The Boys Showrunner Says Homelander Is Based On Donald Trump
The showrunner for The Boys has come right out and said that Homelander is based on Donald Trump. And that doesn't paint a flattering picture
Folks enjoying this season of The Boys have been treated to one of the goriest and bloodiest run of episodes yet for the series. The show has had its foot on the gas almost the entire time with the stakes and threats continuing to amplify for those in this world, especially for those who might be crossing paths or running afoul of Antony Starr’s Homelander. The character, based loosely on Superman, has become more and more unhinged as the series has gone on, and he’s starting to reach his most unpredictable and scary levels yet. Well, if you are wondering where the writers took some of the “inspiration” for the character’s personality and mindset, look no further than a former resident of the Oval Office. That’s because The Boys writers have been basing Homelander on Donald Trump all along.
The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke did an interview with Rolling Stone (via CBR) talking about the show’s third season and during the talk, the discussion made its way to Homelander and just how the character continues to spiral as time goes on. We’ve seen this season his increased insecurity and pettiness combined with a ruthlessness that’s struck fear in nearly everyone around him. He’s always been a true villain on the series, but most would agree that this season of The Boys it’s hit another level with the character increasingly difficult to control, needing his ego stroked at every minute.
Kripke said that this was purposeful and that they didn’t have to look too far to figure out the beats for Homelander. Check out part of what Kripke had to say concerning Homelander on The Boys.
“(Homelander has) always been a Trump analog for me…He has this really combustible mix of complete weakness and insecurity, and just horrible power and ambition, and it’s just such a deadly combo. Of course, he would feel victimized that people are angry that he dated a Nazi…All he ever wants is to be the most powerful person he can be, even though he’s completely inadequate in his abilities to handle it…And those issues just happened to reflect the guy who…was f-cking President of the United States…And it’s a bigger issue than just Trump. The more awful public figures act, the more fans they seem to be getting. That’s a phenomenon that we (The Boys) wanted to explore, that Homelander is realizing that he can actually show them who he really is and they’ll love him for it.”
When watching this season of The Boys, it’s pretty easy to see where the writers drew their parallels here, especially if they are of a certain mind already about Donald Trump. Homelander’s arc and his overall place in the world’s universe has always felt tenuous even if he is the most powerful Supe on the planet and completely indestructible. Up until now, his weakness, and the need for acceptance has kept the real evil at bay.
But that’s starting to wane in this The Boys season as he realizes that becoming more bombastic and “honest” is winning him short-term victory points with his “base”. Because the Supes are treated more like political celebrities than actual crimefighters, it is totally reasonable that while the powers are Marvel and DC rip-offs, the personalities more mirror folks we see in this spectrum in our world. In that way, the writers were probably given something of a gift with Donald Trump. He was the perfect inspiration for Homelander.
Where things go with Homelander on The Boys is anyone’s guess. It’s likely to get a whole hell of a lot worse before it gets better. Though it sure appears as if he’s on a collision course with Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy who, frankly, seems just as awful. But The Boys has made its bones on rarely having neat and tidy solutions to the Supe problem. It often involves choosing the lesser of two evils.
