The Boys Creator Admits His Biggest Mistake Was Killing the Show's Best Villain

If you know The Boys, you know nobody is safe — heads pop, bodies drop, the turnover rate is frankly ridiculous, and by this point, I doubt any character expects cake on their birthday. Still, behind all that carnage, there are a few deaths even the showrunner reckons were a mistake — or at least, a bit of a missed opportunity.

Eric Kripke Would Like a Do-Over, Please

In a recent chat with ScreenRant, Eric Kripke — the bloke behind both Supernatural and The Boys — admitted he rather regrets offing Madelyn Stillwell, the high-powered Vought exec played with razor-sharp charm by Elisabeth Shue. Apparently, she was such a top-tier villain, given another roll of the dice, Kripke would have found a way to keep her around past season one.

Now, here’s where it gets a bit more interesting than your standard ‘creative regrets’ fare. The reason Stillwell gets her head microwaved at the end of season one? Kripke puts it squarely on Shue’s original contract. Early days, she told him she’d only sign up for a single run. As Kripke put it:

"I’m like, 'Okay, we’ll kill you off at the end.' We kill her off at the end."

Not exactly high drama in the writers’ room. More, 'You’re leaving? Right — death it is.'

Not What She Was Expecting

Here’s the best bit: after shooting her grisly last episode, Shue was apparently a bit gobsmacked about the decision to snuff Stillwell. She reportedly asked Kripke, outright, why he’d done her in. His answer? Simple — it was what they’d agreed. If he’d known she was open to sticking around, he’d have happily found new ways to let her torment Homelander for a few more years:

"If I had known that we didn’t have to kill you off, I’d have kept you around. You’re a great villain."

To this day, he says Shue still teases him about her brutal send-off: 'She still gives me s—t about it,' as he put it. Can hardly blame her, considering how much she brought to that role.

She’s Not Alone — Another Regret

Kripke’s list of ‘could-have-beens’ isn’t limited to The Boys, either. He also admitted some second thoughts about bumping off the character Splinter (played by Supernatural regular Rob Benedict). Splinter only lasted for one episode in The Boys’ fourth season — specifically, 'Life Among the Septics' — before Billy Butcher did what Billy Butcher does. Looking back, Kripke reckons there was potential to do a bit more with him (and let’s face it, Benedict’s always good value for money in these shows).

• The Boys is based on the comic series from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, both of whom are executive producers on the TV adaptation.
• All episodes are streaming on Amazon Prime Video, including every 'I shouldn’t have killed off that one, should I?' moment.