- Primary Subject: The Boys season 5 meta-joke on Sony Pictures
- Key Update: In episode 5 of The Boys' final season, Homelander takes a hilarious meta-jab at its own co-producer, Sony Pictures, by mocking the studio's less successful superhero adaptations.
- Status: Active
- Last Verified: May 1, 2026
- Quick Answer: In The Boys season 5 episode 5, Homelander mocks Mister Marathon's movie posters, joking that they were made "where washed-up supes go to die, Sony Pictures TV."
In the fifth and final season of The Boys, the creative team continues its tradition of razor-sharp satire. During the highly talked-about episode 5 called "One Shots", the series not only delivers an anticipated Supernatural reunion between Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins, but also a very direct, meta-poke at its co-producer, Sony Pictures.
The Boys Season 5 Jabs Funny Digs at Sony Pictures' Marvel Heroes
When Homelander (Antony Starr) and Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) pay Mr. Marathon (Ackles' Supernatural co-star Jared Padalecki), their visit to LA leads them to investigate what he knows about V-One.
The speedster brags about one of his movies grossing $35 million... on a $200 million budget.
Homelander then explains to Soldier Boy that Marathon's films are not Vought productions and were made "where washed-up Supes go to die... Sony Pictures TV."
Marathon then clarifies to others that "we've not part of the VCU," revealing that they can't mention Vought or any other licensed Vought hero.
The mentioned Sony's "SPUMC" (which was later known to be SUMC, aka Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters) is the butt of the joke, and is what's being parodied in the posters, such as Madame Marathon, Let There Be Rampage, and Mr. Marathon: Around the Speedy-Verse.
This is not the first time The Boys took a jab at canon superhero franchises (specifically, the "girls get it done" scene from Avengers: Endgame and in DCEU's Snyderverse). What's a superhero show without breaking the fourth wall, after all?
Sony's Box Office Performance for the Marvel Universe Did Not Age Well
To make parody titles of the original Marvel movies from Sony is one thing, but downright calling Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter "washed up" heroes after tanking at the box office? It's plain brutal.
See, while the Venom franchise set out to complete its trilogy after a decent box office performance, Sony didn't exactly thrive in recreating its own Spidey universe (without the iconic webcrawler himself).
Morbius (2022) grossed a disappointing $167.5 million on an $83 million budget, and became a punchline for "morb-themed@ internet memes; Madame Web only intensified that failure for only earning $100.5 million worldwide against an $80 million production budget, while suffering from widespread mockery of the film's script and performances.
They reached rock bottom with Kraven the Hunter (2024), which became the franchise's biggest failure for grossing $62 million against an estimated budget of $110-$130 million.
Overall, these three films lost the studio hundreds and millions of dollars on top of the audience's negative reception and reported halting of future spin-off development in favor of core Marvel properties.
It remains to be seen whether Sony still plans on pushing through with another set apart from Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy's return in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse in 2027.
Keep it locked on EpicStream, your go-to site for film, TV, and celebrity coverage!