You have probably heard the saying, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” But for the superheroes at Vought International, certain rules simply don’t apply. In fact, for poster boy Homelander (Antony Starr), the motto has gotten lost and twisted in translation. Homelander is the leader of the corporate superhero team The Seven in the hit Amazon Prime Video showThe Boys. Pretending to be a beacon of hope, the flying fraud is more like a dangerous, unhinged, self-proclaimed god, whose towering ego and lack of morals drive him to commit the most diabolical acts.
The Boysis known forsubverting the tropesof the traditional superhero genre. And while that is a huge draw, the series also offers a scathing commentary on the Superman archetype. Because underneath Homelander’s perfectly structured image is a psychopath who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Whether he is laser beaming a plane full of passengers or creating “supe-terrorists” for publicity, there is no limit to the destruction he is capable of causing.
So far, we have gotten three gore-filled seasons ofThe Boys, and to say that America’s favorite son has done a substantial number of horrible things on the show would be an understatement. The headlining hero of Vought International seems to have no problem showcasing his insecurity through his insane actions, and we are here to take a look back at the 15 worst things Homelander has done toestablish himself as an antagonist.
15Made Doppelganger Play Madelyn Stillwell
Doppelganger (Dan Darin-Zanco), a Supe with the ability to shapeshift into anyone without even having physical contact with them, may seem just as sociopathic and self-approving as the rest of them. But when it comes to Homelander, he can barely assert himself. Which is why, when Homelander poses an arrangement where Doppelganger must shapeshift into Madelyn Stillwell and maintain a sexual relationship with him, he obliges.
Homelander Has No Human Decency
Subjecting him to such degradation only to show his dominance confirms just how little regard Homelander has for basic human decency. One night, when Homelander is with Doppelganger in a remote cabin, he comments how people think he “only loves himself.” Doppelganger transforms into Homelander himself, which prompts Homelander to snap Doppelganger’s neck in response.
14Burst Blind Spot’s Eardrums (And Killed Supersonic)
In Season 2 ofThe Boys, Ashley (Colby Minifie) is thrilled to have a new Supe inducted into The Seven. Blindspot (Chris Mark) seems like the perfect choice demographically, because he is visually impaired. However, hissuperhuman hearing and agilitymake him a skilled fighter. When Ashley introduces Homelander to Blindspot, he does not look happy. Homelander, with little hesitation, bashes his ears and proves how useless he will be in a fight once he loses his hearing.
Homelander Decimates Two Promising Heroes
Another character Homelander shows no restraint towards is Supersonic (Miles Gaston Villanueva). Introduced as a friend and former boyfriend of Starlight, Supersonic worked his way through a reality show in order to gain a spot in The Seven, despite Starlight begging him not to in order to preserve his safety. When Homelander found out about it, he brutally murdered Supersonic as a warning for Starlight to never cross him. He also added that his next victim could be Hughie.
13Ordered Ashley to Remove Her Wig
Having replaced Madelyn Stillwell as the Senior Vice President of Hero Management, Ashley was constantly under stress. It also didn’t help that she had no authority over The Seven whatsoever. In one of her rants to A-Train, she is seen pulling a huge chunk of her hair right from the scalp. Turns out, she is experiencing a stressful disorder that causes the urge.
Homelander Humiliates Ashley
Homelander’s unbalanced desire for control oftenleads him to manipulate and degrade people, and he does the same to Ashley. In one scene, after he tells The Deep, Ashley, and A-Train about Black Noir, he violates Ashley by asking her to remove her wig. Apparently, her health problems had worsened to a point where she’d pulled all her hair out and was forced to wear a wig instead. Though they may have been at each other’s throats only moments prior, the mutual fear of Homelander is truly a unifying force.
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12Forced a Civilian to Jump Off the Roof
Homelander isconsidered by many as the anti-Superman. His complete lack of human emotion or regard for human life when it stands between him and what he wants makes him a sociopath. In Season 3, a girl named Chelsea was going to attempt suicide by jumping off a roof when Homelander arrived to convince her otherwise. In his words, it wouldn’t work because he would just fly down and save her.
A Heroic Act Twisted Into Something Horrible
However, at the same time, the news about Stormfront (Aya Cash) biting her own tongue and bleeding to death makes it to Homelander. He becomes so enraged, the next words out of his mouth shocked just about everyone watching: he orders Chelsea to jump. She’s already changed her mind, but Homelander lights his eyes up, ready to blast her with his laser eyes unless she complies. She backs up, and without any other options, she takes her own life by jumping off the roof.
11Berated Every Member of The Seven
As the seasons passed, Homelander was seen growing into an increasingly unhinged and paranoid superhero. Not only did he insult and attack those less powerful than him, but he also lashed out at his fellow Supes, berating them for their lack of confidence. From Starlight’s alliances to A-Train’s lost speed, he had enough to deliberately undermine every member of The Seven.
Homelander Calculates Each One of His Insults
Admittedly, all the Supes are cruel and sociopathic in their own right, but most of them grow remorseful after witnessing the consequences of their actions. Not Homelander, though. He belittles even his allies in a calculated fashion, which proves that no one is safe from his wrath and constant display of power. After all, it wouldn’t be a wise decision to stand up directly to him.
10Assaulted Butcher’s Wife
For a huge chunk of the series, the audiences are made to believe that Butcher’s wife is either missing or dead, and that Homelander has got something to do with it. While it is clear that Butcher’s seething rage towards the Supes is because he wants to find Becca no matter what, the aspect that confused many was if she was having an affair or if she was abused.
Homelander’s Cruelty Is Tied to the Butchers
Turns out the latter was true, and in a series of flashbacks, we’re shown that Homelander had sexually assaulted Becca, leading to the realization that her son, Ryan, is a super-powered child. The revelation becomes a major cliffhanger, and in the beginning of Season 2, Butcher is seen waking up on the front lawn of the house where Becca and Ryan live. It’s a shocking realization, and yet another example of howHomelander’s cruelty knows no bounds.
9Made The Deep Eat Timothy
Most of Homelander’s actions are disturbing and violent. Not only do they offer a glimpse into his warped sense of justice, but they also highlight the Supe’s dangerous belief that he is above the norm, and can dole out punishment as he sees fit. The Deep, an insufferable character on his own, becomes Homelander’s next victim after the events of Season 1.
The Deep Ate His Best Friend Alive
Throughout the series, The Deep has wanted to redeem himself and be welcomed back into The Seven after Starlight brings his sexual misconduct to the public. Homelander, in an act that seems unusually amicable, makes it possible for him. But first, all the members of The Seven are invited for a celebratory meal. Because Homelander wanted to leave a chilling reminder for The Deep to never cross the line again, he forced him to eat his friend Timothy, an octopus, while it’s still alive.
8Forced Ryan to Try to Fly
Ryan is the biological son of Homelanderand Butcher’s wife. And even though it seems like Homelander has a soft spot for the boy, it’s clear that he possesses no traits of fatherhood. Now that he has entered Ryan’s life, his inability to see Ryan as anything other than an extension of himself threatens Ryan’s confidence and his conscience.
Homelander Isn’t Cut Out for Fatherhood
In one episode, Homelander takes Ryan up onto the roof of Becca’s house for his first superhero lesson – flight. He starts off by making small talk, but knowing Homelander, his sense of patience is practically nonexistent. When Homelander inevitably gets agitated, he urges Ryan to push himself off the roof and try to fly. When he doesn’t, Homelander shoves his son off himself. Ryan subsequently falls face first on the ground.
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7Killed Madelyn Stillwell
Apart from the overarching mystery about what happened to Butcher’s wife,The BoysSeason 1 put a huge focus on the relationship between Homelander and Madelyn Stillwell — which, let’s face it, was downright creepy. For as strange as Homelander’s actions were, it did not help that he shared a professional, sexual, and motherly bond with Stillwell (the latter resulting from Homelander being experimented on in a lab his entire childhood.) However, nobody could’ve expected what Homelander would be capable of doing to someone he presumably held dear.
Homelander Kills Someone He (Presumably) Loved
When Homelander arrives at Madelyn’s house in the climatic final episode of the season, he discovers that she is a pawn in Butcher’s plan. Instead of saving her, Homelander turns villainous and uses his laser vision to kill her (and her baby), showing once again to Butcher that he is in charge. It wasn’t a sudden death, either: he tricked Madelyn into a gentle embrace before melting her face away with his laser eyes. The scene is particularly shocking because it shows Homelander’s willingness to easily discard someone he was close with.
6Blew Off A Protester
Towards the end of season three, after Starlight releases questionable videos about Homelander and leaves The Seven, the public finds itself taking stands and picking sides. Homelander, who has already started spreading rumors about Starlight, arrives at a location where heavy protests are taking place in an attempt to talk to people. He brings Ryan with him and introduces him as his son. Unfortunately, Homelander’s rashness leads to things going south in nearly an instant.
When one of the protestors throws an empty can at Homelander, and it hits Ryan instead, Homelander uses his heat vision to kill the man. He quickly realizes what he’s done and expects people to turn against him. Instead, they cheer him on and applaud him. Ryan, too, is shown wearing a slight smirk. The scene is significant because it marks a turning point in Homelander’s public image and hints at what lies in Ryan’s future, emboldening the former to dive further into his sociopathic behaviors more openly.
