The Boys star Antony Starr plays television’s most terrifying narcissist, a guy who has spent five seasons laser-eyeing people into mist and monologuing his way into becoming the most compelling villain on TV right now. He has now casually lobbed a grenade at the way certain prestige shows choose to end. And some fans are decoding it as a dig at Stranger Things.
During a recent Wired Autocomplete interview promoting The Boys’ final season, Antony Starr was asked about finales and what makes them satisfying to which he replied,
“Something just finished. I won’t say what, and nobody died. I was just scratching my head going ‘there’s nowhere else to go, this is the end of the run, kill some people!'”
The show most people believe he was referencing is Netflix’s beloved sci-fi series, which released its two-hour series finale on New Year’s Eve after a decade-long run. The finale was something fans waited for a long time, and upon releasing, it didn’t quite lan. Every major character walked away with a happy ending. Lucas and Max together, Dustin thriving, Will in New York with a boyfriend, Eleven finally at peace. It was a soft, comforting farewell that felt more like a victory lap than a battle-scarred finale.
For a lot of viewers, that was exactly the problem. The discontent was so widespread and so loud that it spawned one of the more fascinating fandom spirals in recent memory: a theory called Conformity Gate, which believed that the show has another more real finale.
Starr also stated,
“Has any show ever provided an ending that satisfies everyone? I don’t know that you can. I think you know, ’cause everyone’s different and everyone wants different things”
More details about The Boys’ final season
The Boys is heading into its own finale with very different energy than Stranger Things. The show has already killed off two important characters, and from what Eric Kripke has teased, the death count will only increase.
Season 5 picks up roughly six months after the events ofseason 4, with Homelander at the height of his political power and Billy Butcher’s team working with a Supe-killing virus as their last real play.
Cast members have hinted that the ending won’t follow a traditional path, and fans should expect major character moments and unexpected turns. If Starr genuinely believes finales should be willing to hurt people, well, he’s on the right show for it.
The Boys Season 5 is now streaming on Prime Video.
Edited by Nibir Konwar