The Vought Rising setup in The Boys season 5 isn't "craven commercialism", insists Eric Kripke: "It's a full universe, and we have these pieces"

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Six weeks in, and The Boys season 5 has been met with its fair share of criticism. Just a few days out from the Prime Video show's final-ever episode and fans have been complaining about Kimiko's dialogue, the lack of big deaths and... well, the chapter's focus on Soldier Boy.

That combined with all the talk surrounding Aya Cash's deceased Supe Stormfront, an onscreen introduction to Vought Rising character Bombsight (Mason Dye), and mentions of Torpedo (Will Hochman) and Private Angel (Elizabeth Posey), who are also set to appear in the spin-off, viewers have been wondering whether The Boys final season is actually just one big ad for the upcoming '50s-set prequel series?

In a new interview on The Ringer's The Watch podcast, though, showrunner Eric Kripke insisted that their inclusion felt "organic" – and that it didn't come down to "craven commercialism".

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Turns out, it all revolves around V1. "We had this notion of this McGuffin, and we knew Soldier Boy was gonna be a character this season and just like, well, why is he immortal?" Kripke said. "And why is Stormfront immortal? What is it about whatever they had, right? We didn't start it with like, 'We gotta get Bombsight in there, guys, we gotta set up our thing.'"

Kripke went on to explain that the writers' room for Vought Rising, which is overseen by showrunner Paul Grelon, was "down the hall" from where they were fleshing out the scripts for The Boys season 5. "We're hearing what's coming out of that room, we're, like, excited by it, you know?" he recalled. "We got to hear what he was doing with Bombsight and it was all very cool. So when the question comes up in our room of like, 'Who ultimately has the V1?' You know, is it just some rando old hero that you never will see again? Or should it be one of those characters? 'Cause those characters are so badass. That's how it kind of evolved. It came from a spot of, 'It's a full universe and we have these pieces, so if we're able to use them, why not?'"

The Boys is set to conclude on May 20. Ensure you don't miss the final episode with our guide to The Boys season 5 release schedule.

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Amy WestEntertainment Writer

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

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