In the midst of the massive popularity of the superhero genre, The Boys came along to totally subvert these types of stories and the characters in them. And perhaps the most popular aspect of the show is the character of Homelander. With the power and perceived goodness of Superman, Homelander is revealed to actually be a dangerous individual capable of terrible things.
At this point in the show, Homelander has done such terrible things that he is beyond redemption. However, there are aspects to his story that are ittedly quite sad even if it is impossible to feel sorry for this monster.
Self-Loathing
To the public at large, Homelander is a noble and great hero. Behind closed doors, he is an intimidating mad man who sees himself as better than everyone else. However, neither of these identities get to the real truth of him.
When he is alone with no one to see, Homelander shows tremendous self-loathing. Despite perhaps thinking that he is the most superior being on earth, he beats himself up for his mistakes, especially when he appears foolish in the public eye.
Stood Up By Stormfront
The one time Homelander seemed to genuinely care about someone else was when he began a relationship with fellow supe, Stormfront. Before she started encouraging his worst traits, Stormfront seemed to make Homelander happy.
In a very rare act of kindness, he got her a bouquet of flowers to show his iration for her. However, she stood him up to deal with some other work. Seeing him looking rejected while waiting for her to return gives Homelander a moment of appearing vulnerable.
Mother Issues
There is an unsettling recurring theme of Homelander being obsessed with milk. At first, it just seems like one more thing that makes him out to be a villainous creep. However, the realization of its meaning is actually quite heartbreaking.
Given how Homelander was raised by Vought, he never had a mother who cared for him. Now, even as the most powerful being in the world, he seeks the comfort of a mother and milk is his way of getting that.
Pain Of Isolation
While there are many times when Homelander says horrible and shocking things, every once and a while, he says something that makes actual sense. One of those instances is when he is talking about the unfair life as a superhero.
In quite a megalomaniacal way, Homelander explains his power and the powers of the other supes make them gods. But while that elevates them above everyone else, it also isolates them so that they will always be alone. Given that he didn't choose for this life, it is a daunting hardship to take on.
Wanting A Better Life For Ryan
When Homelander discovers he has a son, he attempts to force young Ryan and his mother, Becca, into creating a family together. Given what Homelander did to Becca, it is extremely disturbing to see him continue to victimize her and assume he has some ownership of Ryan.
But while Homelander initially seems to be a controlling father who wants Ryan to be like him, he does have a deeper purpose. Right or wrong, he sees Becca's protection of Ryan as a repeat of his own tortured upbringing and he wants to spare his son the same fate.
Losing Stormfront
Homelander and Stormfront were an incredibly toxic couple. However, it did show that Homelander was capable of thinking about someone other than himself and even proved he will listen to someone else.
Stormfront was as evil as Homelander but perhaps having someone he loved was beginning to soften him somewhat. He was getting kinder with Ryan and even seemed to think some of Stormfront's ideas were too extreme. But when Homelander found Stormfront near death, it was the first time he looked genuinely sad.
His Fake Home
One of the most interesting things about the show is the way superheroes are d to the public. Homelander's persona as the all-American hero is ingrained in people's heads even despite it being a complete lie.
In an effort to give the world a glimpse into his upbringing, Homelander gives a televised tour of a fake home with various staged memories. He later its to Madelyn the pain of being forced to tell stories about the childhood he was not allowed to have.
His Secret Identity
It's easy to imagine that Homelander might be a much better superhero if he were able to get even a bit of a normal life. Alas, not only did his upbringing prevent a normal childhood but being the most powerful being in the world prevented any life out of the public eye.
During Starlight's early days as part of the Seven, she makes a comment about having a secret identity. Homelander responds somewhat regretfully that he gave up trying to have a secret identity years ago. This suggests he was unable to have a normal life.
Killing Madelyn
The show has proven many times how easily Homelander can kill someone. He does it often and doesn't even seem to hesitate. There was only one instance where taking a life seemed to bother him and that was with Madelyn Stillwell.
After learning Becca and his son are alive, Homelander confronts Madelyn about lying to him. He ends up killing her, but given their close connection, he seems to almost immediately regret it. Visiting her office, drinking her leftover milk, and even having Doppelganger transform into her shows that Homelander misses Madelyn.
A Baby Captive
Even with all the truly horrific things Homelander has done, it's hard not to sometimes see him as an innocent young infant who was put into this life against his will. There is even a flashback scene showing Homelander as a baby, alone in a room being observed by doctors.
The things he does and the way he sees the world are not how he was born. He was innocent at a time, and the life he could have had as a normal person was stolen from him.