The Boys Creator Has 1 Major Regret From The Show’s 5-Season Run

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The Boys series creator Eric Kripke opens up about his one regret when it comes to the show.

The popular superhero series The Boys, which received Emmy nominations, concluded with a memorable finale that left viewers talking. The season ended with a public humiliation for the villain Homelander and a heartbreaking confrontation between Butcher and Hughie. Despite wrapping up the show’s main storylines, creator Eric Kripke has admitted he still wishes one thing had been done differently.

During an interview with Tatiana Hullender from ScreenRant at the premiere of the final episode, showrunner Eric Kripke was asked if he regretted killing any characters. He mentioned Spintler, a smaller role played by Rob Benedict (known from Supernatural), but mostly focused on the decision to kill off Madelyn Stillwell. He also shared a humorous story about how actress Elisabeth Shue reacted when she found out her character wouldn’t be coming back.

Splinter was a really talented actor. Rob was fantastic, and we could have used Splinter’s character much more. Also, Madelyn Stillwell… if I could do it over, it’s funny because at the start of that season, Lisa told me she only wanted to be on the show for one season. I agreed and said we’d write her character off at the end. But then she came to me and asked why I killed her off! I reminded her it was part of our original agreement. If I’d known we didn’t actually have to kill her off, I definitely would have kept her around – she was a great villain. She still jokingly complains about it, saying she can’t believe I did that, and I’m always like, ‘Seriously?’

Madelyn didn’t make it to the end of The Boys, but her fate actually says a lot about the show itself. Her death was key to developing Homelander’s character, giving viewers an early look at the unpredictable villain he would become. It also quickly showed audiences that The Boys wasn’t afraid to kill off important characters, even when it seemed shocking.

I always thought the way they handled Madelyn Stillwell’s death in The Boys was brilliant. It wasn’t just about the story, but it actually gave Giancarlo Esposito’s Stan Edgar so much more screen time. He became this constant, looming threat right up until the very end, and that was a really smart move. It’s one of the things that really sets the show apart from the original comics, allowing them to develop characters like Edgar in such a compelling way.

The main villain in the original comics was a single person. However, the Prime Video series divided that character into two: Madelyn Stillwell, played by Shue, and Stan Edgar, primarily portrayed by Esposito. This change probably wouldn’t have worked as well without the surprising conclusion of the first season of The Boys.

As a huge fan, I was really glad to see Elisabeth Shue back even after Stillwell was gone. She’s amazing – you might remember her Oscar nomination for Leaving Las Vegas! She popped up in a couple more episodes, including a fun little cameo on Gen V. But beyond just being on screen, her character, Madelyn, was actually the reason Homelander went on that crazy rampage at the end. It was her actions that really set everything in motion, which is pretty impactful, right?

So, even though Madelyn may have been gone too soon, her impact on The Boys was alive and well.

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2026-05-23 16:58