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The Boys Season 5 is already reminding us why Prime Video’s superhero series is one of its best ever — and its premiere references another Amazon hit, confirming its existence in-universe. On the heels of The Boys Season 4’s intense ending, the show wastes no time throwing viewers back into the high-stakes suspense of the fight against Homelander. But despite things being darker than ever, the show still makes space for the clever jokes and references that have come to define it. And it briefly calls out another popular Amazon series in its Season 5 premiere: Reacher. Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Boys Season 5, Episodes 1 and 2.
“Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite” opens the final chapter of The Boys with an immediate dilemma: Homelander intends to kill Hughie, Frenchie, and Mother’s Milk — all of whom are trapped in one of his freedom camps — in the hopes of drawing Starlight and Butcher out to save them. It’s a smart ploy, as Butcher and Starlight do, indeed, make plans to break them out. And getting into Homelander’s camp requires someone who can create a tunnel: a supe called The Worm.
When Butcher shows up to The Worm’s apartment, we learn that he’s in the ever-contracting TV business — and hilariously, he’s working on a script for Reacher. Just before Butcher interrupts, he’s writing a scene set at a shady motel, during which a woman tells Jack Reacher he’s “huge,” and he replies, “You know what they say about huge guys.” (It’s The Boys, so we’ll leave you to piece the rest together on your own.)
It’s a comical way of highlighting another hit Prime Video series, and it confirms that Reacher exists in the world of The Boys. It’s not the only show to get a meta shoutout in the premiere, either. At one point, Mother’s Milk tells Hughie that his two tours in the Farah Province were “Emily in Paris compared to the s*** that we looking at here.” Clearly, Netflix’s rom-com also exists in the universe these characters inhabit. And considering how much it’s meant to resemble our world, that makes perfect sense.
The Boys’ Timely Pop Culture References Bring It Closer to the World It’s Satirizing
The Boys may be an action-packed superhero show, but it’s also a scathing satire that comments on real-world issues — and that’s clearer than ever in Season 5. The first two episodes tackle everything from DEI rollbacks to unethical uses of AI. Such conversations make this story’s backdrop feel closer to our own, and that’s an intentional choice made by the writers.
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References to shows like Reacher and Emily in Paris also accomplish this, just more subtly. These mentions ensure that The Boys‘ universe mirrors our world, right down to the smallest details. They also continue the series’ trend of working in pop-culture references. We know Butcher loves the Spice Girls, and The Boys Season 5 premiere cleverly nods to X-Men: Days of Future Past‘s iconic Quicksilver scene during A-Train’s final stand. It’s far from the only allusion to Marvel and DC heroes, either. It all makes The Boys‘ setting feel familiar, even as it gets more outlandish with each passing season.
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