How The Boys’ Finale Avoided the Game of Thrones & Stranger Things Curse

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Before the final episode of The Boys was released on Prime Video, the show’s creator, Eric Kripke, confessed he was very worried about how viewers would respond. He said he felt “absolutely terrified,” not calm or confident, because people often re-evaluate an entire series based on how it ends.

Kripke compared the anxiety around a project’s ending to the disappointing reaction to the final season of Game of Thrones. He pointed out that even a truly exceptional series can be defined by a weak finish, with viewers focusing on the last episodes instead of the show as a whole. He believes this is often how people judge a series’ success – by its ending, rather than its complete run.

What Changed the Most From the Comics in The Boys Finale

When the finale of The Boys aired, many fans quickly took to social media to criticize the changes made from the original comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. Ironically, those same changes are often what made the show so successful.

Even before the final episode aired, The Boys hinted that it wouldn’t follow the comic book storyline exactly. A major change the show made early on was the death of Black Noir. In the comics, Black Noir is actually a clone of Homelander and is responsible for most of the terrible things Homelander did. When Homelander finds this out, he gets furious, starts a fight against the government, but ultimately Black Noir kills him.

Butcher kills Black Noir and continues his plan to eliminate all Supes using a virus. When Mother’s Milk, Frenchie, and Kimiko attempt to intervene, Butcher kills them as well, leaving only Hughie to confront him on top of the Empire State Building. After falling and becoming wounded, Butcher manipulates Hughie into finally killing him, remaining dedicated to his goal of destroying Supes until his last breath. Ultimately, Hughie and Starlight are the only major survivors, and they begin a life together, with Hughie taking on the responsibility of monitoring Supes – but doing so differently than Butcher did.

The finale differs from the comic book largely because several characters are either dead or missing. Notably, Black Noir, Maeve, A-Train, Dr. Vogelbaum, and Love Sausage don’t appear in the finale as they do in the original story. The biggest changes are the removal of the Black Noir twist and the fact that most of The Boys team survives, with Frenchie being the exception.

Hughie’s story has a more hopeful ending than in the original comic. After Hughie is forced to shoot his friend to stop a dangerous virus, he shares a heartfelt moment with Butcher. Butcher seems more subdued and understands Hughie needed to make that difficult choice to prove his strength. In the end, Hughie decides not to follow in Butcher’s footsteps, choosing instead to open a tech shop and continue fighting bad guys alongside Starlight.

The Boys Ended Exactly as It Should

Getting the final episode right is incredibly important for TV shows today. Viewers really want a satisfying conclusion, but it’s impossible to please everyone. Some prefer a cheerful, conclusive ending, while others enjoy a thought-provoking finale that leaves questions unanswered. And a few even want to see the villains succeed, just to be surprised.

Why are people often so disappointed with TV show finales? Is it because the ending feels like a letdown after years of following the characters and storylines, or is it simply hard for them to say goodbye to a show they love? It feels like viewers are rarely satisfied with how a series ends these days. While some finales do miss the mark – like those of Game of Thrones or Stranger Things – that shouldn’t overshadow all the great seasons those shows also delivered.

The ending of Lost sparked outrage back in 2010, and even today, 16 years later, it’s still considered disappointing by many. However, the problem wasn’t the ending itself, but rather a misunderstanding of it. Now, it seems like Prime Video’s popular superhero show is facing the same fate, despite clearly explaining its themes of heroes, villains, and everything in between.

It wasn’t flawless, but the show did a good job considering what it set out to do. It remained faithful to the original comic book story, preserving the main plot, while making necessary adjustments for television. The show, created by Kripke, wasn’t ever a strict adaptation, and that actually worked in its favor for quite a while.

The Boys is available to stream on Prime Video.

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2026-05-21 16:10