“I’m really grateful and happy that I get to end the show on our terms,” Kripke tells PEOPLE

Eric Kripke knows that The Boys will eventually come to an end, but that’s something he doesn’t want to think about anytime soon.

The showrunner spoke to PEOPLE days after the Prime Video series released its season 4 finale, and opened up about his “bittersweet” feelings toward the upcoming fifth season.

“I’m really grateful and happy that I get to end the show on our terms,” Kripke tells PEOPLE on Friday, July 26, at San Diego Comic-Con.

Eric Kripke at the "Let's Hear It for Prime Video's The Boys" Panel 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con on July 26, 2024 in San Diego, California.

“That’s really rare. Frankly, it’s the first time I’ve been able to do it,” he adds. “So it just really, it really is exciting for the creative. But I’m also sad. I genuinely love this cast. We really are a family. I’m successfully blocking it for now, but like when we all eventually go our separate ways, I’m gonna be a mess.”

While the satirical superhero series’ final season hasn’t been given a release date, Kripke previously told Variety that it is expected to be filmed between November 2024 and mid-2025.

Antony Starr, Eric Kripke, Jack Quaid, Jessie T. Usher, Claudia Doumit, Erin Moriarty, Susan Heyward, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Tomer Capone, Nathan Mitchell, Laz Alonso and Chace Crawford at the "Let's Hear It for Prime Video's The Boys" Panel at the 2024 San Diego International Comic-Con on July 26, 2024 in San Diego, California.

With filming just a few months away, he tells PEOPLE that he’s going into it with a gratitude mindset.

“What I’ll say to all the actors is try to absorb [and] enjoy every moment, and drink it in, and be present for it every day because, you know, it’s not gonna happen again. We’re going in for one last ride,” he says.

Fans can expect to see the main cast from season 4 return, including Jack Quaid, Karl Urban, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Karen Fukuhara, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

'The Boys' Season 4.

Kripke, who previously expressed interest in having Supernatural alum Jared Padalecki join season 5 — an invitation Padalecki has expressed interest in — also tells PEOPLE what his role may look like.

“I, I mean, I want him to be a supe. I think that – I mean, he’s so jacked. How could I not have him be a supe? But I don’t know whether it’ll be for one episode or more episodes. We don’t really know yet, but I’m hopeful that he’s a superhero,” he says.

A prequel to The Boys was also announced at the convention centered around the characters Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) and Stormfront (Aya Cash). The upcoming series, titled Vought Rising, does not have a release date. A second season of Gen V was also announced with Crawford’s character The Deep crossing over.

The Boys season 4 is now streaming on Prime Video.