The Boys is getting a prequel starring Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash
The entire cast of The Boys was on the stage at Comic Con
Photo credit: Prime Video, Amazon Studios
The Boys may be ending with its upcoming fifth season, but damn if Prime Video won’t stretch its satire as much as possible. At the show’s San Diego Comic-Con panel, a new prequel was announced by its stars: Aya Cash and Jensen Ackles. They’re set to reprise their roles as Stormfront and Soldier Boy in Vought Rising, a 1950s-set spin-off from series creator Eric Kripke and producer Paul Grellong. Think of this show as a twisted murder mystery about the origins of two of Vought’s most evil Supes.
Before Ackles ventures into the past, he will show up in The Boys’ final season again as a series regular to give Homelander a chance to work out his daddy issues. The reveal that he’s alive occurred in the closing moments of the season four finale, which aired less than two weeks ago and concluded a wildly timely season. The show’s entire cast took the SDCC stage on July 26 to break down everything that happened and to tease season five. No, really, the entire ensemble was present, including Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Chace Crawford, Nathan Mitchell, Laz Alonso, Karen Fukuhara, Tomer Capone, Claudia Doumit, Susan Heywerd, and Valorie Curry.
Spoiler alert, but a lot of shit goes down in this episode: Billy Butcher is now a proper villain, Homelander is headed to The White House (a chilling thought!), Victoria Neuman is dead, and The Boys split up and get captured with help from two Gen V villains. Oh, and Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) is still alive, so Homelander can work out his daddy issues. It paves the way perfectly for The Boys’ final chapter, expected to be released in 2026. The presence of the whole cast at SDCC’s Hall H meant they could discuss everything, from Homelander drinking Firecracker’s breast milk to Kimiko speaking for the first time. Fukuhara revealed her reaction to learning that her character can finally use her voice: “Holy fuck, I speak!!!” (Girl, same). She added on stage: “I’m so excited to see where it goes in season five…what if she’s a chatterbox?”
Prime Video also dropped a season four blooper reel so we can glimpse into how exactly everyone keeps a straight face while acting out some of the most ridiculous scenes.
The Boys Season 4 blooper reel. You’re all bloody welcome. pic.twitter.com/ncnMHrDsEq
— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) July 26, 2024
The upcoming eight-episode fifth season will mark the end of the series, but clearly not of the franchise. Besides Vought Rising, we still have Gen V season two. In fact, Sam (Asa Germann) and Cate (Maddie Phillips) appear in the finale to kidnap Frenchie. It confirms their antagonist status further, and it just means Marie (Jaz Sinclair) and her pals will have to buck up when Gen V returns next year. The Hall H attendees at SDCC got an exclusive clip from season two featuring a first look at Hamish Linklater, who plays Godolkin University’s newly-appointed Dean. Another spoiler alert but it looks like The Deep also makes a cameo.
Another spin-off still awaiting details is a Mexico-set series from Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal, although Kripke recently said the movement on writing the show has been slow. Until then, we’ve got a lot to look forward to, starting with Gen V season two in 2025 and The Boys season five in 2026.