Antony Starr is saying goodbye to Homelander.
The Boys star shared an emotional tribute to mark the end of filming on the fifth and final season of the Amazon Prime Video series. On Instagram, Starr admitted he had “been waiting a little to let things settle and try and process the end of this show,” and that it’s “difficult (for me) to put into words what an incredible ride this has been.”
“It’s truly been the highlight of my career,” he wrote. “When we began, I had no idea what was coming. This juggernaut left the station and never stopped. Except for that Covid moment. Oh and the strikes. That was a thing too. But apart from those two times, it never stopped, boldly making its mark on the television landscape. There’s nothing else like it. It lives in its own lane.”
Starr added, “I love this show. And I love this character. Truly. I will dearly miss heading to work, knowing what we were aiming for but never knowing where we would find ourselves by the end of the day…only that we would have fun and it would be creatively rewarding in the extreme.”
On The Boys, Starr portrays the famed, infamous villain Homelander of the superhero group the Seven. After playing the character throughout its full five seasons (with the final season yet to release), the actor further sang praises to Homelander, writing, “This complicated character allowed the space and range to discover and push boundaries in a way I never expected and I will always be grateful for this experience.”
Towards the end of the post, Starr directly thanked series creator Eric Kripke: “And of course huge gratitude to my co-parent with this twisted gem of a character- @erickripke1. We created a monster, sir. And I will miss him, and you. Til we roll out the last season. When I’ll see you. But this creative chapter is closed, and I’ll miss it, brother.”
Kripke recently revealed filming on season five of The Boys wrapped in early July with his own emotional Instagram post. There, he shared an image of himself overlooking the infamous Seven meeting room where the group of seven supes (aka superheroes) convene, writing, “We have the best cast, the best crew, the most fun story to write, and something that is impossible to predict: the right timing. You wait your whole career to have maybe two of those things, if you’re lucky. We got all of them.”
After it was announced season five would be the last season of the superhero drama, Kripke told The Hollywood Reporter he always knew he “wanted to wrap it out around season five.” Still, the success of the show birthed a whole franchise of superhero content.
The Boys expanded with the spinoff series Gen V in 2023, which spotlights a group of young supes attending a superhero-only college. Season two arrives on Prime Video on Sept. 17. Plus, the streamer announced in July it ordered a prequel series, entitled Vought Rising, that will center in on supes Soldier Boy and Stormfront (played by Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash, respectively).
Starr concluded in his post, “And finally- massive thank you to the fans. You are the life blood. Without you, we don’t get to do this. And our fans are second to none. Mad love to you….and deepest respect for your taste. Okidoke people. We cooked for the last time. Can’t wait to show you what we made. TIL that day, Homelander, signing off. Xo.”