathead with a shield. We even get a peek at his messy romantic history with Stormfront, which apparently cut deeper than we realized. Cue Soldier Boy getting wounded (emotionally!) by a leaked Homelander/Stormfront video and doing some vengeful bedroom gymnastics with Firecracker (Valorie Curry).

There’s also a slew of flashbacks, new faces (Golden Geisha, Bombsight), and more energy spent on Soldier Boy’s past than on Homelander’s freakouts. This all lines up with the prequel’s mission: flesh out Soldier Boy before he’s running his own show.

Soldier Boy’s explanation for giving the immortality serum to Homelander is about as soft as he’s ever been: he tells his son he 'loves Clara more than he hates Homelander and knows this is what she would want.' If that seems jarringly wholesome for this universe, you’re not alone.

So What Now? Franchise Future Is a Prequel

Here’s where it gets a little corporate—since Gen V got axed, Vought Rising is the only new toy Amazon has left in the bucket. The past is the future, at least for now. So all this historical drama, Soldier Boy's tragic flaws, and the extended focus on his relationships and regrets aren’t filler—they’re prep work. If you start feeling like Homelander’s storylines are just there to give Soldier Boy new things to angst about, you’re not wrong.

• Upcoming Cast/Connections: Expect Vought Rising (slated for 2027) to bring in faces like Bombsight (Mason Dye), Clara Vought/Stormfront (Aya Cash), and Golden Geisha, with a heavy dose of traumatized, emotionally stunted Supes.

Showrunner Eric Kripke is on record saying he’s pretty unhappy about axing Gen V. He even had plans brewing for a third season. But for now, the plan is—and you can almost hear Amazon’s accountants cackling—keep the universe alive by shifting to Vought Rising and hoping that Soldier Boy can carry an entire show. There’s talk about pulling in some of the Gen V crew, but who knows how that’ll pan out.

Bottom line: The Boys Season 5 isn’t just wrapping up its own story. It’s laying about as much groundwork for Vought Rising as possible—and making sure we all see Soldier Boy as more than just a walking, talking slab of angry Americana. Whether that’s enough to keep the brand alive (and viewers interested), we’ll see. But if you wanted more Homelander mayhem, you might have to go back and rewatch his greatest hits, because this season’s theme is clear: out with the old, in with the even older.