The Boys Season 5 Episode 5 Release Date, Time and Spoilers: Why Homelander's Mental Collapse Signals A Bloody Twist

The Boys Season 5 Episode 5 could kill off more key characters as the show inches closer to its conclusion.

Homelander's mental collapse reached new lows in The Boys Season 5, especially after his confrontation with Soldier Boy and a near-death experience in Episode 4, 'King of Hell.' Fans anticipate this unravelling will trigger bloody carnage in Episode 5, titled 'One-Shots,' premiering on Prime Video this Wednesday.

What Time Does The Boys Come Out?

The episode arrives 29 April at 3:00 a.m. ET for the East Coast US, 12:00 a.m. PT for the West Coast, and corresponding international times, including 8:00 a.m. BST in the UK, 12:30 p.m. IST in India, and 5:00 p.m. AEST in Australia. This week marks the halfway point of The Boys' final season, which is already plagued with wild fan speculation.

Episode 4 offered a breather for the season's breakneck pace, allowing Butcher's crew to face and defeat their demons. Even Soldier Boy wasn't spared, surprisingly, having finally displayed real emotion. The same couldn't be said about Homelander, however, who's arguably beyond redemption at this point.

Homelander looked like his mind was about to break toward the end of Episode 4, which could be a setup for the unprecedented atrocities he might commit in 'One-Shots.' If anything, this week's episode promises faster pacing, with likely main character deaths on both sides, to raise the stakes and amplify the season's tension.

The Boys Season 5, Episode 5's Supernatural Crossover

Episode 5 also delivers the long-promised Supernatural guest appearances, from Jared Padalecki as Mister Marathon, a quick but douchey ex-Seven member, and Misha Collins as an elite assassin hired by Sister Sage to hunt The Boys. The actors have been the show's worst-kept secrets for Season 5, with fans clamouring for recurring roles.

The Boys offered glimpses of Homelander's growing paranoia as early as Season 2. His mental state has only devolved since then, especially after he confronted his past in Season 4, Episode 4. Speaking with Kelly Clarkson, Antony Starr said his character is capable of much worse in the final season.

Antony Starr Teases Homelander's Unspeakable Act

Starr recounted some of Homelander's unspeakable acts, including letting children die in a plane crash and his toxic romance with Stormfront. 'My guy is Superman if everything good that he does was reversed, and then he hit a meth pipe and didn't stop hitting it,' he explained. 'Here's a little tease, because the last season is on now. The worst thing I have done is yet to come, and I can't wait. If you think killing children is bad, just wait.'

Series creator Eric Kripke also assured fans that the final season will eventually resolve the escalating conflict between Homelander and Butcher.

'Taking [Homelander] this season to his final form, he's doing it in a way that hopefully, isn't just like a drooling madman, but someone that you still understand why he thinks he wants that. That is a real challenge,' he told Creative Screenwriting.

'[Butcher's] sort of given up on the idea that he even needs to be human. He's accepted that he needs to be this monster in order to defeat the monster that is Homelander,' he asserted. 'And if that means destroying every supe on the planet, then so be it. He's perfectly willing to commit genocide in order to get at his target. He's hard driving towards that monstrous goal.'