The Boys Series Finale: Who Didn't Survive? And How Did It End? Grade It!

Warning: We're about to spoil the events of "The Boys" series finale. Proceed with caution. 

Now streaming on Prime Video, the series finale of "The Boys" turns the White House into a war zone, with the titular vigilantes facing off against Homelander in a long-awaited fight to the death. Actually, make that several deaths.

Fresh off Frenchie's heroic sacrifice, the episode opens with a funeral for Kimiko's departed soulmate, whose thoroughly detailed will is mostly a reminder that he's seen all of their b-holes. Classic Frenchie, right to the end. With that business out of the way, it's time to focus on the mission at hand — infiltrating the Oval Office and stopping Homelander before he formally unleashes hell on the country's non-believers. And with Homelander's nationwide televised address fast approaching, the clock is ticking. Loudly.

With an assist from Ashley (and whatever we're calling the backside of Ashley's head), our heroes make their way into the White House's underground tunnels, setting the stage for a game-changing final battle five seasons in the making. (Make that seven seasons if you count "Gen V"!)

So, did your favorite "Boys" characters survive the brutal, bloody series finale? Read on for a breakdown of the episode's winners, losers, and everything in between:

Let's start with some bittersweet news: the visiting characters from "Gen V" — Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), Emma Meyer (Lizze Broadway), and Jordan Li (London Thor) — all live to fight another day, even if we won't be seeing their stories play out in a third season of the canceled spin-off. Prior to the final face-off against Homelander, Annie tells Marie & Co. that the best way they can help is to smuggle loyalists over the border to Canada, effectively forbidding them from seeing any actual action. 

Annie and Marie enjoy one last moment together as Annie reflects on everything she learned from Maeve (Dominique McElligott), offering a word to the wise about meeting your heroes. "I don't know about meeting your heroes, by the way," Marie tells her. "It worked out OK for me." And with that final bit of bonding over, we say our last goodbyes to the underrated heroes of "Gen V."

"The Boys" showrunner Eric Kripke previously discussed the Marie of it all with TVLine, addressing fans' desire to see the all-powerful Supe go up against Homelander — and why she didn't.

"She has all of this power, and everyone online is like, 'Well, why doesn't she just go take on Homelander?' I'm like, 'She's a 19-year-old kid! She has no idea how to wield any of it in any sort of responsible, controlled way,'" Kripke explained. "Were there to be another season of 'Gen V,' that would be her training-with-Yoda season where she really learns how to take the next step."

Before sending Kimiko after Homelander, the Boys have to make sure their experiment was a success. Enter Sage, who pushes Kimiko's buttons — specifically egging her on about treating Frenchie like a dog, making her feel even guiltier about his death — enough to elicit the anger required to pull off the blast. Much to the team's delight, it works, which Sage discovers when she fails to recall a particular quote from "Othello."

And what better way to celebrate her newfound averageness than with a trip to Universal Studios? Declaring herself D-O-N-E with all things Homelander, she reveals that she'll be skipping the final battle at the White House for a day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. ("Wands up, b**ches! Sage out!"

The first major death of the series finale is extremely on-brand for "The Boys." While Annie is busy dealing with The Deep (more on that later), Oh Father ambushes the other members of the team at the White House, demanding they turn over Butcher. A spot-on impression of Butcher, courtesy of Hughie, initially throws Oh Father off their trail, but the conflict escalates quickly. The minister of melees is about to blast the Boys with his signature sonic scream, when Mother's Milk swoops in and straps a ball gag over his mouth; the force of the contained blast causes Oh Father's head to explode, killing him instantly.

Of course, this isn't just any ol' ball gag. This is an indestructible sex toy gifted to Oh Father by his totally devoted, not-at-all duplicitous wife Ashley earlier in the episode. Just when we thought we couldn't love her more, she goes and does this. Brava, Ashley!

Meanwhile, Annie is locked in a life-or-death brawl with The Deep on a nearby beach. Even after Homelander finally tells The Deep exactly what he thinks of him ("I have never had less respect for anyone in my life, and the only reason I haven't killed you is because I want you to know deep in your heart how truly worthless you are!"), he remains determined to reenter Homelander's good graces, beginning with killing Annie.

Unfortunately for The Deep, nature has other plans. After giving him one last chance to join her side, not to mention the opportunity to take responsibility for his own poor life choices, Annie has no choice but to blast him into the ocean. The catch? As you'll recall, The Deep has become persona non grata in the fish world, and an angry group of underwater activists waste no time circling their new enemy on their home turf.

Following a series of "Say her name!" chants, The Deep faces the full wrath of the sea, ultimately getting impaled (through the back and out the mouth) by a vengeful creature's tentacle before being dragged into the murky depths below.

Then comes the main event: Homelander vs. Butcher and Kimiko, plus a surprise appearance from Ryan, who tells his father to "get f**ked" earlier in the episode. "I am nothing like you," Ryan says when Homelander first tracks him down. "You're already the most powerful person on Earth, and you're a lonely, miserable piece of s**t. ... Scaring people into calling you God doesn't make you God, and deep down, you know that." (It's a very satisfying moment.)

OK, back to the action: Homelander, Ryan, and Butcher turn the Oval Office into a battlefield, with Kimiko standing by until she's ready to go boom. She initially freezes up, unable to channel the rage required to reach full strength, but an angelic vision of Frenchie assures her that she already has all the power she needs. "Rage is not what makes you strong," he tells her, unlocking her full potential and resulting in a blinding blast.

After regaining their balance, Butcher and Homelander face off in the final leg of their battle, this time without the aid of superpowers. Watching Homelander discover and process his sudden mortality is delightful, as is the well-deserved beating he endures at Butcher's fist. In his lowest, most pathetic moment, Homelander begs for mercy on national television, offering to do... well, just about anything to earn Butcher's favor. Alas, that favor is non-negotiable, and Butcher puts their long-running feud to an end by impaling Homelander through the head with a crowbar, spilling his brains out on the desk.

The Boys celebrate their big win with drinks and cigars, each mapping out their next steps. Butcher offers Ryan a fresh start somewhere with Terror, but Ryan declines. Sure, Homelander was a terrible person, but Butcher is no Mother Teresa either. In an impressive display of maturity, Ryan chooses himself, officially severing ties with Butcher for his own wellbeing.

Unfortunately, that's not where the story ends. Determined to eradicate Supes once and for all, Butcher steals a dose of the Godolkin Virus and dumps it in the sprinkler tank at Vought. Hughie intervenes when he catches wind of Butcher's plan, barely arriving at the Seven's headquarters before Butcher has a chance to flip the proverbial switch — which is also a literal switch, in this case.

Hughie attempts to appeal to Butcher's dwindling conscience ("You're not a monster, it just hurts to be human"), but he's already made up his mind. A nasty scuffle ensues, with Butcher nearly beating Hughie to death before exacting his vengeance on the Supes. But something stops Butcher in his tracks — a vision of himself as a scared little boy — and appears to inspire a change of heart. We'll never know, of course, because Hughie takes advantage of Butcher's distraction and shoots him dead.

Then again, maybe there is some conscience to be found inside Butcher — like, way deep inside. Not only does he forgive Hughie for killing him, accepting that he had no other choice, but he also commends Hughie for always remaining true to himself. Then... it's lights out.

Butcher is buried next to Becca (Shantel VanSanten), "where he always wanted to be," according to Mother's Milk, and the surviving members of the Boys honor his memory with a trip to a topless steakhouse in Reno. Because what else would they do?

The rest of Homelander's administration may have gone up in flames, but not Ashley! After secretly helping the Boys break into the White House and kill her boss, the two-faced vice president announces her intention to remain in the Oval Office, filling in for the late, not-so-great President Homelander: "I am not going to resign!" she announces at a press conference. "I did nothing wrong!"

(Congress feels a little differently, however, and Ashley is immediately impeached.)

Once the dust settles, we're treated to a montage of the Boys' lives after finally defeating Homelander — beginning with Mother's Milk, seen remarrying his ex-wife Monique! With his Supes obsession finally put to bed, he's free to pursue a future with the woman he loves, swapping "I do's" with Janine and Ryan standing beside them as witnesses.

The episode then whisks us over to Europe, where we see that Kimiko is living her best life in France — well, as the best life she can with the memory of Frenchie haunting her like a foul-mouthed ghost. She and Frenchie often spoke about going to Marseille, and it's obvious that she wishes he could be there with her, but the smile on her face suggests that she's going to be OK. (She even got the Bernedoodle they had always talked about!)

Last but certainly not least, the finale ends with a peek at Hughie and Annie's future, which includes a number of exciting twists. First, Hughie receives a phone call from Bob Singer (Jim Beaver), who's now the President of the United States. Apparently the Bureau of Supe Affairs is being reinstated to deal with Vought's latest "clusterf**k," and he wants Hughie to run it. Much to POTUS' dismay, however, Hughie politely turns down his offer.

After all, Hughie has his hands full running Campbell Audio and Video with Annie, who's pregnant with their daughter... Robin! And with Billy Joel's "Piano Man" playing us out, "The Boys" comes to a hopeful conclusion after five seasons.

Were you satisfied with the series finale? Do you wish anything happened differently? Grade the episode and season in our polls below, then drop a comment with your full review.