Spoilers ahead for The Boys' final two episodes.
While there are plenty of comics book movies and TV shows in the world of pop culture, The Boys was in a league of its own. Those with an Amazon Prime subscription recently saw its fifth and final season on the air, and The Boys' series finale was a doozy. Showrunner/creator Eric Kripke previously revealed he wanted Dominique McElligott to return as Queen Maeve, and he told CinemaBlend what his plans were for that character.
Kripke is proud of how The Boys ended, even if Queen Maeve didn't get to appear as he originally planned. I recently had the chance to speak with the writer/producer about the show's ending, where I asked how he would have used Maeve if he got the chance. He told me:
There are remnants of the, the pitch still there. So you know that farm they go to, where the Gen V kids are hiding out. The original notion was gonna be that was Maeve's farm and she was there with her wife and they were living this sort of quiet life in on a farm like they were threatening to do when we last left her. So she was gonna be another character they could interact with before they took off for the White House. Alas, it wasn't to be.
Well, my FOMO is through the damn roof. I've always loved Maeve, and was hoping she'd pop up in one way or another during The Boys' final season. And while Eric Kripke had the same idea, it ultimately didn't work out. But at least we know how the former member of The Seven could have factored into the story.
The Boys' final season had a number of character returns, including Elisabeth Shue's Madelyn Stillwell. And it sounds like Maeve could had a role, although she wouldn't have been back in the action fighting Homelander. Instead her farm would have been a safe house for Starlight and the Gen V characters. While we didn't see McElligott, this is going to be head canon for me moving forward.
What Kripke Previously Said About Why Maeve Didn't Return
The only reason I knew that The Boys could have included Queen Maeve for Season 5 was thanks to Eric Kripke's interview with Gold Derby. In it he revealed that he actually reached out to Dominique McElligott, but it didn't work out. As he said:
We throw each other emails, and I said very early because I wanted to know whether we were building for it, ‘Would you be open to coming back for a day, and here are the dates.' And it was very pleasant and respectful, she just said, ‘I’ve kind of retired from acting. [I’m not] really acting anymore, and I’m busy those dates anyway.'
And just like that, Maeve's role in The Boys Season 5 was done. Overall it didn't make a huge difference to the core story behind told, although longtime fans of the show like me would have loved to catch up with the former hero. Alas, instead she got to live her happy ending off camera, and out of Vought's sights.
The Boys' last season is streaming in its entirety over on Prime Video as part of the 2026 TV schedule. It's currently unclear when the next spinoff Vought Rising will debut, but folks are expecting it sometime in 2027.
