The Boys Creator Eric Kripke On Fans' Response To Series Finale: 'Sorry If I Disappointed You, But It Was The Story I Wanted To Tell'

It's been more than two weeks since "The Boys" dropped its series finale, and we're sure you still have thoughts. There's also a good chance that creator Eric Kripke has seen those thoughts online, as much as knows he probably shouldn't look.

"I'm not healthy in that I'm like, 'Oh, I never look.' I see it all," Kripke admits to TVLine. "Obviously there are a lot of unhappy people online, but there are two things I would say: First, I'm just glad people are passionate, legitimately. My job is to make people passionate about the work I put out. If they're arguing about it and hating it and fighting, that's all passion, man. You're watching, and that's all good. My job is to get an emotional reaction, not necessarily to dictate what that emotional reaction is."

The second thing Kripke would say is a lesson he says he's learned "a thousand times over," though it still bears repeating: "the online world is not the real world."

"We have way north of 60 million viewers, so that makes the online storm, which feels very all-encompassing, actually a fraction of a single percentage point," Kripke explains. "Everyone's entitled to their opinion, of course, and I'm sorry if I disappointed you, but it was the story I wanted to tell. You just have to put it into perspective of it being a reasonably small, vocal audience when the vast majority seem to be happily tuning in."

And the finale certainly gave fans plenty to be "passionate" about. From major character deaths (Homelander! Butcher! Terror?!) to unexpected endings for other characters (Hughie and Annie named their baby Robin?!), fans didn't hold back with their opinions about "The Boys" series finale.

Surprisingly, series creator Eric Kripke says there wasn't much back and forth in the writers' room about how the characters' stories should end. He tells TVLine that the process of penning the finale was "pretty smooth," explaining that those endings had already been hashed out in the first six weeks of production on the final season.

"We had figured out who was going to live and die and when it was all going to happen," Kripke says. "So by the time it came to actually writing and figuring out the episode, we basically had everything already set. The hardest part was structuring the script so that, as we're heading into the inner sanctum of the Oval Office, every character gets a moment to be cool. They all deserve a moment to be cool, right? Everything from Ashley's moment, to Huey having one last flash of genius with his understanding of electronics and equipment, to the ball gag, to Annie and The Deep, we made sure every hero had their moment."

How are you feeling about "The Boys" series finale now that you've had some time to let it sink in? Grade it in our below, then drop a comment with your thoughts.