The Boys Season 5 sees Homelander’s trauma driving him insane, according to Eric Kripke

It’s looking like we’re getting a tour of Homelander’s trauma in The Boys’ fifth and final season, according to series creator Eric Kripke and star Antony Starr.

Season 4 of the fan-favorite superhero send-up concludes with the U.S. ruled by a “new age of superheroes,” all reporting to Homelander. What’s worse, The Boys are caught in their attempts to go underground, leaving Starlight as their final, non-incarcerated hope.

In a SAG-AFTRA-hosted FYC panel celebrating the series, creator Eric Kripke and star Antony Starr teased one factor fueling Season 5: Homelander’s trauma. The pair also celebrated Amazon’s support, which allowed the team to close the series out in exactly the way the team always intended.

Season 5 sees Homelander’s trauma in full force

The revealing discussion didn’t spoil any specific plotlines for the widely beloved series, but Kripke teased (via Variety) that knowing Season 5 to be a concrete finale allows the team to focus on the end, and “really lets you blow the doors off it in a really exciting way.”

Starr praised Amazon for its support throughout the series’ five season plan, “because a lot of times, your show gets canned and you never see it coming,” Starr said. “We’ve known since Day 1 — you said, five seasons,” Kripke’s plan from the beginning absent a premature cancellation).

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Going into the uncompromising season’s story, as Homelander rules the roost in Season 5, “he’s literally all trauma,” Kripke added.

“I think what he plays so beautifully about it is he wants to be a god, but he’s a man. And it’s kind of slowly, or maybe not so slowly, driving him insane,” he continued, “So dealing with things like aging, dealing with insecurity, dealing with a need for love — all very normal human things, these are all things he finds detestable.”

Surely this element will have a big impact on his son Ryan, as Kripke’s elsewhere noted that their father/son relationship will also be highlighted in Season 5.

We’ll see what Homelander’s attempts to eradicate his humanity mean for the rest of humanity, but in the meantime catch some further speculation about what may be in store as The Boys comes to a close.