Warning: This article contains spoilers for season 4 of The Boys.
Homelander may be the most powerful Supe in the world, but in The Boys season 4, cracks are beginning to show. In this latest season, the character—who’s a satirical take on Superman and played flawlessly by Antony Starr—becomes obsessed with aging (he may be invincible right now, but those bottled grey pubes he stores in his dresser indicate he’s not immortal) and overcoming his humanity.
Overcoming his humanity and constant desire for approval is a big thing for Homelander this season. In episode 3, we see his mental state begin to deteriorate when he starts talking to different versions of himself in a broken mirror.
“It’s time to overcome this need for love, this sickness, once and for all,” one of the voices tells him. “You’re never going to be your true self until you transcend your humanity.” He asks the four of them what he should do, and they all reply in unison: “You need to go back to the start. You need to go home,” as images of medical tools and vault doors flash across the screen. In episode 4, we get more information on Homelander’s origin story and it’s bleak as hell.
How was Homelander created?
Vought International, the ruthless corporation responsible for the Supes, would have the public believe that he’s an alien who landed in the United States as an infant, much like Superman. In reality, though, he was grown in a secret laboratory using genetic material taken from Stormfront and Soldier Boy.
The identity of the woman who actually birthed him, however, isn’t revealed. All we know about her, from Barbara’s account, is that she was “a runaway” they paid $2,000 to bring the embryo to term. “You lasered her guts out from the inside. You rose in the air with your umbilical cord still attached, like some creature out of myth. You killed three doctors and a nurse while you were at it,” Vought scientist Barbara tells him in episode 4.
We learn that Homelander was tortured as a child by the company’s scientists to see just how strong his powers of invincibility were. He was placed in an oven-like room for hours to see what effect extreme heat would have on him, and while he was never burned, it still caused him extreme pain.
“Everybody was terrified of you from your first breath, but we have no physical power over you, we never did,” Barbara continues. “You could have broken out of here, anytime you wanted. We couldn’t have stopped you. But you didn’t because you couldn’t stand the idea that we would be disappointed in you.”
In these moments, Homelander’s expression noticeably shifts and you almost feel sorry for him. “Vought brought in the best psychologists in the world and developed the protocol to carefully engineer that need so that you would be obedient. In many ways that was our greatest success,” Barbara explains. “Your need for love is so deep, it’s so human, you’ll never be able to overcome that.”
Homelander puts up his finger in protest. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he says. “I’m not human, and neither is my son. I’m going to raise him so that he knows it.” In a maniacal act of revenge, Homelander slaughters all the scientists but leaves Barbara alive. (Sidenote: If Antony Starr doesn’t receive an Emmy for his performance in this episode, we riot.”
The Boys is available to stream on Prime Video with new episodes dropping each Tuesday.
