The Boys Spinoff’s Quiet Cancellation Clarified By Showrunner

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Simon Racioppa, the showrunner for The Boys Presents: Diabolical, has explained why the series was cancelled.

The animated series based on The Boys, which premiered in March 2022 with eight episodes, featured standalone stories set in the same world as the live-action show, complete with its characteristic violence and edgy humor. While fans hoped for a second season, it seemed unlikely. Last October, Eric Kripke, an executive producer on The Boys, indicated that the show probably wouldn’t return because not enough people watched it.

During a recent interview with Polygon to discuss the upcoming fourth season of Invincible (premiering March 18th on Prime Video), Robert Kirkman revealed that the Invincible spinoff, Diabolical, was always planned as a limited, one-season series. He explained that the show was created and finished in about ten months as a way to entertain fans while production on The Boys was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find his full comments below.

Originally, it was intended as a standalone project. We completed it fairly quickly – in about ten months – as a way to offer fans something while production on the main series was paused due to the pandemic and its uncertainties.

As a huge animation fan, I was really impressed with the Love, Death & Robots spinoff. Each episode felt totally different in terms of style, and they pulled in an amazing voice cast – Frances Conroy, Xolo Maridueña, Caleb McLaughlin, Ben Schwartz, Christian Slater, Kevin Smith, and Kenan Thompson were all fantastic! It really resonated with critics, scoring a whopping 97% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 36 reviews. While audiences seemed to enjoy it too, they gave it a slightly lower score of 71%.

Despite the fact that Diabolical only lasted for one season, more The Boys spinoffs are planned. A third season of Gen V is likely, though it hasn’t been officially confirmed yet. Another upcoming spinoff, Vought Rising, will bring back Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash as Soldier Boy and Stormfront in a prequel story. This new series will be a suspenseful murder mystery set in the 1950s.

The fifth season of The Boys will be the show’s final one, and it premieres April 8th on Prime Video with the first two episodes. The series will conclude on March 20th. Expect a climactic showdown between Butcher (Karl Urban) and Homelander (Antony Starr), each backed by their allies, in a potentially devastating finale that won’t be without losses for viewers.

Fans of The Boys have more to enjoy even after the current season ends. Besides the animated anthology The Boys Presents: Diabolical being on hold, there’s The Boys: Mexico, a new series from stars Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal. Plus, Blue Beetle writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer is also involved, meaning there’s plenty of exciting content on the way once Homelander and Butcher conclude their story.

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2026-03-09 19:30