Even with season 3's new additions to The Boys' crowded landscape of characters, Homelander remains a fascinating superhero, especially now that he's leaning more than ever into his diabolical side. Sharing the distinction of co-captain with Starlight has only made his ego more aggressive, and he seeks new ways to validate his worth.
If Homelander was a typical Superman cipher he wouldn't be nearly as interesting as he is, but his need to be loved and get his way at all costs reveals the dark effect of fame on the cape and cowl lifestyle. These memes capture the heroism that the public associates with Homelander, the narcissism he reveals to other of The Seven, and the evil he reserves for the Boys.
Homelander Is What Happens If Captain America And Superman Turned Evil
With an American flag for a cape and golden eagles on his shoulders, Homelander should be the epitome of liberty and justice, just like Marvel's Captain America or DC's Superman. But unlike Cap or the Big Blue Boyscout, Homelander isn't selfless or heroic, and continues to tarnish their altruistic reputations.
From the very first season, when he refused to save desperate plane engers from an incident he caused, his character's morality was firmly shown as hypocritical. Even with all his superhuman abilities, if there's a chance that something bad might happen to Homelander (or his reputation), he will gladly sacrifice as many people as it takes to avoid it.
Homelander Is An Unexpected Fan Favorite
Despite the arrogance, selfishness, and aggression that define him, Homelander has become an unexpected fan-favorite. Much of this can be attributed to Antony Starr's performance, which strikes a balance between over-the-top caricature and charming sociopath, and is quite often one of the funniest characters on The Boys.
There are glimpses of Homelander's humanity that come through, too, especially when interacting with his son, and Starr manages to extract a modicum of empathy for fans to connect with. One of Homelander's hallmarks is being unpredictable, and most fans can't wait to see what he does next.
Homelander Saves Lives When He Feels Like It
Some of the best Homelander quotes highlight his arrogance and conceit. At the end of the day, being a superhero is all about the glory and the fame, not about saving lives. As this meme demonstrates, Homelander's fine with appearing to be a hero rather than performing his duties as one, and when he does save a village from harm, like in season 2, his liaise-fair approach to his job results in unexpected collateral damage.
The Boys does a great job of capturing the PR machine behind superheroes, with Vought CEO Stan Edgar often comparing them to "products" that need to be marketed or "children" who need to be managed. Vought created Homelander to be the perfect superhero for the public, but never ed for how his incredible powers would affect how he perceived the people he was supposed to save.
Homelander Sees Himself As Better Than Everyone Else
Quite often Homelander sees himself as a "superior" being, more akin to a "god" than even a superhero, resulting in Vought spending a large part of its time making sure that the general public doesn't get wise to Homelander's personal views.
In season 3, Homelander unexpectedly lets the public know that it's "difficult" to be so much better than them, and rather than his approval ratings dropping, he sees a spike in popularity, and is seen as honest, forthright, and even inspirational for "telling it like it is." He becomes an unexpected beacon of nonconformity for not cowtowing to bureaucracy, even as he's insulting his fanbase.
Does It Come In Fascist?
When Homelander meets Stormfront, sparks fly. Not only does their adversarial regard for each other lead to something romantic, there's a chemistry between them that goes beyond the fact that he shoots lasers from his eyes and she can channel pure energy.
As this meme suggests, Homelander and Stormfront are like the fascist version of Captain America and Thor, with the latter showing Homelander just how easy it is to control and manipulate people based on their static ideologies. Their relationship provides a sobering study in cognitive bias, and the incredible harm it can cause.
It's Never A Good Sign When Homelander Smiles
Not only do his superpowers separate him from other people, his inability to regulate his emotions also put Homelander at odds with those around him. From the general public, to Vought overlords, to his peers in The Seven, Homelander finds it increasingly difficult to shift between moods as the seasons progress.
At one point, Homelander's ready smile might have inspired camaraderie, but now, whenever fans see it, they wonder who is getting lasered. Now a patronizing pantomime, it precedes him becoming explosively angry with someone, effectively rendering it a paradoxical and disingenuous symbol, not unlike himself.
Got Milk?
In the first season of The Boys, Madelyn Stillwell is not only responsible for managing The Seven, but Homelander in particular, and seems to be the only person who can control him. Pregnant at the time, he seeks her out for intimate moments involving lactation, and while fans may continue to wonder about Homelander's Stillwell milk obsession, their bond was a way to show how vulernable Homelander was willing to be.
Vought created him, but because he was raised in a lab and not in a natural home environment, he often reverted to being a frightened child (with superhuman abilities) looking for validation from his creators. Homelander has always desired a family, and for a brief moment, he felt like he got his wish, especially since trying to connect with his own son always proved difficult.
Don't Trust Homelander If He Says Things Are Fine
While some characters on the series are written to reflect certain superhero stereotypes, Homelander remains one of the best characters on The Boys because of his complexity. As a twisted version of Superman or Captain America, he's able to go from superhero to supervillain almost instantly.
When Vought needs to replace Deep in The Seven, Homelander has a hand in picking replacements. When he's shown a "differently abled" superhero named Blindspot, he lulls the young man into a false sense of security by making him feel welcome, before mercilessly wounding him in front of Vought personnel to assert his dominance. It effectively demonstrates how much Homelander is in control of The Seven from an emic and political perspective.
Homelander Loves Black Noir
The most enigmatic and cryptic of The Seven, Black Noir has always enjoyed a healthy respect from his fellow superheroes, but nothing compared to how he's perceived by Homelander. Normally economic with is praise, Homelander recognizes Black Noir for mediocre things that other of The Seven would get no recognition for.
In season 3, Black Noir is revealed to be a part of Payback, a team of superheroes that preceded The Seven around the time of the Vietnam War. As the oldest member of the group, then, Black Noir has a seniority that Homelander seems to ire, giving him distinction among his peers.
Who Wore It Best Homelander Or Captain Amazing
If aspects of Homelander's onscreen character seem familiar, it could be because they're similar to Captain Amazing. Captain Amazing isn't a superhero from Marvel or DC but Mystery Men, a movie that focuses on a ragtag team of misfit heroes who must save the famous hero after he's captured by his greatest nemesis.
Like Homelander, Captain Amazing loses popularity when he puts all supervillains behind bars. Unless he can fight a worthy enemy, his sponsors threaten to pull his endorsements. The comedy isn't as dark as The Boys, but it attempts to show the susceptibility of egos with superpowers to the court of public opinion, with Homelander providing the perfect case study.