Following the conclusion of "The Boys" Season 5, the final season's plot structure and the way its grand finale wrapped up have sparked considerable online debate. A primary criticism from some viewers is that the final season took too long to build up, only truly entering its endgame phase much later, which made the last episode feel rushed in its resolution of multiple character fates, despite addressing them.
Addressing these criticisms, showrunner Eric Kripke recently stated in an interview that he has indeed gone through a period of reading online comments and social media reactions. He admitted that when creators start receiving a barrage of online criticism, it's easy to fall into the illusion that those voices represent the entire audience, leading to anxiety and unease.
However, Kripke shared that his mood stabilized significantly after seeing the actual viewership numbers for Season 5. He pointed out that "The Boys" Season 5 was the series' largest season to date, attracting 57 million viewers within 35 days of its release. This, he noted, served as another reminder that the online world is not equivalent to the real world. 
"How many times do I have to learn this lesson? The online world is not the real world," Kripke remarked. He believes that negative online reactions often come from a small, vocal, and opinionated segment of the audience. While these individuals certainly have the right to express their views, he added, they don't necessarily represent the actual response of the overall viewership.
"Those online reactions are from a small group of very loud, very opinionated people, and they're certainly entitled to those opinions, but it doesn't really reflect what's happening in the real world. Once I saw the numbers, I completely calmed down," Kripke stated.
Kripke also disagreed with external criticisms that "nothing happened" in the final season. He explained that the core goal for the team while producing Season 5 was to provide emotional closure for every major character. "The Boys" features as many as 15 significant characters, and their journeys over the past five years required appropriate emotional resolutions in the final season.
He emphasized that after the finale, viewers would be saying goodbye to many characters, potentially never seeing them again. Therefore, the writers' room opted to dedicate the season's length to completing character arcs rather than simply pursuing larger-scale spectacles or more rapid plot progression. This approach allowed Kripke to remain satisfied with the final outcome of Season 5, even in the face of online criticism.
Furthermore, another arrangement in the finale that drew audience backlash was the death of Butcher's beloved dog, Terror. The interview also touched upon the unwritten rule in film and television production to "never kill the dog," as such scenes are often the most likely to provoke viewers. Kripke admitted that this was indeed a choice he had to own.
"I'm not going to pass the buck. I own that decision," Kripke explained. He clarified that Terror's death also originates from the comic books, where it similarly pushes Butcher to a complete breakdown. For Kripke, the dog represented Butcher's last shred of humanity, so Terror's demise symbolized the disappearance of that humanity, serving as the perfect catalyst for the character's final descent.
However, Kripke also emphasized that the series version still aimed to give Terror a gentler farewell. He stated that the production team provided Terror with a "sweet, peaceful death," rather than the brutal one depicted in the comics. In other words, even though this decision was bound to upset some viewers, the crew hoped that through this death, they could clearly illustrate why Butcher, having lost his last vestige of humanity, would irrevocably spiral down a path of no return.
via： THR