While The Boys writer and showrunner Eric Kripke is enthusiastic for fans to witness the conclusion of his acclaimed superhero series, he expressed a preference for having written it at a slightly different juncture. Specifically, Kripke voiced his “disappointment” that the final season of the show was crafted prior to the 2024 American elections.
In an interview with TV Guide, Kripke revealed that the initial intention was for viewers to experience the series and feel a sense of relief, as if they had narrowly avoided a grim future. “I swear the plan was ‘Let’s write a 1984-esque version of what rampant authoritarianism in America looks like’ and maybe everyone would say ‘Phew, we really dodged a bullet,’ but instead, we got hit by the bullet,” he explained.
Kripke elaborated, stating, “Many things that were outlandish to us have come true in a truly, truly f*cking disturbing way… We always say in the writers’ room, ‘Bad for the world, good for the show,’ I really wish it were the opposite.”
He cited a specific line from Homelander in Season 5, Episode 7, which at the time of writing, seemed to be the most outrageous concept they could conceive. Yet, Kripke noted, that very sentiment has already been uttered in real life. This, he suggested, is simply how current events are unfolding.