The Boys: 10 Things That Happened In The 1-Year Gap Before Season 5
By Published Apr 11, 2026, 9:08 AM EDT Lewis is a Lead Writer for Screen Rant and has written for the site since 2026. This has allowed Lewis to explore a vast array of films, TV shows, books, comic books, and games from across the mainstream world of pop culture, reflecting his lifelong love of all media and typifying his experience in the world of fiction storytelling. To top this off, Lewis graduated from Northumbria University with First Class Honours in Film & TV Studies, truly exemplifying his experience in the medium. Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Boys season 5, episodes 1 and 2.
season 5 begins after a one-year time skip, raising the question of what has happened since season 4. was fairly clear in its set-up for the future: Homelander is effectively the President of the United States, endangering anyone who opposes his twisted ways.
As a result, begins where one might expect. The titular group is scattered after season 4 saw Butcher go rogue with his new powers, Hughie, Frenchie, and MM imprisoned, and Starlight and Kimiko on the run. However, a lot of things have changed since then.
While some elements of the show remain similar, a year has passed as of The Boys season 5, episode 1. This means a great deal, from to further developments of the aforementioned season 4's cliffhangers. With all that in mind, here is exactly what went down in the year between The Boys seasons 4 and 5 concerning the show's main cast of characters.
10 Homelander Has Consolidated His Power
Perhaps the easiest event to explain that happened in The Boys' one-year time gap is Homelander's consolidation of power. The Boys season 4 teased his power over the United States, which season 5 makes unquestionably real. Homelander is running the United States via a puppet president, giving him absolute control over the country.
This allows Homelander to exert his will on anyone, from police brutality and putting people in "Freedom Camps" to dubbing anyone he wishes a terrorist. In the one-year gap between The Boys seasons 4 and 5, Homelander has become the massive villain everyone feared he would.
9 Kimiko Got Therapy & Recovered Her Speech
One of the biggest shocks of The Boys season 5 was teased in the final moments of season 4: Kimiko can now speak. As Frenchie was being dragged away in season 4, Kimiko was heard screaming after him. In the year since then, Kimiko has gone to therapy, both speech and regular, enabling her to be able to speak fluent sentences. Alongside some help from an abundance of TikTok's, gone is the mute Female of The Boys.
8 Ryan Has Been Missing Since The Boys Season 4 Ended
The ending of The Boys season 4 saw Ryan, Homelander's son, reject him. However, thanks to Butcher and Mallory's misguided attempts to recruit him, Ryan left them, too. In the year between that and The Boys season 5, no one has seen or heard from Ryan. Where he is remains a mystery, but the trailer for the show teased his return. As one of the only Supes in the world capable of standing up to Homelander, Ryan's absence is one of The Boys season 5's biggest wildcards.
7 Hughie, Frenchie, & MM Were Sent To A "Freedom Camp"
After Hughie, Frenchie, and MM were taken at the end of The Boys season 4, they were taken to one of Homelander's "Freedom Camps." In the year time jump, the trio has been confined there as an attempt at indoctrination, faced with Vought propaganda. As is revealed in The Boys season 5, episode 1, before their escape, this year spent here has changed the titular team's members.
6 MM Is Drinking, Frenchie Is Sober, & Hughie Is Hardened
One of the stalwarts of The Boys in terms of his stability has always been MM, who has often been the team's rock. However, his year spent in a Vought "Freedom Camp" has changed him. Now, MM is a lot more pessimistic and has an alcohol problem, setting up his arc in the season to come. On the other hand, Frenchie is sober after spending four seasons struggling to contain his substance abuse.
A big reason for this is his love for Kimiko, which, in turn, drives his urge to escape. Joining him in this is Hughie, who is a lot more sure of himself, confident in his actions, and brave. From knocking a guy out who was going to mug Frenchie and helping other "campers" to standing up to Homelander himself, Hughie's one-year time gap made a big difference in The Boys, as it did for the other two members of the team.
5 Ashley Got Powers & Became Vice-President
One of the biggest unanswered questions of The Boys season 4's ending surrounded Ashley's powers. In order to protect herself from Homelander, Ashley injected herself with Compound V. As it turned out, this benefited her, both by giving her powers and giving her enough rep with Homelander to become the Vice-President of the United States. The latter aspect is a fairly self-explanatory one for the time jump: as VP, she further ensures Vought's, or, more aptly, Homelander's, desires are put into place.
Concerning the former, though, no one knew what powers Ashley had. In The Boys season 5, it is revealed that she grew a second face on the back of her head, one capable of reading minds and with a much more morally righteous conscience. This all happened for Ashley in the one-year jump between the two seasons of the show, setting her up for a big role in the conclusion of The Boys.
4 Homelander's Relationship With Firecracker Has Deteriorated
Firecracker was one of Homelander's most loyal supporters in The Boys season 4. She made her way into the Seven and Homelander's inner circle by proving to be convincing in her delivery of propaganda, but, more importantly to Homelander, she began producing breast milk for him to, well, enjoy.
However, during the year between The Boys seasons 4 and 5, Firecracker became unable to produce more milk. This has seen her fall out of Homelander's good books, despite her continued work as a lead propaganda machine for him and Vought.
3 Starlight Formed An Official Rebellion (With A-Train's Help)
The Starlighters have always been the antithesis of Homelander's supporters in The Boys, with the eponymous hero as their figurehead. In the year between The Boys season 4 and season 5, Starlight has begun to utilize this by building her own rebellion. Along with A-Train, Starlighter began outwardly fighting back against Homelander's new regime.
2 Marie Moreau Has Her Own Resistance Group After Gen V Season 2
Gen V is one of , focusing on Marie Moreau, a Supe almost as powerful as Homelander. In Gen V season 2's ending, Marie and her friends were recruited by Starlight and A-Train, officially joining their rebellion. In The Boys season 5, episode 1, A-Train confirms that Marie has her own branch of the resistance.
Subscribe for The Boys season 5 updates and analysis
Want clearer takes on character shifts, plot turns, and what matters for The Boys season 5? Subscribe to the newsletter for focused analysis, scene implications, and theories that unpack the show's developments and related TV coverage. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our and . You can unsubscribe anytime.
He mentions raids in different cities around the US, claiming them as wins for Marie's team. This will likely play into future episodes of The Boys season 5 as Marie comes more into the fold. At some point in the year prior to this, though, Marie has become a fully-fledged Starlighter.
1 Dr. Shah Recreated The Supe Virus
Undoubtedly, the biggest thing to have happened in the year between The Boys seasons 4 and 5 involves Dr. Shah, the husband of the late Victoria Neuman. Shah was responsible for helping recreate a virus capable of killing Supes in The Boys season 4, but the attempt failed for a number of reasons.
At some point in the year spanning that and The Boys season 5, however, Billy Butcher found Shah and put him to work recreating it again. This time, Shah succeeded, recreating the Supe Virus that was powerful enough to kill Rock Hard and Jetstream and injure Soldier Boy. This is perhaps the most consequential thing to have happened in The Boys' time jump, given how the virus is integral to the titular team's plans to defeat Homelander once and for all.
9 Images 
Close
Cast
-
Billy Butcher -
Hugh Hughie Campbell
Eric Kripke Expand Collapse
Follow Followed Like Share Close Trending Now
