Most of us understood that Butcher was going to die in the season five finale of The Boys, but that didn’t make it any less devastating. Butcher, played by the iconic Karl Urban, finally got his wish when he drove a crowbar through the head of a depowered Homelander – the same Homelander who proclaimed himself a god, then begged to give Butcher oral to save his life. You can’t make this sh*t up. Then, after finding out that his beloved dog Terror had died, he went rogue. Equipped with the supe-killing virus, Butcher sought to unleash it in Vought Tower to commit genocide. There was only one thing standing in his way: The lanky goofball whom he looks at like a younger brother. Credit: Amazon Studios How did Butcher die in The Boys? Butcher and Hughie have had an up-and-down relationship since season one, but there is genuine love and affection there. It’s what made that final scene so damn gripping, and why what came next inflicted maximum emotional damage. As Butcher hesitates to press the trigger, which will kill all the supes on the planet, including Hughie’s girlfriend, Starlight, shots ring out as Hughie guns him down. He literally dies in his brother’s arms. But, hold your horses, isn’t Butcher basically invulnerable thanks to his sentient cancer superpowers? How did a mere bullet kill him when he was tanking lasers from Homelander? As one person said on Twitter: “You’re telling me Butcher can kill Homelander but not survive a bullet through his gut?” Hughie Kills Butcher – The Boys Season 5 Episode 8 pic.twitter.com/RPfBwOkNC3 — Tarlok (@god_birthd36178) May 20, 2026 “I just wish it took more than a bullet to kill him, like 50 Cent survived nine, and he can’t survive one? Like an ambulance could have saved him, but maybe Butcher wanted to die, which is why he told Hughie not to call one?” someone else questioned. Earlier in the episode, when Kimiko was able to depower Homelander using her new Soldier Boy-like ability, Butcher and Ryan were holding the would-be God still. As such, it also depowered them. When Hughie shot Butcher, he was shooting a normal guy and not a cancer-ridden bag of weird tentacles. Following the finale of The Boys season five, Twitter has kicked off what can only be described as a funeral for Butcher. “He was cruel, selfish, violent, and broken, but deep down, Butcher still cared more than he wanted anyone to know. Rest in peace, oi,” one person said. Another wrote: “As much as I disliked the ending, this is truly an amazing scene. I knew we were gonna get pathetic Homelander begging for his life, but it was way better than anything I could’ve imagined. This and Butcher’s death are two 10/10 moments in this 5/10 finale.” “Makes it even worse that Butcher was taking his hand off the release button (i.e. not going to release the virus), but Hughie shot him, and then Butcher had to confront him, saying he wasn’t gonna stop when he indeed was stopping,” someone else added. RIP Butcher, and RIP The Boys. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: Amazon Studios Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
