Fangasm

‘The Boy’ Series Finale Takes an Emotional Ride and Comes Full Circle

May 22, 2026May 22, 2026spnfans

There is always a lot riding on series finales. Eric Kripke repeatedly said he was nervous about landing this one for The Boys after 5 seasons, but also that he was grateful to be able to end it when they wanted to. Having lived through the contentious Supernatural finale after 15 seasons (which I loved), I was worried FOR him. And of course there are plenty of people posting that they didn’t like The Boys series finale either, but there are also plenty who did – I’m relieved that I’m one of them. I think it went the way it should have gone, even if I might not have enjoyed 100% of it – it made sense and felt like an earned ending, which I thought was also the case for Supernatural.

I enjoyed all the hoopla too (something Supernatural definitely did not get in 2020!) Many fans went to see the episode in the theaters it played in all across the country and much of the cast and crew attended the red carpet festivities in LA before that screening. Their excitement was contagious, so even though I didn’t go to one of the screenings near me, I felt even more anticipation than usual after watching the cast and crew smiling and proud of what they’d accomplished.

As a Supernatural fan, it also warmed my heart to see so many #SPNFamily in attendance. Eric Kripke (creator of Supernatural and showrunner of that and The Boys) finds good people in the industry, whether actors or directors or crew, and works with them on multiple projects, which means there are always familiar faces. I love that these people love continuing to work together, and also still have such a soft spot for the little show that brought them together. Phil Sgriccia, who directed so many episodes of Supernatural, directed many episodes of ‘The Boys’ including the finale – he and Eric Kripke looked like the proud papas of the evening. Chris Lennertz was one of two composers for the entire run of Supernatural, and he’s the composer for The Boys too – so talented and also just a great guy! Many actors have Supernatural and The Boys in common – at the screening there was of course Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester and Soldier Boy), and also Nathan Mitchell (Black Noir) and Rob Benedict (Splinter) who were on both shows (and Rob’s partner Ruth Connell of Supernatural too). It was so nice to see them all celebrating together!

Yes, we needed that photo of Jensen Ackles on the red carpet.

Now, for the episode itself. Major spoilers ahead, obviously.

I was actually glad that Soldier Boy was not going to be in the finale – I have complicated feelings about the character partly thanks to Jensen Ackles playing him – and I was oddly glad he was safely tucked away in stasis while everyone else fought to the death. (Yes, I said safely. I admit I didn’t want him to die. I also admit I should want him to die.) If you, like me, are a Soldier Boy fan, check out the very in depth chapter I wrote in ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’ all about the fascinating character, and also read Jensen Ackles’ exclusive interview chapter all about how he crafted his complicated character – info at the end of the article.

It’s also fitting that we return to a focus on Butcher and Homelander for the finale, wrapping back to where we started this journey. The opening reminds us of their scorched earth pact: In the end, only one of us left standing.

The Boys

The Boys start the episode discouraged and mourning Frenchie, especially Kimiko.

They give him a funeral which is very The Boys, alternating between Frenchie’s scribbled out words about being closer to all of them than his own blood, that they are his family, and he’s at peace because he knew Heaven on Earth in Kimiko’s arms – and then noting that he’s seen every one of their assholes (with details of how and when) as the proof of how well he knows them. I’ve said it a lot, but the 14 year old boy humor always throws me out of the scene a little, and this was no exception. It’s the show, though, and I guess I’m in the minority since it has characterized it since the start.

Many fans were upset about the abrupt cancellation of The Boys spinoff Gen V, and hopeful that those characters might play a pivotal role in The Boys finale. They do appear, but were kept on the periphery, to some fans’ disappointment. (It seems we may see them in the two other The Boys universe properties in development, however.) Annie asks Marie, Jordan and Emma to help the influencers they saved, but they’re reluctant. As Emma asks, “the ones who were just with the guy whose hog they were dying to suck yesterday?” As I’ve written before, I like Emma and I miss her – that one line was excellent. Annie tells Marie a story intended to inspire her not to give up – about how she idolized Queen Maeve and then met her and was disappointed. She was by then checked out, bitter. Annie says she swore she’d never let that happen to her, but it did – but not anymore. Now it’s about keeping the light burning as long as they fucking can. Don’t meet your heroes, she advises Marie.

Marie: I don’t know about never meet your heroes – worked out kinda okay for me.

It was a sweet little moment. The Gen V three drive off, headed to Canada to help the people they can, leaving the universe open for the Gen V characters to return in another iteration of the universe.

Sage joins Kimiko at Frenchie’s grave and taunts her about letting people think she was the stray that he took in when it was really the other way around, accusing her of keeping Frenchie like a pet, on a leash, until finally Kimiko gets enraged enough to do the chest blast thing.

It works – Sage is no longer super smart.

Sage: It worked! I’m fucking stupid like you guys!

The Shaw Brothers Are Reunited as Jensen Ackles Returns to ‘Tracker’!

May 20, 2026spnfans

Last week’s episode of Tracker was the first part of the season finale and also the highly anticipated return of Colter’s brother Russell (Jensen Ackles). Ackles fans have been waiting not-so-patiently for Russell to return to the series, while enjoying his turn as Soldier Boy on ‘The Boys’. It’s been a good time to be an Ackles fan!

I enjoy Tracker all the time, but I especially love the episodes that are centered on the Shaw family mystery instead of the mystery-of-the-week. We’ve gotten bits of reveals about Ashton Shaw and what shady things he might have been up to every now and then throughout the seasons, but his sons still don’t have a clear idea exactly what that was. I kind of love that they’re playing the long game here!

What we have seen is a lot of progress in Colter and Russell’s relationship, which went from initial mistrust when Colter had been led to believe (by their mother) that Russell was the one that was responsible for their father’s death to the understanding that while he was there, he was not the one who pushed their dad. Now the two of them are working together to figure out exactly what their dad got up to in Alaska and what it did to him – their mother, in this episode, confides to Colter that Ashton came back a changed man, and apparently a rageful and even violent one. She tried to protect her children, but he wouldn’t let them leave, perhaps suffering from paranoia. Or maybe he had a reason to be paranoid??

Regardless, it’s Russell who encourages Colter to give their mother a chance to explain; he also sacrificed his own relationship with Colter for a long time by letting him believe Russell was to blame for their father’s death. At first glance, Russell seems like a selfish out-for-himself guy, but scratch the surface and he’s seeming less self absorbed and more self sacrificing, at least sometimes. Jensen Ackles just seems perfectly suited to playing the big brother, once again making the sibling relationship with his costar believable. It helps, I’m sure, that he’s real life friends with Justin Hartley just as he is with Jared Padalecki. (And also, as he’s jokingly complained, once again the ‘shorter’ brother!)

Interestingly, though, the Shaw brothers’ relationship seems very different than the Winchester brothers. They too had an unusual, isolated and sometimes pathological upbringing, but they also had another sibling and a mother who was trying to protect them from their father’s obsession. That has made a big difference in the dynamic between them and in the way they approach the world – while still somewhat insular, they are more integrated into the rest of the world than the Winchesters ever were.

In this episode, Russell shows up (without a text or a phone call, as is his habit) already cooking up a barbeque for them at Colter’s trailer.

They stop at their family cabin in a sort of pilgrimage to their childhood now that their mother plans to sell. While Colter has a long overdue talk with his mother, Russell visits his father’s grave in the woods. It’s reminiscent, for Supernatural fans, of a similar scene where Dean Winchester confronts his dead father at his gravestone, and once again Ackles makes it an emotional scene. Russell is angry at his father, calling him a sonofabitch (also Dean Winchester reminiscent) and accusing him of keeping him and his siblings stuck in trying to figure out the mystery of their father for all this time. He’s right; it’s left a mark on them both and for a long time kept them estranged. Russell rightly notes that the echo of their father is still having a significant impact on both brothers’ lives (and likely their sister’s too). Maybe, he muses, that’s why the place they lived is called Echo Ridge. There are no answers there for Russell, but at least he gets a few things off his chest.

Together Colter and Russell question Dr. Jukic (sci fi legend Jeri Ryan) about her time in Alaska working on the Chrono Stasis project with their dad, and we find out just how nefarious it probably was – gifted children essentially kidnapped and held captive as lab experiments on mindreading, astral projection, all kinds of scary stuff. It was a little bit like a temporary The Boys crossover, shades of young Homelander captive and experimented on in a lab too. Jukic became attached to one of the boys but was unable to ever find him and save him; the Shaw brothers agree to do just that. (Also I was happy to see Supernatural alum Jerry Trimble as Dr. Jukic’s partner – a little reunion for him and Jensen Ackles! Tracker moves to LA to film next season and I admit I’m going to miss the gorgeous Vancouver locations and the constant parade of Supernatural alums as guest stars).

I had the pleasure of chatting with Jerry after he guest-starred as ‘Ramiel’ on Supernatural. Here’s a link to that interview if you’d like to get to know the talented actor a bit better:

Jerry Trimble Brings Ramiel to Life on Supernatural

Of course the search for Danny puts the Shaw brothers in the crosshairs of the government baddies who are still protecting the shady project. But it also gives us this kind of casually breathtaking glimpse of Russell being sneaky which…. wow.

Russell meets with one of his old contacts (who he apparently saved at one time so you would have hoped the guy would be more loyal, but oh well). Things don’t go well when Colter finds Danny either – he’s either too afraid or too brainwashed not to push the alarm button to call the bad guys instead of letting himself be saved. We left Russell in a sticky situation, too, having been found by a guard, and being far too cheeky for his own good.

In between their adventures, I thoroughly enjoyed the little snippets of conversation and banter between Russell and Colter, who are acting more and more like brothers – both sharing happier moments from their childhood and also bonding over the not happy times they unfortunately shared. I also enjoyed their sibling rivalry, with Russell announcing that he’s the “smarter, better looking brother” when he says hi to Randy and being his usual flirtatious self when saying hi to Reenie, much to Colter’s internal eyeroll.

I’m looking forward to more of Russell and Colter and finding out more about the mystery of their father in the season finale coming up this weekend.

‘Tracker’ has created a believable and enjoyable pairing with the Shaw brothers, and Justin and Jensen seem to be thoroughly enjoying it too.

Stay tuned for the season finale of Tracker AND the season finale of The Boys coming up – it’s a big week!

Screencaps z_shanaz_, jensenacklesmybeloved

–Lynn

You can read chapters from Jensen Ackles

all about his roles on Supernatural and The Boys

in the books ‘Family Don’t End With Blood’ and

‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’ – info at:

or at: https://smartpopbooks.com/book/supes-aint-always-heroes/

Creation Supernatural Cons 2026 – Norfolk!

May 18, 2026spnfans

The second Creation Supernatural convention of 2026 was in Norfolk at the end of January. It’s a quick flight, so that part was good – lucky for me, because there was snow in many parts of the country and it made getting to this con extra challenging. In fact, many people couldn’t make it there at all – it reminded me of a long ago Seattle Supernatural con that ended up getting so much snow that Jared, Jensen and Misha couldn’t get there, so it was a one day con with the few people who had made it and then we all flew back home!

This wasn’t quite as dramatic, but it was different. My friend who I’d been looking forward to seeing flew in and had to immediately fly right back out thanks to snow and pets and lack of Padaleckis. Jared Padalecki couldn’t make it, mostly due to his badly broken leg but I’m sure complicated by how ill advised it would have been to fly with that AND snow. I missed both of them more than I can say, especially because Jared wasn’t at the first con of 2026 in Vegas. I miss that guy! Glad he was taking care of himself and prioritizing recovery though, as he should be.

All that meant I had to be in the vendor room for most of the convention – if you came by to say hi or to buy a book about Supernatural or The Boys, thank you! I did leave the vendor room to watch Misha Collins’ panel — to find him watching his old infomercial for the Navy! Baby Misha!

He had some stories about his kids, who are getting far too big far too fast – Maison went to her first school dance and her dad was emotional about it.

Misha had some snazzy red shoelaces, which he showed off and clarified that they were not a political statement.

There were some influence jokes, to my great delight. There’s nothing better than being part of a fandom that has in-jokes, especially ones that extend through many years. (Look up the Mishalecki panel at JIB one year where Jared and Misha were collapsing with laughter after their dirty jokes about ‘influence’)

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/2017660849280663903?s=20

He ended with, “So there’s probably a lot of Dean’s influence in Cas…”

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/2017661074590343276?s=20

Misha reminisced on the hilarity of him and Jared messing around behind the scenes on Supernatural, saying it was a fond memory.

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/2017662094070469038?s=20

He just wrote a poem about the wormstache outtake!

Misha is a fanboy too, just not for a TV show like Supernatural – instead, he’s rather proud to be a fanboy of NPR.

‘The Best of The Boys’ Music Vinyl Collection Releases Today – with Two Jensen Ackles Songs!

May 15, 2026spnfans

A three disc vinyl collection of the music from Prime Video’s series ‘The Boys’ releases today covering the music of all five seasons. Like another Eric Kripke show we know and love (that would be ‘Supernatural’ in case you didn’t know), the music of ‘The Boys’ has always been an integral part of its storytelling, thanks to Emmy Award-winning composer Christopher Lennertz (who was one of two composers on ‘Supernatural’ also). This collection has an original score by Lennertz and Matt Bowen, and some original and cover songs performed by the cast.

The official release of Jensen Ackles’ cover of Blondie’s “Rapture” is included along with his memorable rendition of ‘From A Logical Point of View’, plus songs from Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Karen Fukuhara, Laurie Holden and of course Daveed Diggs from last week’s musical extravaganza. There are also liner notes from the cast and crew. The collection is pressed on 3x 140gm Color Vinyl.

“We’ve spent five seasons building a musical identity for this show, and the Best of The Boys vinyl is a love letter to that evolution,” say composers Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen in the press release. “Curating the collection was like watching the entire series again through the music alone — you can hear the score grow up, get darker, get weirder, and find its identity over five seasons. But Season 5 is where all of that paid off. Everything we learned over the life of this show — every instinct, every risk — we poured into this final chapter. The score has never been this big, this emotional, or this relentless, and we think the Season 5 soundtrack captures the most ambitious work we’ve done for the series — the tension is sharper, the emotional swings are bigger, and the music goes to places we never would have attempted in earlier seasons. It’s the most complete and fearless work we’ve done on the show, and we think it’s the score this finale deserved.”

Christopher Lennertz (and me) Comic Con 2019

‘The Boys’ is also known for its standout original songs, performed by the cast and woven directly into the fabric of the show’s storytelling to enrich the show’s iconic scenes. Lennertz went on to talk about Season 5’s music, saying: “Over the past four seasons, original songs have played an increasingly important part of The Boys’ storytelling, and this final season’s entry might be the pinnacle of that satirical insanity. After the success of “Let’s Put the Christ Back in Christmas,” we knew we had to go even bigger and better for the plot twist that would set the entire finale into motion. As soon as Daveed Diggs was cast as “Oh Father,” I texted [Eric] Kripke and said that it would be a crime if he didn’t sing on the show. Once Eric and the writers had the concept, I knew Daveed had to write the song with me to embody the authentic voice of this character he had developed. This season’s big original song release, “Raise Him Up,” became the most soulful and audacious anthem of Vought blasphemy that would exceed all of our expectations and finally ‘rise up’ and be worthy to represent the climax of Homelander’s unhinged hubris.”

If you missed it in last week’s episode, go check it out!

The collection also features artwork by Matt Ryan Tobin, who crafted packaging to make the set a collector’s item. Tobin gets the show’s appeal, saying in the press release that “This show is fucked up. It has me grossed out and recoiling one second, convulsing with laughter the next, before eventually ripping my heart out and bringing me to tears; and repeat. I can’t think of another show that recklessly toys with your emotions so much, yet so well. The music really pilots all of these emotions, and masterfully so.”

The collection is released by Mutant, whose co-founder Mo Shafeek said: “The greatest joy of The Boys comes from its stranger-than-fiction alternate reality where superheroes exist, but just about everything else about our world remains the same. Because of that, the world of music in The Boys universe, both diegetic and non-diegetic, is so compelling. What Christopher Lennertz, Matt Bowen, and their incredible collaborators have done for five seasons is worthy of celebration. We at Mutant are honored to bring the musical world of The Boys into the real world.”

Available for pre-order starting today at MadeByMutant.com.

If you’d like to read more about the music of ‘The Boys’, along with insights from the actors and psychologists into the complicated characters, check out the book ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’ too, available at https://smartpopbooks.com/book/supes-aint-always-heroes/ with exclusive interviews from Jensen Ackles, Nathan Mitchell, Aya Cash and more (including Christopher Lennertz!)

Vinyl Track List:

Side A

Never Truly Vanish Performed by Erin Moriarty
Faster Performed by Jessie T. Usher, Aimée Proal
Rock My Kiss Performed by Miles Gaston Villanueva
Dream a Little Dream of Me Performed by Karen Fukuhara
You’ve Got a License to Drive (Me Crazy) Performed by Miles Gaston Villanueva
America’s Son Performed by Laurie Holden
From a Logical Point of View Performed by Jensen Ackles

Side B

Rapture Performed by Jensen Ackles
Chimps Don’t Cry Performed by Laurie Holden
Let’s Put the Christ Back in Christmas Performed by Shoshana Bean, Andrew Rannells, James Monroe Iglehart and Christopher Lennertz
See Something Say Something Performed by Christopher Lennertz, Alex Karukas, and Baraka May
Faster (Gospel Version) Performed by Bryson Camper, Baraka May, David Loucks, Cherise Thomas, Brittany Wallace, Princess Jones, Aja Marie Grant, and Christopher Lennertz
Avenue V Performed by Christopher Lennertz and Alex Karukas
Stay Back! Performed by Antony Starr, Christopher Lennertz, and Alex Karukas
Raise Him Up Performed by Daveed Diggs, Christopher Lennertz, Baraka May, Caleb Curry, Kadeem Nichols, Carmen Carter and Alex Karukas

DISC TWO

Original Score by Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen

Side C

Truck Robbery
Homelander and Stillwell*
Boys Arrive*
Hughie Trashes Room*
Hospital Shootout
Break Every Bone
Meeting Blindspot
Homelander in Hallway
Halloween Store
Fake News
Brother and Sister*
The Vial
Shootout

Side D

Not Ready
Dawn of the Seven
Termite Fight and Rescue*
Soldier Boy
Home for the Super Abled
Butcher Sold Me*
Soldier Boy vs. Homelander*
This Is About Loyalty
Maeve’s Ultimate Sacrifice*
The Only Way I Could Save You*
Homelander’s Dream

DISC THREE

Original Score by Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen

Side E

I Can Do Anything / Finale
Vought Through the Years
Bat Mitzvah Rock*
Mirror Mirror
Training A-Train
Final Audition
Virus
Ol’ Dealey Plaza
Family Is All You’ve Got
Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite
The Democratic Church of America
Cast Those Demons Out
Soldier Boy Reborn
Meet Quinn
Cowboys and Jesus

Side F

Passing the Crown
Kessler
The Speech*
It Has Always Been You
Blood and Bone
The Wreckage
To the Tower
Canary in the Coal Mine
Goodbye

Mutant is a pop culture art, music, and collectibles shop headed by creative director veterans Spencer Hickman, Eric Garza, Mitch Putnam, and Mo Shafeek and CEO Jenny Jacobi, a division of the genre-bending production company SpectreVision.

Check out the music collection and then get ready for the series finale next week!

–Lynn

You can read the book that takes a deep

dive into The Boys, with insights from its

actors, composer Chris Lennertz, artist

Darick Robertson, and many more at:

Supes Ain’t Always Heroes

‘The Boys’ Penultimate Episode – with some Surprise Guest Stars!

May 15, 2026spnfans

The Deep, Ashley, and the Cost of Getting What You Think You Want

The penultimate episode of the final season of ‘The Boys’ is called ‘The Frenchman, the Female and the Man Called Mother’s Milk’, which makes sense considering some of the pivotal things that happen. It kicks off, though, with a musical! All the kudos to Chris Lennertz and Daveed Diggs for the opening number with Oh Father and his scantily clad dancers reminding everyone that Homelander is now bigger than Jesus, totally American, and ready to get rid of anyone who doesn’t conform (all served up with some blatant sexuality while no doubt preaching something puritanical).

As they’re working on that propaganda piece, we finally see the scene that was teased long ago, Homelander sitting in the Oval office, feet up on the desk.

He gives the president his marching orders — DCA will be the official sanctioned church, every boundary between church and state will be dissolved, and troops will be sent into every sanctuary city that took in Starlighters…

(Yes, I had to stop and scream about how RIGHT this show got its predictions for like the hundredth time because wow)

Because he’s Homelander he also wants to outlaw any milk that’s not actual milk and make breastfeeding mandatory lol. (Hey, I’m a big breastfeeding enthusiast but come on, Homie… I guess that’s the point though, he doesn’t give a damn whether or not it’s even possible for everyone). It’s good for me to have scenes like these to remember just how unhinged and uncaring and narcissistic this crazy dictator parody is, no matter how good Antony Starr is at sometimes making him so sad. He also wants to disband Congress, which the President says he doesn’t have the authority to do. Uh oh. One tiny bit of doubt and you are in danger of being taken out; that’s how dangerous Homelander is, and how easily his ego is bruised. Homelander asks Ashley to read the President’s mind to see if he’s a true believer. He yanks off Ashley’s wig and exposes Back Ashley, who says the president is terrified of him and thinks he’s “a tiny bit psychotic”.

That’s that – the president’s head is smashed in and Homie is covered in blood, which he wipes all over the gold embroidered furniture. Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd now Ashley is President! Back Ashley tries to be the voice of reason, but Ashley marvels that she lost every single student council election, if only all those people could see her now. She’s trying hard to just enjoy it, but Back Ashley keeps pointing out the cost – that she can’t sleep, that she’s yanking out her hair, that she hates herself.

Back Ashley finally gives up and leaves, which is what Ashley thought she wanted – but now she is well and truly alone.

She’s not the only one whose relentless loyalty to a corrupt regime and dictator has left her anything but happy. The Deep apologizes to Homelander for killing Noir, who he insists was saying some really mean shit about Homelander. Homelander says it’s fine – then announces he’s abolishing The Seven, who haven’t had seven members in a long time (a recurring joke in the fandom). Deep tries to get Homelander to give him The Seven, citing his loyalty, ending with “please, the Seven is all I have”.

Homelander coldly says don’t make this about yourself and wishes him the best. The Seven is now The One.

Cut to a giant mural of The Seven on the side of a building being repainted – to just Homelander.

The Deep sits on a dock drowning his sorrows and throws the can carelessly into the water.

Zander the shark swims up and says he should come in and grab it – Zander (played by none other than Samuel L Jackson!) tells him to get in the water, that they know he’s responsible for the March 15 genocide. He finally sets out a threat: If he steps one foot in the water anywhere, all aquatic life will make sure he’s killed. It’s kinda a fate worse than death for the Deep. But damn, he really ended up deserving it. The ultimate sell-out.

As he’s pondering what to do, people on the beach start clamoring for him to save an old man who is drowning, his PR person reminding him this is his whole brand. He looks on in horror knowing he can’t as the old man sinks, people recording it all on their phones.

‘The Boys’ Episode 6 – On Being Human (With an Ending Twist)

May 11, 2026spnfans

There has been a lot of discourse about this season of The Boys not having enough action or “not enough happening” while I’ve been eating up the deep dive into characterization every week. To the extent that showrunner Eric Kripke had to address it in interviews wondering if people are expecting them to just constantly blow things up – and adding if that’s what the expectation is, you’re watching the wrong show.

I wrote a whole book about the complex characters and deep themes in this show, that’s how much I appreciate its depth, so I am not watching the wrong show. And not surprisingly I liked this episode, “Though The Heavens Fall”.

WARNING – SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 5.06!

Golden Geisha and Kimiko and Hanging Onto Humanity

The Legend is back, hiding out in a movie theater working the concession stand (I love that they have a The Deep popcorn bucket – wasn’t this written long before all those memes about the Dune popcorn bucket and what teenage boys might actually use it for? Is this Kripke prescience again?? It also made me snort that The Deep has his mouth wide open and just waiting for people to shove their hand in there, which was oddly reminiscent of what he did to Starlight way back in Season 1. Also the recently deceased Firecracker does a spot on parody of Nicole Kidman’s ultra sincere “the movies will save us” advertisements for it.

The Legend is hiding from Vought due to all the intel he has, fondly reminiscing on who he’s fucked and who he’s been fucked by (Marlon Brando…) but when MM tells him Bombsight has the V1 he’s convinced to help (tho he points out that MM sounds like Butcher now, threatening to cut his balls off). Homelander’s new church crusade messed up his sweet life too.

Hughie is still arguing that they wait longer to try get V1 before they set off the supe killing virus Frenchie completed to kill Homelander (and the rest of the supes, as in Annie and Kimiko). The Legend suggests they can get Bombsight to bring it to them by going after the love of his life, Golden Geisha, who now lives in Vought Villages supe retirement home (because of course it’s The Villages…). They find her but Kimiko is reluctant to hurt her or the others, saying she doesn’t want to hurt a bunch of old people. Butcher insists they’re not people, and MM agrees. The Legend again questions what’s happened to MM, saying it’s like he’s gone crazy. This is a theme of the episode – what does it mean to be human and how do we hang onto that humanity in the face of unspeakable horrors?

They kidnap Goldie, escaping after a fight with some of the old supes who nevertheless still have powers. One guy has giant balls that he can whip around to fight with because of course he does, we need our nod to twelve year old boys. I felt for the guy. Butcher chokes him out with his own balls, but Kimiko stops him from killing the guy.

Golden Geisha claims she doesn’t know where Bombsight is. Butcher wants to torture her but Kimiko is kind to her, helping put her slipper back on and apologizing for what they’re doing.

Kimiko: I watched every episode of Undercover Geisha even though those were racist stereotypes – it meant so much to see someone like me on TV.

A little nod to the importance of representation in media.

Kimiko realizes that Bombsight stole the V1 for Goldie so they could be together forever, but she didn’t take it. For him, watching her get old would be too painful, but for her? To live forever would be torture. Golden Geisha gets the most memorable line in this episode – Summer is only beautiful when you know winter is coming.

Well written, David Reed. (I enjoyed his work on ‘The Magicians’ too).

Frenchie realizes that Kimiko feels that way too. She tells him that she and Annie don’t want to die but they don’t want to be vampires either – but they’ll do it for him and Hughie anyway.

Hughie and Annie and the Rare Good Dads

On the way to the church where they’ll let loose the virus, Annie and Hughie pause to lie on the car hood and cloud watch, like Sam and Dean stargazing on the Impala. Hughie insists she’s not dying, that they’ll have plenty of time to look for filthy things in the clouds, and Annie marvels at his unshakeable hope and asks how he manages it.

Hughie: Whenever I’d get upset as a kid, which was a lot, my dad would say life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react. I spent a year in an internment camp and had no control over anything. So fucking angry, hearing my dad’s voice in my head. I finally understood what he meant — the only thing I had left was hope. And it is really fucking hard to hang onto but I, I’m trying.

Annie: I think you might be lowkey the strongest person I know.

I love Hughie so much, I will really miss him when this series ends. Jack Quaid did such a great job showing him as just quintessentially human, flaws and all. What he learned from his dad reminds me of Viktor Frankl, the psychologist who lived through being in an actual concentration camp, discovering while there exactly what Hughie’s dad did – if you can’t control anything else, you can control how you make sense of it and how you react to it.

Hughie’s dad was a good dad.

(I put together a whole book that tackles the theme of fatherhood, toxic and otherwise, in ‘The Boys’ if you’re interested in exploring more. Hughie, Butcher, Soldier Boy, Homelander… almost all of the complicated characters have daddy issues, and it was fascinating to take a look at them with psychologists, media experts and the actors portraying them. Link at end of article for more info).

‘The Boys’ Delivers a Supernatural Reunion – And So Much More!

May 2, 2026May 2, 2026spnfans

As a long-time fan of both Supernatural and The Boys, my anticipation for this week’s episode has been off the charts for what seems like forever. I’m definitely one of the fans who would love a Season 16 of Supernatural or a feature film or an 8 episode streamer or pretty much whatever, but I’m also happy to see “my boys” onscreen together in anything else in the meantime. Witnessing how they talked about filming together and how much fun they had (and how much chaos inevitably happened) only made me more excited – they filmed a year ago, so it seems like we had to wait an inordinately long time to actually SEE it. But guess what? The episode, and what I’ve been calling the “Supernatural Reunion”, did not disappoint! I found myself either yelling “oh nooooo” or just laughing my head off during the entire sequence, which was full of surprises.

Some fans of The Boys were skeptical about all the fuss being made about the Supernatural reunion, fearing it would take away from the final season of the show (which only has 3 more episodes) but the episode was also the most highly rated by press viewing the early screeners – and I think deservedly so. It definitely moved the plot along in multiple ways, and it lived up to the calendar blood-splatter warning that some main character(s) would die. Spoiler alert, lots of people (and supes) die in this episode!

It’s also a genre departure as a pov episode, in that it devotes a chunk of time to many of the characters, exploring their perspectives on Homelander as God, on where their loyalty lies, and on some of their struggles with what it’s cost them to keep going along with Homelander no matter what.

SPOILER ALERT – MAJOR SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 5 AHEAD

FIRECRACKER

Spoiler alert, the main supe to die is Firecracker. Valorie Curry outdid herself in this episode, making the character nuanced enough so that you feel for her even as you loathe what she’s doing, and what she’s refusing to see. Kripke told TVLine that Firecracker is an allegory for all the loyalists who go along with a dictator demanding allegiance, compromising their values, and then end up “hoisted on their own petard” anyway. There’s really no pleasing someone like Homelander, on the show or in real life, as we’ve seen time and time again. As Kripke put it, “nothing will ever be enough, it doesn’t matter how much you give up.” In Firecracker’s case, it’s everything she once sincerely believed in.

At first, things seem to be going well for Firecracker. She makes her case to Homelander and the Seven with an advertisement full of cowboys and horses and guns and the stereotypes of Americana, presenting the “massive growth” in popularity of their new religious movement, led by white men and women of course.

Soldier Boy (looking down at his crotch while giving her a smirk): I’m seeing massive growth myself…

He is so massively gross it sometimes circles back to oddly endearing. And he really likes to talk about his dick. And other people’s dicks, for that matter. Homelander does not miss that interaction though, and he doesn’t like it. He also isn’t happy about being called a prophet when prophets are servants and he is the saviour. His delusion is getting to the point where even his followers keep making missteps, misjudging just how deranged and grandiose he’s become. Most of his accolytes go along with everything he says, each of them trying to out-pander the others. Firecracker wins him over, though, kneeling in front of him worshipfully and handing him something physical that will appeal to his ego – the Homelander Bible, complete with a raised gold figure of himself right on the cover.

Homelander (impressed): It’s heavy…

Soldier Boy (eyeroll)

It is, of course, AI written. Two years ago Kripke and company sure saw that coming!

It seems fitting that this is who has it now…

Homelander agrees to do it her way. Sister Sage reminds them that their plan will generate widespread civil unrest (does this seem familiar??) – no worries, Homelander says, they’ll just recall all the supes stationed overseas. After all, “American heroes should be protecting America, not Whogivesafuckistan!”

Fresh from her victory, Firecracker goes back to her hometown in Florida to meet with the reverend of her childhood church (who happens to be the marijuana growing grampa on Sheriff Country…) He was a support to her as a child, making sure she got at least one hot square meal a day, but now his church is losing people to the Democratic Church of America and the supe Praying Mantis is intimidating them by spraying acid out of his butt to melt their stained glass windows.

She asks why he doesn’t just pay the franchise free and join them; he says they can’t even afford their water bill. The reverend reminds her of what she doesn’t want to recall – Homelander isn’t God and the things he can do aren’t miracles, and she’s still the same Misty Tucker Gray.

Cut to a grunting, naked Soldier Boy on top of Firecracker, and now every Jensen Ackles fan has a gif (or 3) of his “O face”.

Firecracker: We ain’t doin’ that again.

Soldier Boy: That’s what you said the last six times.

He lights a joint which is so very Soldier Boy, and hotter than anyone wants it to be. He senses she’s a little out of it and is worried, though I’m not sure if it’s because he’s a considerate lover or it threatens his ego if she didn’t.

Soldier Boy: Did you nut? Because you usually nut…

The answer appears to be no, since she changes the subject and asks if he was baptized. He says yes, in front of half of Chestnut Hill by Gov. Sproul, and then his family kept up appearances but never set foot in church again.

(I got distracted by the fact that Chestnut Hill is right down the road, having forgotten that Ben grew up nearby. Didn’t they need some on location filming for Vought Rising??)

Anyway, she asks if maybe Homelander might go easy on the reverend who practically raised her.

Soldier Boy: So you didn’t nut.

Jared, Jensen and Misha Tease This Week’s ‘Supernatural’ Reunion on ‘The Boys’ – Plus Kripke on Why His Two Shows Go Together

April 27, 2026spnfans

This week The Boys hosts something that Supernatural fans have been waiting for a long time – Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins onscreen, together again. It will be the first time the three have shared a screen since their many years together on Supernatural as Sam, Dean and Castiel. For Supernatural fans, this feels like a momentous occasion.

The three gave fans some rather tantalizing tidbits of information about the upcoming episode at a Supernatural convention in Rome this past weekend.

Eric Kripke is of course the common denominator between the two shows as the creator of Supernatural and the showrunner who adapted The Boys comics into a series. Jensen Ackles joined as Soldier Boy in Season 3 and has been making fans conflicted about loving and hating him ever since.

Fans figured out last month that Jared Padalecki will be playing Mr. Marathon from a photo on the wall when we caught a glimpse of the character in a promo, because nothing gets by motivated fans!

Jared confirmed it at a convention shortly after – which prompted Kripke to go out and confirm it too, saying that he had wanted a meaty part for Jared that was important to the story arc. Jensen Ackles has said that he was nervous about bringing his two friends onto The Boys – not because he worried about their performance, because he knew they’d be great, but in the way a dad worries about his son going up to bat. Picture him across the set going “come on guys, you can do it!”

Apparently they did.

Kripke recently confirmed that Padalecki had ‘crushed it’, unsurprisingly. We also know that Mr. Marathon is a far cry from Jared Padalecki, who has said the character says and does things that he would never do. He’s a douchebag and a cokehead, reminding many people of the fanfic Kripke read many years ago featuring a cokehead Jared and an assertive Kripke and let’s just say it wasn’t rated G and that I may or may not know more about how that all happened…

That was a long long time ago, as Supernatural was in its earliest seasons. This was Kripke back then, the first time we met him – baby Kripke!

Anyway… Collins’ role hasn’t been officially announced, but there are plenty of rumors that he might be Mr. Marathon’s partner and perhaps a supe named Synergy.

Looks like Soldier Boy is not a fan.

That would be an awesome (though probably tragic) twist for all the Mishalecki fans out there.

Jared and Misha have been having a great time teasing the possibilities.

Soldier Boy still not a fan.

Padalecki joked at the Supernatural convention in Rome this weekend in response to a prompt about getting naked – “next Wednesday on The Boys!”

Now that might just be a joke, but on the other hand, Ackles has already been sans clothes for Soldier Boy’s debut and the show is famous for Herogasm, so who knows?!

Padalecki and Collins also resurrected their long-running joke about “influence” on each other from an earlier convention in Rome, with influence being a bodily fluid that’s also not G rated, when answering a question about The Boys episode.

Jared: There’s quite a bit of influence going on… I mean, not as much because we’re older, but…

Misha: I think quite a bit of influence on each other… in each other? In this episode there’s more bodily fluid than…it’s a lot…

Ackles rolled his eyes at his two friends’ antics while fans cheered.

If all those teases aren’t enough to whet your appetite for this week’s episode, I don’t know what would – as someone whose favorite shows are Supernatural and The Boys, I can’t wait!

I’ve had some great conversations with Eric Kripke over the years about both shows and the similarities between them (the resistance in both comes in the form of plain old humans who are willing to go against the odds and keep fighting). So on the eve of this momentous occasion, I thought I’d share some excerpts from my interview chats with Eric over the years about the two shows and how they intersect. It’s a history of the Supernatural-The Boys connection as we get ready to make that connection a lot more direct!

I first asked Kripke about the similarities between his brand new show The Boys and his long-time show Supernatural at San Diego Comic Con way back in 2019, before Supernatural had ended.

Eric: This show is also about family. It’s about the boys, who are the good guys in this show. They’re the heroes because they stick together and show each other loyalty and have each other’s backs and they’re willing to admit vulnerability and weakness. They’re scared and they’re outmatched and they’re outgunned but they’re taking on these powerful forces. Not dissimilar to the way Sam and Dean would take on monsters and demons. What I love is that the heroes of the show are the ones who express vulnerability and weakness and can be imperfect, but we spend a lot of time building the iceberg under the water with the emotion and the satire.

That was enough to get me excited about the show and I’ve been watching ever since. I had the chance to chat with Eric in depth about The Boys shortly after that Comic Con. I pointed out that both Supernatural and The Boys begin with an everyman inspired to get revenge after the love of his life is violently killed (Mary burning on the ceiling and Robin mowed down by A Train). In the case of The Boys, that comes from the comics, but the show captured it.

Eric: Now that you’ve pointed it out, there are similarities to that. Robin dying in The Boys is taken almost frame for frame from the comic book so it’s funny, that hadn’t really occurred to me about that connection, because in The Boys the instigating incident is so infamous for anyone who’s a fan of the books. It was my job to capture it as faithfully as possible and that’s mostly where my head was, but yeah. Also, I think where they’re similar is there are a lot of tonal and thematic similarities. In a lot of ways, The Boys is a hard R Supernatural.

(Something many Supernatural fans would not mind at all!)

Everyone Goes Darkside in ‘The Boys’ Episode 4 ‘The King of Hell’

April 24, 2026spnfans

Not gonna lie, as a Supernatural fan I was waiting for Mark Sheppard to show up as Crowley after the title of this episode appeared – alas, we didn’t get a Crowley cameo. From the reviews, some people were critical of this episode that “nothing happened to move the story forward” but I 100% disagree. This episode gave us the kind of insights I crave the most – the emotional and psychological ones. It didn’t move the story forward a great deal if the ‘story’ is ‘get the V1’ but to me the fascinating story is that of the characters and their relationships, and we got A LOT of insights about that.

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE BOYS EPISODE 5.04!

How to Sell a Lunatic as the New God

Samaritan’s Embrace is bankrupt and Homelander is convinced he’s a God, and those two things work together to make a dark statement about religion and power as The Boys continues to reflect some of our darkest reality in a truly disturbing way. Homelander continues to fascinate me as he uses his hallucination of Madelyn and the delusions of grandeur that followed to move ahead with his plan to be the savior of the world. He’s still very much obsessed with his own family though, the episode opening with him sadly looking at a phone of him and Ryan and then accusing Firecracker of smelling like Soldier Boy (which he’s absolutely correct about).

He tells Firecracker that he was visited by an angel who foretold his destiny.

Firecracker: Well praise be – what is it?

When he answers ‘God’, she thinks he means serving the lord, but he quickly corrects her. He won’t be serving the lord, he’ll BE the lord. The messiah.

Homelander is making sense of his tragic life and all its hardships as the price he’s had to pay for being special and destined to be god, and he’s convinced Firecracker saw it all along and she’s not about to dissuade him. Therefore, he informs her, he’s chosen her to spread the word – since they control the media.

Homelander: Jesus would kill for our marketing.

Firecracker: WTF face

(This is a theme throughout the episode, which is peppered with small humorous moments like WTF faces to break up the too-close-to-reality darkness).

We get a typical The Boys scene intended to make most people say ‘ewww’ with Ashley and Oh Father, who married for PR but have discovered that she loves punishing him and he loves being punished, so they make enough noise to disgust the guards at the door and send his ball gag flying with enough force that it breaks the wall when he screams in ecstasy, ‘Back Ashley’ enjoying the show as voyeur. She reads his mind when he’s unguarded though, and realizes that the church is bankrupt.

Just then Firecracker shows up and gets to deliver a Soldier Boy-worthy gross line – “Dang, smells like a wet shit in a Waffle House in here”.

I admit that got the “ewww” the show was going for.

Some of the Seven minus Homelander and Soldier Boy meet at Vought Tower to brainstorm how they can make Homelander being God palatable to the masses.

Worm: What we need is a good story, who’s read Joseph Campbell?

I like Worm. Bring him some tasty dirt, someone.

The PR lady, on the other hand, does not like Worm, saying no wonder his last film got a low rating on the AV Club (which is a real thing and a nudge at fandom ala what Supernatural used to do in its meta episodes, so it made me smile).

Worm: I had to service fourteen main characters and cross over a bunch of assholes – you try to make a good finale out of that!

(Writers getting meta and putting a writer character into the canon, it’s the series’ last season after all and Kripke has spoken openly about being worried about fan reception of the series finale – he didn’t write the ending to Supernatural, but that finale certainly came with a range of reactions!)

It’s Firecracker who comes up with the idea that they need a church that preaches America and convinces the masses that the real American hero is Homelander, and he’s their savior. The Democratic Church of America. Voila, kill two birds with one stone, rescue her hubby’s failing church and find a way to get people to accept Homelander as god.

I am sincerely shocked that doesn’t exist with exactly that name already, to be honest.

Fathers and Daughters

A variation on the theme of fathers and sons that has so characterized this season and this show, Annie pays her estranged father a visit. I know some people thought this was a needless detour but I loved exploring her backstory more and finally knowing what the real story was with her dad. Turns out he’s remarried and Annie has a half brother, Mason.

Annie: WTF face.

The Boys Episode 3 Tackles Intergenerational Trauma – with a Punch!

April 17, 2026spnfans

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE BOYS SEASON 3 EPISODE 5!!

Also warning for lots of Soldier Boy, since this is originally a Supernatural website and we might enjoy lots and lots of Jensen Ackles characters. You’ve been warned!

“Every One of You Sons of Bitches” was a tough episode to watch. The theme of fathers and sons and how that can go wrong, and the repeated depiction of intergenerational trauma, plays out in vicious fashion. Literally hard to watch at times, but the episode left an impact (yes, figuratively too).

And we got a lot more Soldier Boy, which is always a win in my book.

Soldier Boy Joins the Seven

Soldier Boy officially joins the Seven, going along with Homelander’s plan at least for now, with the propaganda machine working smoothly to get the public to revise their negative view of him. “America’s first hero, defender of liberty, branded a traitor by legacy media, scapegoated by Starlight, Soldier Boy has been reborn.” Apparently he was working with “our friends in Russia” to rout out traitors in Ukraine, as evidenced by a photo op of him shaking hands with Putin.

The Deep notes that Russia was the first nation to not put up with trans bathrooms, which sounds like it should be a ridiculous thing to say except over the several years since this season was written, it’s unfortunately gotten even more believable as something we might hear on TV.

Ashley presents Soldier Boy with the “democratic medal of patriotic freedom” and he beams, his narcissism well fed. Seriously, how many times am I going to watch a scene in this show and be able to call to mind another REAL one that looked exactly the same?? Some silly made up honor and a big gaudy gold medal placed around some narcissistic leader’s neck while he grins like an idiot.

Sorry, Soldier Boy, but oof.

Both Antony Starr and Jensen Ackles say so much with their facial expressions and posture in this scene. Soldier Boy accepts the honor, which Homelander probably played a part in setting up, but as he watches his father soak up all the glory, you can see that it pains him. He can never allow anyone else the limelight without feeling like it should be him (Soldier Boy is the same way, as Black Noir found out the hard way).

Homelander expresses everyone’s gratitude to Soldier Boy and says they hope “he can forgive us as he takes his rightful place in the Seven.” That’s a bit of a Freudian slip, as Homelander is at the moment worried about Soldier Boy’s more personal forgiveness – he’s afraid that his father has not forgiven him for sending him after Butcher clueless about the supe-killing virus that almost took him out.

Homelander also can’t resist sharing that he’s also very proud to say that “this great hero is my father” – Soldier Boy looks ambivalent about making this public, to say the least.

When they’re out of the public eye, Homelander tries to butter his father up, saying he’s still got it, that social media is blowing up, calling them “America’s sexiest dynasty.”

This show’s intersection with reality is so ridiculous, this could be an actual People cover or a fan-made creation and I would believe either explanation!

Soldier Boy is not amused.

He has been silent this whole time, but the look on his face is chilling. (The chapter I wrote about Soldier Boy in the book on ‘The Boys’, ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes,’ dives into Ackles’ extraordinary ability to convey more information with his face than most people can with a page of dialogue, and he shows that here.) Homelander insists he would have never sent Soldier Boy in if he knew Butcher had the virus – and reminds him that he said not to engage, so it’s not really his fault anyway – but you can clearly see that none of this is convincing to Soldier Boy.

Homelander is lying about not knowing, but he did apparently tell his father not to engage – the farthest someone like him can go to protect someone he cares about (even if that caring is mostly just selfish).

Soldier Boy never says a word, but looks scary as hell – and pissed. Narcissists do not do well with betrayal and it’s clear he feels like Homelander betrayed him. It’s an Achilles heel for him, people he trusts betraying him, and something that keeps happening – as Soldier Boy doesn’t exactly inspire loyalty. That’s the Catch 22 of being a narcissist, desperate for people’s love and approval but constantly holding them to standards that they’re bound to fall short of and being such a dick that they inevitably betray him. (It’s a pitfall that both father and son are falling into, with Homelander taking it up to a whole other level).

Setting Up Vought Rising: V1

‘The boys’ figure out that Soldier Boy wasn’t killed by the virus because he has V1 in his bloodstream as Frederick Vought’s first iteration of Compound V. Which means, as MM puts it, “this motherfucker is unkillable.”

Sage explains the same to Soldier Boy. It only worked on a handful of supes – Bombsight, Torpedo, Private Angel, him and Stormfront. To Soldier Boy’s questioning look, she explains that’s Dr. Vought’s wife Clara.

Sage: I think you know her as Liberty.

The look that passes over Soldier Boy’s face at learning that speaks volumes, setting up some of the plot for Vought Rising starring Soldier Boy and Stormfront/Liberty. They clearly have a history and I cannot wait to find out what it is!

V1 is why Soldier Boy doesn’t age. Homelander asks hopefully if he too is immune to the virus, but the answer is no. (Back at the boys HQ, Samir clarifies the same thing – and that if Homelander gets his hands on some V1, he’d be immortal too. The boys vow to find some V1 before Homelander can).

Homelander to Sage: Bring me some.

I liked the way these parallel scenes were shot, with both the boys and the supes figuring it out at the same time, and both determined to get some V1 for their own uses.



Supes Ain't Always Heroes	There'll Be Peace When You Are Done
Family Don't End with Blood	Fan Phenomena: Supernatural

Fangasm: Supernatural Fangirls	Fandom at the Crossroads

Fan Culture: Theory/Practice	Supernatural Psychology: Roads Less Traveled

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