Season 5 of The Boys has been released, and the series remains a commentary on contemporary America.

      Although The Boys features superhumans in capes, season 5 has made the series feel more relevant to real life than ever. Set a year after Homelander (Antony Starr) has taken control of America and established an authoritarian regime, the latest season showcases the main characters uniting to find a way to eliminate the malevolent Supe.

      The Boys has consistently satirized American culture and politics, addressing topics like misinformation in the media, corporate influence on governance, and fascism dressed up as patriotism. The show's official X account has even humorously suggested that it’s more of a documentary than a parody.

      Yet, the show mirrors recent real-world occurrences so closely that it seems as if the writers possessed a crystal ball. Showrunner Eric Kripke noted in an interview that the similarities between Homelander’s authoritarian America and our own were unintentional, asserting that season 5 was written before the 2024 election.

      Regardless, The Boys has proved to be more relevant than ever, a year into the second Trump Administration.

      Homelander as a Stand-In for Donald Trump

      As Prime Video illustrates, Homelander embodies an even stronger representation of Donald Trump in season 5 with his actions. With Homelander now at the helm of the U.S., he has gathered a loyal army of Supes to imprison heroes and any suspected "Starlighters" in Vought's Freedom Camps. His tactics echo how Trump has utilized ICE agents to detain individuals suspected of being undocumented immigrants, taking them from their homes and placing them in corporate-run detention centers.

      Homelander also has Vought surveil everyone’s social media to identify and capture potential Starlighters, which could be anyone who appreciates Starlight or disapproves of him. This parallels how ICE has employed Palantir's AI technology for widespread online surveillance, gathering data on individuals to locate, track, and deport those suspected of being illegal migrants.

      In his quest for total dominance, Homelander even pardons Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) for previous offenses in return for his allegiance to the Seven, which mirrors Trump pardoning several individuals linked to the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol upon his return to office.

      The insecure Homelander claims in season 5 that creating memes that mock him should be illegal, reflecting Trump’s own attacks on the media and free speech. In September 2025, Trump declared that negative coverage of him and his administration should be considered “really illegal.”

      In addition, in episode 3, Homelander unveils his scheme to become an immortal deity by injecting himself with V-One, seeking to be worshipped like Jesus Christ. Coincidentally, this scene aired shortly after Trump shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus, which many criticized as blasphemous.

      Despite his outrageous and harmful actions, Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) points out that Homelander still enjoys support from billionaires as long as their stocks remain high. Similarly, in the actual 2024 election, Trump received backing from billionaires like Elon Musk following a divisive term, with 13 of these wealthy donors later joining Trump’s cabinet. After the election, Trump saw increased contributions from billionaires such as Musk, as well as major corporations like Amazon and Meta, where Mark Zuckerberg reported market gains and higher profits at the end of 2024 while praising Trump’s support.

      As the heroes attempt to expose Homelander, it serves as a stark reminder of the long struggle to impeach and imprison Trump. The premiere episode of season 5 depicts Annie (Erin Moriarty) leaking footage of the Flight 37 incident from season 1, in which Homelander allowed a plane full of civilians to crash.

      However, Sister Sage quickly dismisses this evidence, labeling it a deepfake part of an "AI-generated disinformation campaign" against Homelander. This reflects how easily the truth can be disregarded today as emerging technology blurs the lines between reality and fiction.

      The Toxic Culture of Homelander’s America

      The Boys has long examined how corrupt leaders manipulate religion to endorse extreme, bigoted policies while amassing wealth and power. In season 2, Alastair Adana (Goran Visnjic) utilized his cult, the Church of the Collective, to manipulate and blackmail celebrities and politicians. We also witnessed the hypocritical Ezekiel (Shaun Benson) denounce homosexuality while preaching as a Capes for Christ evangelist.

      The show’s social commentary has become more pronounced in recent seasons, paralleling the rise of Christian nationalism in American politics. In season 5, characters like Firecracker (Valorie Curry) and Oh Father (Daveed Diggs) leverage their faith to gain public support, spread hate speech, and target opponents. Specifically, in episode 2, we hear Oh Father promoting extravagant Satanic and transphobic conspiracy theories regarding the Starlighters.

      Similarly,