‘The Boys’ announce prequel spinoff, return of major character in season 5

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The head-popping, sardonic world of Prime Video’s hit superhero show “The Boys” is getting a bit bigger.

Showrunner Eric Kripke announced a brand-new prequel to “The Boys,” “Vought Rising,” on Friday during a packed Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

The show, which is still in the early stages of writing and production, will trace the origins of the sinister superhero corporation at the center of “The Boys” world, Vought International, as it rises to prominence in the 1950s.

While further details about what fans could expect from the project were not disclosed, Kripke did announce two of the brand-new show’s stars, Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash.

Both will each be reprising their roles from earlier seasons “The Boys”: Ackles as “Soldier Boy,” the “Captain America”-esque leader of Vought’s original superhero team who is the biological father of the series’ main antagonist “Homelander,” and Cash as “Stormfront,” a Nazi who was part of Vought’s team “The Seven” in the show’s second season.

“I think the spinoff is going to be incredible. We have everything from Judy Garland to Joe McCarthy — how I don’t know,” Cash laughed in a pre-recorded video shown during the panel. “I hope you’ll come with us on this journey and enjoy yourself.”

The announcement comes on the heels of the show’s sensational season four finale, which left its protagonists fractured and cornered by Vought’s not-so-heroic superheroes. A fifth and final season is forthcoming, but Kripke didn’t spill too much about what fans can expect.

However, Kripke did confirm Ackles, who made a surprise appearance at Friday’s panel, will also be returning to “The Boys” for season five.

On top of that, fans at Comic-Con’s panel saw an early glimpse at the trailer for the upcoming second season of college-set “The Boys” spinoff, “Gen V.”

The exclusive footage teased major developments for its cast of characters following the first season’s cliff-hanger ending and the developments in “The Boys” season four. Plus, something for fans to get excited about: Chace Crawford’s fan-favorite character “The Deep” is set to make an appearance in the show.

However, a release date was not announced for the highly-anticipated second installment of “Gen V.” Filming is reportedly still continuing after it was put on hold following the death of Chance Perdomo , who portrayed Andre Anderson in the show.

A release date has similarly not been announced for “The Boys” season five, but it is expected to drop sometime in 2026.

With the panel falling right after the conclusion of the show’s latest season, and coincidentally also on the fifth anniversary of the pilot’s airing, the cast and Kripke reflected on the last few years making “The Boys.”

“One of the things that I feel best about as an actor is having first and foremost one of the most amazing show runners in the world right now, Eric Kripke,” Tomer Capone, who plays “Frenchie” in the show, “and just really amazing writers [who] I think stretches each and every one of us every season, taking us to new limits to explore new worlds for those characters.”

“That’s like a gift for an actor. It’s like you know being in a in the best playground you can ever ask for,” Capone continued.

“The Boys” and “The Boys: Gen V” are both available for streaming through Amazon Prime.

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