Eric Kripke Is Stepping Back From the Vought Cinematic Universe, and His Reason Makes Total Sense
With ‘The Boys‘ now officially in the rearview mirror after five seasons, all eyes are turning to what comes next for Prime Video’s most gleefully unhinged superhero universe. The Vought Cinematic Universe, much like the Marvel and DC properties it parodies, has grown into a fully fledged franchise since its debut back in 2019, already launching the animated ‘The Boys Presents: Diabolical’ and the college-set ‘Gen V’. With the flagship series now concluded, the question of who steers the ship going forward has become one of the most pressing conversations in the fandom.
The next major project on the horizon is ‘Vought Rising’, a prequel series with writer and producer Paul Grellong taking over as showrunner. The prequel is set in 1950 and focuses on fan-favorite character Soldier Boy, played by Jensen Ackles, and season two breakout Stormfront, played by Aya Cash, with the story described as a twisted murder mystery that charts the origins of the sinister Vought corporation. That show’s creative identity rests squarely on Grellong’s shoulders, and it turns out that is precisely how creator Eric Kripke wants it.
In a candid interview with Rolling Stone following the ‘The Boys’ series finale, Kripke confirmed that while he is excited to explore other creative universes, he intends to remain involved with the VCU in an oversight capacity rather than as a hands-on showrunner. He explained that his role will be quality control and advisory, making clear that he does not want to be the day-to-day showrunner on future spinoffs because he already made his passion project with ‘The Boys’.
The sentiment runs deeper than just a workload decision. Kripke told TV Insider that he is not interested in the spinoffs becoming pieces of commerce, and that his philosophy is to give executive producers their first shot at running a show built around an idea they are truly passionate about, citing Grellong and ‘Vought Rising’ as the exact model he wants to replicate. It is a creative framework that prioritizes authorship over franchise machinery, which feels very on-brand for someone who spent years skewering the corporate packaging of superheroes.
Beyond ‘Vought Rising’, which is set to premiere sometime in 2027, there are no other ‘Boys’ projects officially confirmed to be in active development, though Kripke told Collider that senior writers from ‘The Boys’, ‘Gen V’, and ‘Vought Rising’ have been pitching ideas, with a couple described as exciting enough to pursue further, even if nothing has been taken to Amazon yet. Separately, Kripke revealed that Amazon has expressed interest in hearing more potential stories from this world, with internal brainstorming already underway around ideas that could absorb at least some of the ‘Gen V’ characters by design.
A spinoff set in Mexico, ‘The Boys: Mexico’, is also in development, with scripts still being worked on, while the prospect of a ‘Gen V’ season three has been floated as contingent on viewership figures for future projects. The Vought Cinematic Universe clearly has plenty of runway left, even if its architect is choosing to watch the planes take off rather than fly them himself.
The approach Kripke is laying out is genuinely interesting and not the default Hollywood playbook. Whether the VCU can sustain that passion-first philosophy without its founding creative voice in the room every day is the real question fans will be watching ‘Vought Rising’ to answer.
