The Boys is a five-year-running TV show that asks the question: What would happen if superheroes were treated like celebrities or near-gods? The deeply funny, gritty, and dark show follows a large ensemble cast, with Billy Butcher (played by Karl Urban), and Homelander leading the group.
On the 5th anniversary of the pilot episode, almost the entire cast of The Boys attended Comic-Con this year, including Jeffrey Dean Morgan (playing Joe Kessler) as the panel host, and Antony Starr (playing Homelander) as one of the many panelists. The cast members each had specific insights and memories to share about past seasons—along with a few hints on upcoming content as well.
The cast had multiple comments on the wonderful script—Jack Quaid, who plays Hughie Campbell in the show, appreciatively remarked that “The material is so well written”. No matter the season, the script consistently ends up surprising the cast because of its originality, creativity, and humor. Chase Crawford created an audience full of laughs when he reminisced about his “romantic relationship with [his] favorite octopus, Ambrosius”.
While some things from this popular show can be depended on to stay the same—like the clever and humorous writing—there were still some changes and surprises in the most recent season of The Boys. One development was the addition of Valerie Curry’s character, Misty Tucker Gray or “Firecracker”, to the show. Valerie discussed Firecracker as a person and villain, saying “She’s the worst in every conceivable way”. However, despite Firecracker’s evil personality, Valerie also explained that she’s unique in that “She’s not afraid of [Homelander]” most people are. She loves him with a loyalty that never wavers.
Another character change that occurred in the fourth season of The Boys was with Kimiko Miyashiro, played by Karen Fukuhara. Normally, Kimiko is a non-speaking character, but this season showed her talking for the first time. When Karen Fukuhara learned that she had lines in this newest season, she was shocked and excited. She also really appreciated the first moment that she talked, as she said at the convention that “I just loved how it was written”.
Eventually, the panel shifted from a focus on past seasons, to the future for The Boys. The Boys’ season five is reportedly under work, but still in early development. However, there was one reveal that panelists could provide: that Soldier Boy (played by Jenson Ackles) will return and become a regular character in the next season.
Also, along with these season five details, updates were given on two other shows in The Boys’ universe. The first was an update on the second season of Gen V, which along with an official confirmation, also now has a trailer. The trailer included the return to God U and a cameo of “The Deep” (played by Chace Crawford). The second show is an entirely new prequel series called Vought Rising, which will explore the origins of Vought (the superhero conglomerate from the original The Boys). Vought Rising will be set in New York in the 1950s, starring Jenson Ackles as Soldier Boy and Aya Cash as Stormfront.