What The Boys Fans Always Get Wrong About Homelander
When you get passionate about a show, you might just engage in the time-honored tradition of yelling at the television set when characters are making stupid decisions. Fans of The Boys often do this with Homelander, questioning why the character (who is basically an evil Superman) doesn’t just kill anyone and everyone who gets in his way. However, what those fans don’t realize is that Homelander is held back by his own Kryptonite: his need to be validated and adored by millions of people.
Why Doesn’t He Just Take What’s His?
This theory may not make much sense unless you have watched season 4 of The Boys, in which Homelander goes to great lengths to make sure the President of the United States is someone who is sympathetic to him and other superheroes. Considering how much raw power Homelander has, many fans have complained that all of this plotting is just silly…like, why doesn’t this “superhero” just vaporize anyone who gets in his way? For that matter, why doesn’t he simply install himself as America’s emperor and just call it a day?
Looking For A Real Victory
For The Boys fans asking these questions, there’s a simple answer, one that a villain explained onscreen long before Homelander was created. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the Cardassian Dukat is explaining to the Vorta Weyoun why you shouldn’t simply destroy your enemies when given the chance. According to Dukat, “true victory is to make your enemy see they were wrong to oppose you in the first place…to force them to acknowledge your greatness.”
He then goes on to discuss the people of Bajor (who rightly see this guy as Hitler), complaining that they never built a single statue in his honor.
Sister Sage Is Picking Up What Homelander Is Throwing Down
The Boys may not have much overtly in common with Star Trek (aside from Lower Decks voice actor Jack Quaid), but this Dukat speech is Homelander in a nutshell. The super-powered villain could instantly kill Butcher, the incumbent president, or anyone else who gets in his way, but he would much rather keep them alive to force them to realize how great and powerful he truly is.
That’s part of why he is so grateful to Sister Sage at the end of season 4…her secret plan both accounted for and protected his ego, destroying the incumbent’s reputation and leaving Homelander looking like the nation’s stabilizing hero.
It’s All A Matter Of Ego
Throughout every season of The Boys, it’s clear that Homelander’s ego is all-important to him: the world doesn’t really need The Seven, but having an entire team makes Homelander feel like a powerful leader. Ego is why he doesn’t just kill Butcher…for him, it would be much more rewarding for the dying man to see the supes win and, most importantly, for Ryan to choose Homelander over Butcher.
Ego is also why he has anyone at Vought with dirt on the supes hunted down: he’s not protecting his invulnerable body but protecting his very vulnerable ego and reputation, both of which are vitally important.
Homelander’s Hubris
While nobody knows exactly how The Boys will end, it’s a safe bet that Homelander’s ego will prove to be his undoing. Frankly, fans always yelling at the Amazon show and asking why he isn’t killing everyone in sight are missing the point: when Sage warned there was one opponent he could never defeat, she was referring to this supe and his endless ego. He would rather be worshiped than feared, and this need for validation is the closest thing to Kryptonite for this otherwise unstoppable foe.
