The Boys: 10 Differences Between Homelander In The Show Versus The Comics

The new season 3 trailer for Amazon Prime's The Boys seems to hint that Homelander will get his karmic payback. He’s a despicable villain through and through, but audiences are drawn to him anyway in a "love to hate him" sort of way. Now, however, the season 3 trailer seems to be heading toward the breakdown of the century, which is probably incredibly dangerous for this highly volatile Supe.

The character they see is different from the one in the comic, however. While Homelander works in the series, it is worth seeing how different the comic version of the character is from his live-action counterpart. While Homelander is definitely a fractured and corrupted version of DC Comics' Superman, there is still a lot that was changed for the Prime series.

Comics Homelander Was Bisexual

Soldier Boy and Homelander at Herogasm In The Boys

In The Boys on Amazon Prime, Homelander is played to be the epitome of the generic American man. Of course that includes being straight. It’s even a point of drama in the show when he is compared to the bisexual Queen Maeve. It may be surprising to learn he was bisexual in the comics.

It wasn’t a particularly flattering depiction, however. Comics Homelander is frequently making advances on potential of the Seven, like The Deep in the show. This includes not just female superheroes, but male ones as well. Given the show-exclusive character Ezekiel, it might have been seen as a bit repetitive to have Homelander be another closeted Minister.

Show Homelander Has A Son

Homelander’s assault on Becca Butcher is one of the biggest mysteries of the show’s first season. It ultimately resulted in the reveal of Ryan, Homelander’s son. This was a very popular development with fans of The Boys and lead to Ryan's fate being discussed constantly. In the comics, however, Ryan was never a character.

Becca Butcher was assaulted sexually by a Supe, but it wasn't Homelander (but Black Noir disguised as Homelander). Additionally, she never gave birth to the child as it killed her with his powers, cutting its way out of her body. In the shocking aftermath, Billy killed the super-powered infant with a shotgun blast. That means the odd depth given to Homelander in the series as he attempted to raise his son is absent in the comics.

Comics Homelander’s Plane Scene Was Way Different

Homelander's iconic moment on the plane in the comic versus the show.

The infamous plane scene in season 1 was one of Homelander's darkest moments. It was a defining moment for the character and his relationship with Queen Maeve in The Boys. In the comics though, however, it wasn't just those two. The entire Seven came in the comics, and it was presented pretty differently.

In the comics, this plane crash was on 9/11 and told as a flashback. As the show takes place in the modern-day, the plane scene was moved to happening during the events of the story. Also, in the comic Homelander tries to push the plane onto a different course. However, in the show, he shoots it down as a possibility, making another big divergence from the comics to the screen.

Show Homelander Is Not “The Homelander”

It may seem like a minor change, but it makes all the difference. In the comics, the character's name is "The Homelander." This is to better connect him with his supposed backstory as an alien refugee, which is emphasized more in the comics. The show version simply goes by Homelander, giving him less gravitas.

The comic version appears grander and older than the show version, making him seem like an elder statesman of the Supes. The show version is cockier and younger in comparison. This could be the reason why the "The" was dropped from the character's name. In any case, the epithet is missing.

Comics Homelander’s Hydrogen Bomb

Homelander's backstory in the comic with narration in The Boys.

Homelander's sad and tragic origin in The Boys has been described as heartless. There still hasn't been that much shown of it in the show. Least of all is one detail that showed one of his greatest feats of strength. Until he was 18, comics Homelander was strapped to a nuke.

Homelander is stated to be impervious to all weapons. Even still, a nuclear bomb is much stronger than any other weapon. It makes sense that only something that strong could kill him. It also helps show how traumatized Homelander was throughout his adolescence. While it doesn't make the inexcusable acts that he commits in the comics any less so, it does give some depth to the character, showing he didn't just become evil overnight.

Show Homelander Makes His Own Choices

Homelander smiling in The Boys Diabolical

Homelander in the show is a pretty big player with his own goals and plots that he wants to advance in the series. This continues up until the final episode of The Boys season 2. The comics version of the character is much less in control of his destiny.

In the comics, Homelander is the attack dog of Vought and the government. Despite being the leader of The Seven, he's also not taken seriously by them. Black Noir also frequently manipulates him in the comics. The Boys Presents: Diabolical played with this idea a bit, but not to the extent the comics did.

Comics Homelander Didn’t Romance Stormfront Or Stillwell

Stormfront The boys genderswap the comics homelander

The Boys makes a lot of changes to characters in the transition from comic to show. Several characters were changed from male to female to add more women to the show's cast, which included Homelander's romantic partners: Stillwell and Stormfront. In the comics, both were men. Although as previously mentioned, Homelander is bisexual in comics, so this wouldn't prevent romance.

The real issue in page-to-screen adaptation is actually that Homelander hates these characters in the comics. He sees James Stillwell as a corporate chain around his neck. Stormfront is a take on Thor on a rival hero team. In the show, these two characters are much more integral to Homelander's story.

Show Homelander Doesn’t Have A Clone

Homelander's clone creepily breaths at the camera.

The Boys comic plays a lot more fast and loose with genetics, harkening to the comics that inspired the world. As such in the comic series, more incredible things appear with greater frequency, like clones. As a result, The Homelander has a clone with a twist. This clone is none other than The Boys' mysterious vigilante, Black Noir.

Black Noir's comic depiction won't be discussed at length, as this list is not about him. A lot of Homelander's villainous acts in the series were done by a clone. However, the television show doesn't appear to have clones at all in contrast. This makes sense as it's taking inspiration from superheroes in television and film. As a result, however, this will divert Homelander's character arc significantly in the future.

Comics Homelander Never Got To Be A Soldier

Soldier Boy statue and Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys

Throughout the comics, Vought is trying to get superheroes into the military. Given the comic's mid-aughts origins, this was a commentary on current events at the time. Militarization is still an issue now, so the show kept the plotline. It takes a different turn, however.

In the comics, Vought's efforts end up for naught. Their superheroes are somewhat indifferent to the human weapon program and the company falls away, In the show, Homelander has a vested interest in getting superhuman weapons legalized. It happens right at the end of season 1, instead of tapering off.

Show Homelander Is Smarter

The-Boys' Anthony Starr portays Homelander in front of a flag.

Comic Homelander lacks ambition and seems to hate characters that should be big allies. Despite being older he allows himself to be manipulated by others. It seems like the show version of Homelander would never fall to the types of things that seem to stump The Homelander. This is because the show Homelander is simply much smarter than his comic counterpart.

In the show, Homelander manipulates his teammates rather than letting himself get manipulated. The show version is an expert at using PR to cover up his tracks and does a much better job of putting up a nice face. He even investigates the same mysteries as Billy Butcher during Season 1. He's a clever guy, and that's why his maniacal and petulant nature can be so terrifying when he puts his super-powered foot down.