Amazon’s Queen Maeve is the show’s proxy for Wonder Woman, and Homelander, of course, is the show’s proxy for Superman.
But Homelander actually has nothing in common with the Man of Steel. In many ways, as a megalomaniacal sociopath, he’s the polar opposite of Superman. Antony Starr’s unnerving portrayal of the now-iconic anti-Superman is one of the most captivating performances in the series.
He’s A Sociopath
The most obvious difference between Superman and Homelander is that the former is a kind, caring, comionate guy and the latter is an all-out sociopath who openly declares that he can do whatever he wants because he’s stronger than everyone else.
Homelander has committed such despicable acts as sexually assaulting Becca Butcher and melting Madelyn Stillwell’s face and shown absolutely no remorse.
He’s Dangerously Egotistical
Homelander’s powers have given him a dangerously gigantic ego that affects his perspective. Throughout the series, his delusions have been rocked by anti-supe protestors and the Boys themselves pointing out his glaring faults.
Although Superman has the power to fuel a massive ego, it’s not in his nature to think of himself as being above anybody else. Thanks to the Kents raising him well, the last son of Krypton is refreshingly humble.
He Got His Powers From A Drug
While Superman gets his powers from the Earth’s yellow sun, Homelander gets his powers from high doses of a mysterious drug called Compound V. The Boys’ central conspiracy revolves around Compound V and the revelation that supes aren’t born with their powers.
Superman’s only weakness is kryptonite, while Homelander’s is zinc, the only substance his X-ray vision won’t allow him to see through.
He’s A Human
Homelander might have abilities beyond any human being, but before he was given superpowers, he was born on Earth to human parents just like everyone else. Of course, his humanity is questionable.
Superman, on the other hand, may look like a human, but he’s an alien from the planet Krypton who was sent to Earth to escape the destruction of his homeworld and was subsequently raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kansas.
He Hates Humanity
Homelander may be a human being himself, but he looks down on the rest of humanity because he buys into the myth that he’s a god among mortals.
Superman, on the other hand, loves humanity. After being embraced by the Kents as their own son and raised with strong values, Supes will do anything to protect humanity — despite being an outsider.
He Can’t Save A Plane
The fourth episode of The Boys, “The Female of the Species,” brought the show’s darkest moment yet. Homelander and Queen Maeve are sent to rescue the engers of a hijacked airliner. Homelander screws up and kills the pilot, sending the plane into a nosedive, and after determining that they can’t save everyone, these so-called “heroes” decide to save no one.
It was an interesting choice for this storyline to revolve around a plane crash because Superman saves planes full of people all the time — it’s a recurring motif in his comics and movies.
He Abuses His Powers
Like all the other supes in The Boys, Homelander abuses his powers. He’s so blasé about killing that he always lazily resorts to his laser vision instead of bothering with the rest of his arsenal.
A lot of the DCEU’s Superman storylines have revolved around fears that Kal-El could turn on the human race and decimate us all effortlessly. But Superman would never do that.
It’s All An Act
Homelander looks heroic in his movies and in interviews, but it’s all an act. Every smile is carefully controlled and every line is meticulously crafted by a PR team to make him look as good as possible, but it’s all a front for his true evil nature.
When Superman comes out with a cheesy one-liner about the need to look out for one another and the importance of doing the right thing, he actually means it.
He’s Only Equipped To Fight Enemies Much Weaker Than Himself
Since Homelander only ever has to fight petty crooks, he’s only equipped to fight enemies much weaker than himself. If an alien showed up who matched his strength, he’d have no idea what to do. At the moment, he can just rest on his laurels.
Superman, however, has faced plenty of bad guys almost as powerful as he is whom he couldn’t defeat with brute force alone: Doomsday, Brainiac, Bizarro, Zod, etc.
He’s Not Actually Interested In Being A Hero
The key difference between Superman and Homelander is that Superman actually wants to be a hero and Homelander doesn’t. He’s been born and bred to be a hero, but despite having the necessary power to save people, he doesn’t really have the motivation because he truly doesn’t care.
Clark Kent is always thinking about others, whereas Homelander just serves his own interests. When he does save people, it’s just to look good for the cameras.