Nearly everything that happens in The Boys is somehow connected to Homelander. Butcher wants him destroyed, Vought wants him under their control, and the public can’t decide if they love or hate him. Homelander relishes the spotlight more than anything else in the world, although he’s willing to sacrifice his reputation because “then [he’d] have nothing to lose.”
Homelander is the ideological inverse of Superman — unlike the Man of Steel, Homelander actually considers himself a divine entity. As the most dangerous character in The Boys, Homelander has consistently demonstrated his contempt for every other living being on the planet, often with disastrous consequences.
10 He Often Kills Those He Claims To Love
Homelander’s unconventional relationship with Madelyn Stillwell can be traced back to his childhood. Growing up without parents and friends, he naturally craves guidance and affection. Unfortunately, Stillwell misuses Homelander’s childlike faith in order to benefit Vought.
When he discovers her betrayal, Homelander gently takes Stillwell’s face in his hands, expresses his gratitude for her honesty, kisses her on the forehead, and melts her brain into mush. In Season 4, he murders Black Noir for very similar and equally inexcusable reasons. Homelander genuinely believes his actions to be justified, further illustrating his utter inhumanity.
9 Homelander Outs Maeve Without Her Permission
Maeve is terrified that Homelander will take her relationship with Elena as a personal insult, explaining why she keeps it a secret. During a talk show conversation with Maria Menounos, Homelander discusses the #HeroesSoWhite social movement. He lists A-Train’s African-American heritage as proof of Vought’s diversity before dropping a massive bombshell.
Homelander outs Maeve without her permission, announcing that she’s “a strong, proud lesbian with a beautiful girlfriend.” This declaration is patently loathsome, all the more so when Homelander refers to Elena as “Hispanic” — as if adding a race qualifier would make his argument stronger.
8 He Orders The Deep To Eat Timothy
Homelander seizes control of Vought from Stan Edgar and Ashley Barrett, turning the company into a poorly disguised corporate dictatorship. Unlike most tyrants, Homelander doesn’t need bodyguards or armies to cow The Seven into submission. In a particularly nauseating scene, he forces The Deep to eat Timothy the octopus.
The Deep unsuccessfully begs Homelander to spare his molluscan friend because “he has kids.” Homelander refuses, leaving The Deep with no choice but to obey. He later orders The Deep to assassinate a vice-presidential candidate, thereby giving Victoria Neuman a leg up the political ladder.
7 Homelander Accepts Stormfront’s Past Without Question
Stormfront comes clean to Homelander, describing every sordid little detail about her past. She reveals Vought’s original history and goals, claiming that the company was founded to supply the Nazi Reich with “an army of supermen, millions strong.”
Stormfront’s brazenly racist rhetoric has no effect on Homelander whatsoever, even after she mentions her association with Joseph Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler. However, his mood completely changes after Stormfront describes her deep and everlasting love for him. Homelander proceeds to kiss her passionately, proving that he cares more about what people offer him than anything else.
6 He Threatens, Abuses, And Imprisons Queen Maeve
Homelander orders Black Noir to incapacitate Maeve after discovering her collusion with Billy Butcher. She’s subsequently transported to a secret holding facility, where she’s incarcerated for several weeks. Vought insists that Maeve is recovering at the Global Wellness Retreat in Malibu, but the Boys and Starlight see through this deception almost instantly.
Homelander eventually pays Maeve a visit, where he coldly declares that he’s only “keeping [her] alive” so he can “harvest [her] eggs.” Maeve glibly tells him that she doesn’t care because she got to see him scared out of his wits for the first time ever.
5 Homelander Murders A Protester In Public
In Season 3’s concluding scene, Homelander greets a crowd of ardent supporters and introduces them to his son. An irate protestor labels him a fascist and flings a projectile at Ryan, which infuriates Homelander beyond imagination. Despite all the eyewitnesses in the audience, he blasts the man’s head open with his laser vision.
This is the first time that Homelander has lost control of his bearings in public, but his recklessness doesn’t backfire on him. On the contrary, he receives cheers and applause for his actions, delighting both him and Ryan.
4 He Nonchalantly Maims Blindspot
Translucent’s death leaves a spot open in The Seven, one that Ashley tries to fill as soon as possible. She eagerly explains why Blindspot would be the best option for Vought, particularly with the inclusion-oriented Millennial generation.
Homelander pretentiously praises the younger Supe’s heroism and struggle for equality before slamming his palms into Blindspot’s ears. Homelander then informs a horrified Ashley that he would never “allow a cripple into The Seven.” Politically correct language may not be Homelander’s strongest suit, but his murderous rage is arguably worse.
3 Homelander Calls Himself The Master Race
Although Homelander regularly visits Stormfront in her hospital bed, his intentions are purely selfish. He completely ignores her deteriorating health and expects her to manually pleasure him. Stormfront continues to advocate her Nazi nonsense, asking Homelander to “lead an army of Aryan Ubermensch to their victory.”
Homelander angrily shatters Stormfront’s last shred of hope, stating that they “don’t need a f***ing master race” because he is “the master race.” He might never become the next Adolf Hitler, but Homelander’s egotistical perspective is troubling enough.
2 He Creates A Super-Terrorist To Increase His Fanbase
Hoping to convince the American government to conscript Supes into the army, Homelander forcibly converts a Syrian extremist into a Supe and unleashes him on a military encampment. Naqib devastates the American forces in Syria, terrifying the government because now there’s “a Supe on the other side.”
Vought eventually sends Black Noir to help rectify the situation. Naqib tries to defeat his opponent with his overwhelming Self-Detonation technique, but Black Noir tanks the explosion without even flinching. Black Noir promptly beheads Naqib and presumably takes his severed head back to America. Homelander is willing to seed international conflict as long as it gets him more attention.
1 Homelander Abandons A Crashing Plane
Madelyn Stillwell sends Homelander and Maeve on a rescue mission to save Transatlantic Flight 37 from a terrorist attack. The Supes kill all the terrorists in the cabin, but fail to notice one of their comrades hiding in the cockpit. Homelander accidentally destroys the plane’s control mechanism in the ensuing skirmish.
He subsequently rejects Maeve’s pleas to save even one passenger, claiming that any survivors would “tell the world that [the Supes] left the rest of them to die.” Maeve ultimately gives up and grudgingly allows Homelander to fly her away from the crashing plane. This decision returns to haunt Homelander in the Season 2 finale.