The Boys Season 5 is only two episodes in, but it’s already building toward the inevitable showdown between the titular team and Homelander — and it’s worth looking at the strongest characters across the Prime Video series to see which side the odds favor. The ranking of most powerful players has shifted over the course of The Boys‘ and Gen V‘s runs, mostly because characters have a habit of dying in this franchise. At the same time, some are leveling up their abilities or even acquiring new ones (ahem, Butcher). SPOILERS ahead for The Boys Season 5, Episodes 1 and 2.
With characters like Stormlight, Victoria Neuman, and Queen Maeve off the board, either because they’re killed or left without powers, The Boys‘ top supes look different than they did a few seasons ago. A-Train’s death in the Season 5 premiere leaves another empty space on that list. And on the heels of the final season’s two-part opening, these are officially the strongest characters in The Boys. It’ll be thrilling to see them duke it out with one another for the remainder of this outing.
7) Starlight
If any supe has come a long way since The Boys‘ first season, it’s Starlight — and you can see it in the way her powers have evolved. Season 1 Starlight would never be able to take on Homelander, yet The Boys Season 5’s premiere sees her doing exactly that. While she’s still unlikely to win a 1:1 fight with The Seven’s leader, the fact that she’s capable of disarming him shows how strong Starlight really is. She’s developed the ability to fly, enhanced her manipulation of energy, and become more physically durable to boot. Season 5 also sees Starlight becoming more ruthless, which makes every other improvement more of a threat. In terms of raw physical power, she’s behind other supes in the series, especially those whose powers lend themselves more to combat. Even so, Starlight’s equipped to hold her own against them.
6) Cindy
Despite being more of a background character than anyone else on this list, Cindy is a force to be reckoned with in The Boys — and Season 5’s opening episodes highlight how dangerous she really is. Cindy’s telekinetic powers allow her to crush almost anything…and anyone. We see this firsthand when prisoners attempt to escape Vought’s freedom camps. Cindy can make them implode, even at a distance. It’s a horrifyingly powerful ability, and it’s one that causes Starlight to retreat at the end of The Boys Season 4. This suggests Cindy is a bit more powerful than she is, though Cindy’s need to use her hands to access her power make her vulnerable to supes like Butcher or Marie. And although she can take a hit, she’s lacking the strength that makes Homelander and his family line nearly invincible. So, while she’s incredibly strong, she’s still near the bottom of this list.
5) Ryan Butcher
Speaking of Homelander’s family line, we’d be remiss not to mention Ryan in a ranking of The Boys‘ most powerful characters. The first naturally born supe, Ryan has the same raw strength as his father — so much so that he’s capable of accidentally killing when set off. Like Homelander, Ryan is also difficult to harm, can fly, and has laser powers. All these things make him stronger than most supes in The Boys‘ universe, though his inexperience ranks him beneath characters like Butcher, Soldier Boy, and his father for now. Assuming Ryan continues to evolve, it’s possible he’ll climb to the top of this list later on. He’s already one of the greatest threats to Homelander, and their commonalities give him the rare opportunity to surpass his father.
4) Billy Butcher
Image via Prime Video
Butcher had an impressive ability to survive and hold his own against much stronger supes even before taking Compound V. It’s no surprise, then, that he’s now one of the most powerful The Boys characters after becoming a supe himself. In The Boys Season 5, Butcher demonstrates that he’s bulletproof and durable, just like the other heavy hitters on this list. He also boasts immense speed and strength, allowing him to tangle with even the most daunting enemies. And the tentacles that shoot out of his abdomen give him an advantage that not everyone on this list has. He’s capable of long-range attacks and kills, and he can restrain people if necessary. It certainly helps him when facing Cindy, and he even takes out Victoria Neuman — previously one of the show’s strongest players — with his tendrils.
3) Soldier Boy
Butcher is incredibly powerful, but he’s still not on par with supes like Homelander — and, other than Ryan, the supe most similar to Homelander is Soldier Boy. Jensen Ackles’ character is the blueprint: the supe whose genetic material was used to create Homelander in the first place. He’s a product of the original strain of Compound V, which is the reason he doesn’t age, an ability even Homelander is lacking. In battle, Soldier Boy benefits from the same speed, strength, and resilience as The Seven’s leader. And although he doesn’t have laser vision, his radiation blasts are dangerous and deadly. He’s a force in both short- and long-rage combat, and he’s nearly impossible to kill. He even survives The Boys‘ supe virus, and he needs to be put on ice just to get rid of him. Homelander is considered just a bit stronger, and there’s only one other character in The Boys who might be capable of beating Soldier Boy…though that theory is untested, and it’s a close call either way.
2) Marie Moreau
On the heels of Gen V Season 2, Marie Moreau is now one of the strongest supes alongside Homelander — and she has the potential to be more powerful than him, though it’s not clear if she’s there yet. Marie’s ability to manipulate blood always made her a dangerous opponent, but she masters it in The Boys spinoff’s second season. Not only does she overcome her own issues holding her back, but she learns how to heal people —and even bring them back from the dead. That makes her a rarity and an asset on the battlefield, even if it doesn’t contribute to the fighting itself.
Of course, Marie’s ability to alter the blood inside someone’s body can be used to harm them as well, something we see with Victoria Neuman. She’s also proven capable of fighting with blood, and she’s physically strong and durable. Her raw power may not be on par with Soldier Boy’s or Homelander’s, but her blood manipulation can likely still stop them in their tracks. Like Homelander, she’s a Project Odessa baby, so it’s no surprise she’s shaping up to be one of the franchise’s most powerful characters.
1) Homelander
Image via Prime Video
Although there are several characters who may be capable of defeating Homelander with some training and luck, he currently remains The Boys‘ strongest player. There’s a reason the show’s leads are still spinning their wheels trying to defeat him. As a product of Vought’s experiments, Homelander’s abilities far surpass those of most other supes. He’s nearly invincible, with strength and speed that make him almost impossible to keep up with. (He even proves as fast as A-Train in The Boys Season 5’s premiere.)
And if Homelander can’t defeat someone with his overwhelming physical power, his heat vision is likely to do it for him. It’s a fast and effective way of destroying almost anything, making him even harder to escape. Add in Homelander’s influence over the U.S. government and Vought — and the fact that the smartest supe is working for him — and there’s very little that can stand in his way. Marie’s blood powers and Ryan’s strengths might do the trick, but even that’s questionable. Given his volatility, the greatest threat to Homelander is probably…Homelander.
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