Stranger Things deserves a lot of credit for its amazing storytelling, but one of the show’s biggest problems through its entire run was the promise of high stakes while constantly protecting the core original characters audiences love most. No matter the threat, the core cast remained intact and always found a way of evading death.
By the third season, Stranger Things began to grow increasingly predictable as the biggest deaths of the seasons became reserved for side characters or expendable newcomers we met only a few episodes ago. When the show did “kill off” a major character, the show would quickly reverse course with fake-outs that ultimately lessened the impact of the storyline.
Sadly, this was a trend that haunted Stranger Things right up until the end. While Stranger Things did feature some key deaths in its final season, the biggest deaths of the season all happened in close proximity of one another and took place in the final episode of the series. The result was a lack of real stakes throughout most of the season, with viewers quickly realizing that the show was once again unwilling to take big swings without a sense that anyone could truly be lost at any time.
Thankfully, The Boys' final season is not playing by those same rules. In fact, The Boys is doing something Stranger Things failed to do with its final season: embracing real, unpredictable stakes and reminding viewers that no character is truly safe no matter how central they might seem to the story.
Warning: The Boys season 5 spoilers ahead!
The Boys is actually killing off major characters in its final season
Heading into the final season of The Boys, it was hinted that no one would be safe, and the show made that clear right out of the gate. The first episode of the season ended with the death of an original character, with A-Train dying at the hands of Homelander after helping Starlight and the Boys escape.
A-Train’s death made it clear immediately that the writers weren’t just talking the talk; they were actually going to do something Stranger Things seemed terrified of: consequences. The Boys understands that real tension only exists when survival is no longer guaranteed for fan favorites and original characters who feel essential to the show.
And this was something that the show was very cognizant of, which paved the way for additional deaths of key characters, including Frenchie, who has long been a fan favorite who has been viewed as the true heart of the show.
“We knew we had to kill off one of The Boys,” creator Eric Kripke told The Hollywood Reporter following Frenchie’s death in the penultimate episode of the season. “You can’t have a shot at victory unless it costs your heroes something that’s really hard. I always think The Lord of the Rings was so good at that, and Game of Thrones was so good at that. For narrative momentum, your heroes have to pay a steep price — because that’s how it works in the real world.”
It’s never easy to bid farewell to beloved characters, and Frenchie’s death, in particular, literally ripped my heart out, as he and Kimiko have been my favorite characters from Day 1. However, as Kripke pointed out you have to be willing to make your heroes suffer an immeasurable loss to truly further the momentum and remind the audiences that there are real stakes to a final showdown between a threat who has been hyped up as the ultimate Big Bad.
That willingness to follow through has become one of the show’s biggest strengths. Every confrontation carries weight, and every victory comes with the possibility that someone important may not make it out alive. While a show such as Stranger Things flirted with danger before retreating to safety, The Boys has embraced the uncomfortable reality that stories about power, corruption, and violence should actually cost something.
Heading into the final episode of The Boys, there is truly no telling who will live or die, and that’s a brilliant thing. The show has made it clear this battle will have casualties, as any war does, and those deaths will ultimately be what makes the payoff of victory worthwhile should The Boys manage to defeat Homelander in the final battle.
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