One of the major highlights of the ongoing The Boys Season 5 was the death of chemist Frenchie, after being exposed to radiation in a booth with Homelander. Inside the chamber, he also sustained injuries from the Supe. Frenchie shared an intimate moment in the hands of his lover, Kimiko, before breathing his last sacrificial breath in Episode 7.
As we know, showrunner Eric Kripke has taken his fair share of liberties to narratively restructure the story and tone down the brutality from the comics. While Frenchie’s fate remains the same in the original comic series by Garth Ennis, it plays out a bit differently. In the comics, Frenchie is originally killed by a hidden bomb planted by none other than his comrade, Billy Butcher.
CategoryDescriptionTitleThe BoysShowrunnerEric KripkeSeasons5IMDb score (overall)8.6/10 (as of May 15, 2026)Rotten Tomatoes score (Season 5)(Tomatometer | Popcornmeter)97% | 67% (as of May 15, 2026)StreamerPrime Video
Frenchie’s Death in the Comics Explained
A panel from The Boys comics | Credit: Dynamite Entertainment
In the original comic’s run, Butcher goes completely rogue and decides to kill every supe with Compound V in the system. This mirrors Butcher’s original plan before uniting with the Boys to stop Homelander first.
To ensure that Frenchie and Kimiko from the comics don’t interfere with his genocidal plan, Butcher leaves a hidden bomb to take them by surprise. Wiping them out ties in to his master plan, as the Frenchman (Frenchie) also has Compound V powers in the comics.
After Frenchie discovers the bomb, he unfortunately has no time to disarm or escape the explosion. Choosing acceptance over panic, Frenchie and Kimiko spend their final moments together.
The show takes away the dual death and instead gives Frenchie an honorable sacrifice for the greater good of stopping Homelander and saving Kimiko. The comics highlight the extent of Butcher’s hatred towards supes, willing to go against his close ones if needed.
Will The Boys Meet the Same Fate in Finale?
The Boys Season 5 has laid the groundwork for a monstrous Butcher to come out and wreak havoc. One of the most likely outcomes in The Boys finale is Butcher carrying out his genocidal plan to wipe out all supes. We’ve seen that Temp V from Season 3 gave him powers but left him with brain tumors.
Taking Compound V in Season 4 did not heal him. Butcher succumbs to his villainous side repeatedly and has hallucinations because of his tumors. Season 4 ended with him brutally killing Victoria Neuman by giving in to his darker impulses.
A manifestation of his dead comrade Joe Kessler gives us a glimpse into Butcher’s darker side. Episode 7 of The Boys revealed a significant character trait of Butcher’s when a psychic took on the appearance of Joe through Butcher’s memories. The moment was the final nail in the coffin that cemented the truth that Butcher is truly a killing machine who revels in the act.
The plan for The Boys Season 5 is to stop Homelander at all costs, and we’re sure that multiple casualties will occur. Once the dust settles, if Butcher is alive, who will stop him from doing the same to the remaining members of the Boys?
If you look at the psychological foreshadowing so far, Butcher’s genocidal plan has been expertly laid out. None of us would be taken by surprise if Butcher completely gives in to his dark side, so we hope that Eric Kripke manages to handle this well in the finale.
What do you think will happen? Let us know in the comments.
The Boys is streaming on Prime Video.
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