Warning: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for The Boys season 5 finale, “Blood and Bone.”
Whether you loved or hated The Boys season 5’s finale, most people can agree that the majority of the central characters got what they deserved in “Blood and Bone.” Some of the show’s most despicable foes finally met a grisly end, the central heroes predominantly received happy endings, and Billy Butcher received the bittersweet exit that many fans had anticipated.
Overall, the series overcame a divisive final season to end on a high note, and regardless of the split reviews, the last episode certainly delivered in all the areas it needed to. However, with that being said, The Boys‘ ending did let one key villain off lightly, as Sister Sage didn’t pay for her crimes in the finale.
After spending episode 7 with The Boys and witnessing Frenchie’s death, she and Butcher devised a plan off-screen that saw her rile up Kimiko, making her so angry that Kimiko let out a powerful blast. This is the same ability Frenchie was trying to recreate prior to his death, and it successfully removed Sage’s powers, which was the intended result.
With the experiment proving successful, the group had a realistic way of stopping Homelander, while Sage was free of her curse, since she was no longer the smartest person alive. In fact, her IQ seemed to drop below average, and as the central characters geared up to storm the White House, she decided to head to Disney World.
Remarkably, this is the last time we see Sage, indicating that she is one of the lucky few characters from The Boys to survive the finale. Not only did she get to live, but she also doesn’t have the burden of being the most intelligent person in every room, granting her complete freedom, which is way more than she deserved.
Sister Sage Did Not Deserve A Happy Ending In The Boys Season 5
She may have helped The Boys towards the end of the series, but Sister Sage didn’t deserve anything close to a peaceful ending. The only reason the former Seven member switched allegiances is that her life was on the line, not because she had some major change of heart and wanted to do the right thing.
Had it not been for Sage’s help, Homelander would never have become so powerful. Before she came onto the scene, the main villain had control of Vought at best, but thanks to Sage, he gained political power and was taking over the nation by season 5’s finale, something she enabled.
Additionally, she was largely responsible for Thomas Godolkin’s return in Gen V, which subsequently cost numerous God U students their lives. If you’re somehow able to forgive these crimes, Sister Sage’s true plan in The Boys season 5 involved allowing the supe virus to be released, so that supes would turn on humans.
Her reasoning for this is that she wanted pretty much everyone dead while she hid out in her bunker reading. Ultimately, her goals were always selfish, and she would’ve happily watched the world burn and everyone kill each other, so long as she got peace at last.
Even for those who sympathise with her hyper-intelligence being tough to live with, it doesn’t justify any of the horrible things she did during her time in the franchise. Therefore, even a merciful death would’ve been kind, but getting to live free of her curse is a surprisingly positive fate for one of The Boys‘ most evil villains.
Sister Sage Wasn’t The Only Villain Who Got Off Lightly In The Boys’ Finale, But That’s The Point
In addition to Sage getting away with her crimes, Stan Edgar also avoided facing punishment for his sins throughout The Boys. Even though he was Homelander’s prisoner for a period of time, the fact that he is once again Vought CEO despite overseeing plenty of corrupt supes is a sign that justice doesn’t always prevail in this universe.
Despite being impeached, it could be argued that Ashley got off lightly as well, since there’s no concrete evidence that she went to prison. Even though she stepped up to do the right thing in the finale, Ashley has frequently turned a blind eye to plenty of death and other crimes, yet may still be free to walk the streets.
Sure, losing her Presidency is a blow to her ego, but all things considered, she could’ve had a far worse fate. While it was satisfying to see Homelander’s miserable ending and The Deep suffer an ironic death, clearly not all The Boys‘ antagonists were held accountable for their wrongdoings.
This isn’t an oversight with the writing though, and instead actually plays into The Boys‘ overall theme. While the good guys won, Vought is still around, and more evil supes could be created, suggesting this happy ending isn’t as black and white as it seems, hence why some villains managed to avoid the dark ending they arguably deserved.
- Release Date
-
2019 – 2026-00-00
- Showrunner
-
Eric Kripke
- Writers
-
Eric Kripke
- Franchise(s)
-
The Boys