The Boys Season 5 may be one of the most anticipated finales in recent TV memory, but the road to finishing it has not been simple. During a recent panel appearance, Karl Urban joked that the “biggest prank” on the cast came from Jensen Ackles signing up for another series while the final season was already in production.
The Production “Nightmare” Behind Season 5
Urban shared the story while appearing alongside co-star Laz Alonso. Ackles was filming Countdown, another Prime Video project, while Season 5 of the superhero drama was already in production. Since Ackles plays the returning anti-hero Soldier Boy, the overlapping schedules created a major challenge for the production team.
Urban explained that filming had to be arranged around Ackles’ availability. “His biggest prank was (Jensen Ackles) agreeing to be on our show then taking another show at the same time …. So we had to shoot the final season of THE BOYS completely out of order.”
The situation became even more complicated because Soldier Boy’s scenes are deeply tied to Homelander, played by Antony Starr. According to Urban, those storylines are tightly connected in Season 5, which means several key scenes depended on Ackles being available. As a result, much of his filming happened separately, and many cast members barely crossed paths with him during production.
Even with those scheduling headaches, the final season still holds one major highlight for fans. The long-awaited reunion from Supernatural is officially happening. Showrunner Eric Kripke has confirmed that Ackles will appear alongside former co-stars Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins in the upcoming season.
Recent trailer footage already teased that moment. In one scene set inside a lavish mansion, all three actors appear in the same frame. The footage shows Soldier Boy choking Collins’ character while Padalecki stands nearby, looking shocked.
Season 5 is expected to premiere on April 8, 2026 (two episodes at launch) and will serve as the apocalyptic ending to the long-running series.