Jensen Ackles and Karl Urban behind the scenes of The Boys and Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow in Game of Thrones
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Karl Urban says The Boys finale won’t end with a Game of Thrones level disappointment

Fans aren't so confident about his response

Daisy Phillipson
19th May 2026, 11:51
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Just days after liking posts slamming The Boys season five, a new interview has emerged in which Karl Urban argues the anticipated finale won’t leave fans with the same disappointment as Game of Thrones.

The backlash towards The Boys’ final run has been loud, with many feeling the Prime Video series has wasted too much time on random side quests, d*ck jokes, and setting up the prequel spinoff Vought Rising. 

As a result, there have been plenty of comments claiming it’s track to end in the same way Game of Thrones and Stranger Things did: Massive disappointment. 

Both Karl and Homelander’s Antony Starr only exacerbated these concerns when they separately liked social media posts slamming season five. 

However, they’ve both since jumped in to defend the series on Instagram. Starr said, “Life is messy. Nothing ends up tidy,” while Karl clapped back at a user ranting about the final chapter.

With just one more episode left to go, the Butcher actor has further elaborated on what to expect from episode eight, ‘Blood and Bone’, and he has faith fans will be happy. 

When asked by Pedestrian if he fears it will “get the Game of Thrones treatment,” he replied, “I am quietly confident that we land the ship in a way that is respectful to what we’ve set up. And I think fans will be happy.”

Karl went on to say, “We have spent a lot of time and energy investing in this world and these characters, and really, at this point, we’re handing it over to an audience and our show becomes their show. We hope they have as much fun watching it as we had making it.”

As for what to expect from the finale, we know Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) won’t be returning, having been put on ice for the millionth time in season five episode seven. 

Soldier Boy and Homelander in The Boys
Credit: Prime Video

Showrunner Eric Kripke also told Collider that the Gen V characters won’t be getting a proper send off, as at the time The Boys season five was made, they had no idea that the spinoff would be cancelled. 

“I think the level with which they’re in the story, and they do show up in the finale, is probably right. This is The Boys finale, and they deserve to have their story told,” Kripke explained. 

“But maybe there would have been a way through dialogue or something to hint at something with a little more finality. To prepare everyone, we leave the Gen V kids heading off into more story. 

“They are not, ‘Now, we’re done.’ They are on their way. Even in episode seven, we’re hinting at some really interesting notions of issues and problems that Marie still has to deal with because we were hoping we could continue that story.”

Kripke elaborated on what might surprise viewers about the finale: “I hope people will be surprised by the emotion that’s in it. People don’t always seem to feel this way, but to me, the show has always had a lot of heart and hope. 

“In its own Boysian way and in a very honest way, I think that really rings true in the finale. There are big fights and big confrontations and big climaxes, but we really tried to focus on the emotion.”

Even with these comments, fans are increasingly worried that the series will end on a bum note à la Game of Thrones, with one writing in response to Karl’s comments, “He doesn’t sound confident.”

Elsewhere, one wrote on X, “Tomorrow we’ll finally know which one has the worst final season – Game of Thrones or The Boys.”

However, not everyone is as worried. “I’m sorry, but putting The Boys final season in the same conversation as Game of Thrones should be a f**king crime,” another said. “It is nowhere near that bad.”

Thankfully, there’s not long to wait to find out, as The Boys season five episode eight lands on Prime Video on Wednesday, May 20th, at 12am PT/8am UK time. 

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Featured images credit: HBO/Instagram