The Homelander (John Gillman) is a

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

and one of the main

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...

s of the

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series '' The Boys'' and the

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...

of the same name, created by

Garth Ennis Garth Ennis (born January 16, 1970) is a Northern Irish–American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise, and '' The Boys'' with artist Dari ...

and

Darick Robertson Darick W. Robertson is an American artist best known for his work as a comic book illustrator on series he co-created, notably ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002) and '' The Boys'' (2006–2012; 2020). Robertson has illustrated hundreds of comics ...

. The character is depicted as an egotistical and sadistic

narcissist Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in one's physical appearance or image and an excessive preoccupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others. Narcissism exists on a co ...

who serves as the extremely powerful leader of

The Seven "The Seven" is the 123rd episode of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld''. This was the 13th episode for the seventh season, originally airing on February 1, 1996. In this episode, Elaine and Kramer turn to Newman to resolve a dispute over which of the ...

—a group of corrupt and hedonistic

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

es funded by Vought-American—and the

archenemy In literature, an archenemy (sometimes spelled as arch-enemy) is the main enemy of someone. In fiction, it is a character who is the protagonist's, commonly a hero's, most prominent and most-known enemy. Etymology The word ''archenemy'' sometim ...

Billy Butcher William J. "Billy" Butcher, or "Billy the Butcher", is a fictional character and antihero in the comic book and Amazon Prime series '' The Boys'', created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. He is the leader of The Boys, a group of CIA-sponsore ...

. Beneath his public image as a noble and

altruistic Altruism is the principle and moral practice of concern for the welfare and/or happiness of other human beings or animals, resulting in a quality of life both material and spiritual. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core asp ...

hero, the Homelander cares little about the well-being of those he professes to protect. In the

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

television

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

developed by

Eric Kripke Eric Kripke (born 1974) is an American writer and television producer. He came to prominence as the creator of the fantasy drama series ''Supernatural'' (2005–2020) which aired on The CW. He served as the showrunner during the first five seasons ...

, the character (simply known as The Homelander) is portrayed by

Antony Starr Antony Starr (born 25 October 1975) is a New Zealand actor, known for his television roles. He played the dual roles of Jethro and Van West on '' Outrageous Fortune'' (2005–10), Lucas Hood on ''Banshee'' (2013–16), and Homelander on '' The Bo ...

. This version is the megalomaniacal son of

Soldier Boy Soldier Boy is the name of three superhero characters in the comic book series ''Herogasm'' and '' The Boys'', created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. The first character introduced (the second successor to the mantle, made by Vought along w ...

and the father of Ryan Butcher (having committed many of the acts of Black Noir in the comic series, most notably the

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

of Billy Butcher's wife). Homelander has also appeared in the spin-off and promotional

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...

'' The Boys Presents: Diabolical'' and '' Death Battle!'', respectively.

Appearances

Comic book series

The Homelander is a patriotic superhero who leads the superhero team, The Seven, and the most powerful superhuman created by Vought-American. The company's cover story for the Homelander is that he is an alien who landed in the United States as an infant, much like

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

. In reality, he was grown in a secret laboratory, the progeny of genetic material taken from Stormfront, who was injected with Compound V while still a member of the

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...

. Homelander spent most of his young life chained down with a hydrogen bomb strapped to him in case he tried to escape. His mother was a mentally disabled woman who died giving birth to him. Homelander remains under the financial thumb of VA, as their money funds the Seven's

hedonistic Hedonism refers to a family of theories, all of which have in common that pleasure plays a central role in them. ''Psychological'' or ''motivational hedonism'' claims that human behavior is determined by desires to increase pleasure and to decre ...

lifestyle. Homelander eventually tries to encourage the other superheroes to do what they want, but relents due to his fear towards his boss, "The Guy From Vought" (James Stillwell). Until the events of the series' climax, it is implied that Homelander had raped Billy Butcher's wife, Becky, who then died giving birth to a superhuman baby Billy had then killed. In Issue #40, the Boys receive a series of incriminating photos seemingly showing Homelander engaging in grisly acts of murder, cannibalism, and

necrophilia Necrophilia, also known as necrophilism, necrolagnia, necrocoitus, necrochlesis, and thanatophilia, is sexual attraction towards or a sexual act involving Cadaver, corpses. It is classified as a paraphilia by the World Health Organization (WHO) ...

against men, women, and children. In private, Homelander shows signs of suffering a

mental breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

, talking to his own reflection in a mirror, and having bouts of nausea. He eventually decides that he is damned anyway for the acts depicted in the photos, and decides to give in to any

intrusive thought An intrusive thought is an unwelcome, involuntary thought, image, or unpleasant idea that may become an obsession, is upsetting or distressing, and can feel difficult to manage or eliminate. When such thoughts are associated with obsessive-compu ...

s that cross his mind. From ''

Herogasm ''Herogasm'' is a six-issue comic book limited series by Garth Ennis, John McCrea and Keith Burns. Originally published as a spin-off of ''The Boys'', set between issues #30 and #31, ''Herogasm'' was collected in trade paperback in November 200 ...

'' onward, Homelander resolves to free himself and the superhero community from Vought-American's control. He leads the other superheroes in a '' coup d'etat'' against the United States, launching an attack on the White House and killing everyone inside, including the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

. During the subsequent confrontation between Homelander and Butcher, the masked Black Noir arrives in the Oval Office and reveals himself to be a clone of Homelander created solely to kill and replace him if he ever went rogue. Gradually being driven insane due to not being allowed to kill Homelander, Noir reveals that he committed the atrocities documented in the photos, including raping Butcher's wife, in order to trick Homelander into thinking he had

dissociative identity disorder Dissociative identity disorder (DID), better known as multiple personality disorder or multiple personality syndrome, is a mental disorder characterized by the presence of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The di ...

and pitting Butcher against him, so that Noir would finally be given authorization by the Vought Guy to fulfill his purpose. Outraged, Homelander attacks Black Noir, who proceeds to tear Homelander apart. Before dying, Homelander manages to seriously injure his former teammate, allowing Butcher to later finish him off with a crowbar.

Television series

''The Boys'' (2019–present)

In the television adaptation,

plays the Homelander. As interpreted within the television series, he is considered by some reviewers to be analogous to DC's

. Grown from

's DNA and having been reared in a laboratory environment to become Homelander, John Gillman displays many sociopathic tendencies and is openly contemptuous of those he considers lesser beings. He is also possessive, paranoid, vindictive, insensitive, reckless with his powers, and incapable of accepting the possibility of any flaw in his person or decision-making. Unlike in the comic series, Homelander coerced Butcher's wife into having sex with him after she had been assigned as his assistant. However, he left her alive and, though he was unaware of it until the end of the season, pregnant with his son, Ryan. His discovery of the lies surrounding Ryan's existence influences his decision to maim the scientist responsible for his upbringing, Jonah Vogelbaum, and murder Madelyn Stillwell. However, his emotional incompetence and sociopathic traits initially alienate him from his son, and the loss of Stillwell's moderating influence on his behavior unbalances him further. He enters a sexual relationship with Stormfront, despite a difficult beginning, and conspires with her to remove his son from Becca's care and turn the public against "supervillains," creating public outcry for the creation of more superheroes. Stormfront is critically injured by Homelander's son Ryan, and Maeve blackmails Homelander into letting the boy go and leaving her alone. In a series of television interviews, he is forced to denounce his relationship with Stormfront and apologize for his actions. Partly to moderate Homelander's behavior, CEO Stan Edgar and Vought's board of directors installs Starlight as co-captain of The Seven. However, in response to this, Homelander bribes Edgar's secret adoptive daughter Vic Neuman into opening an investigation into Edgar, ousting him from Vought, with Homelander assuming control of the company himself. He appoints Ashley Barrett as his

puppet ruler A puppet ruler is a person who has a title indicating possession of political power, but who, in reality, is either loyal to or controlled by outside individuals or forces. Such outside power can be exercised by a foreign government, in which case ...

and antagonizes Starlight by reinstating the Deep as a member of the Seven and falsely announcing that the two are in a relationship during the finale of ''American Hero''; after Starlight denounces Homelander and Vought and abandons her persona as Starlight via a livestream, Homelander says that he dumped her and accuses her of engaging in human trafficking via her charitable foundation, the Starlight House. After learning that Queen Maeve not only acted as an informant for the Boys but also slept with their leader Billy Butcher, Homelander has her detained at Seven Tower with the intention of harvesting her eggs. Homelander would later learn of his connection with Soldier Boy after receiving a call from him. After confirming this connection with Black Noir, Homelander savagely murders the latter. When Homelander attempts to connect with Soldier Boy by introducing him to Ryan and saying that all three of them could be a family, Soldier Boy disowns him as a weak, damaged, attention-seeking disappointment and attempts to kill or depower him (as part of his deal with Butcher); Homelander turns against Soldier Boy after the latter strikes Ryan, but is forced to reluctantly fight Queen Maeve. He publicly introduces his son, Ryan, killing a pro-Starlight protestor in the process, much to the applause of his and Stormfront's supporters.

''Seven on 7'' (2020–2021)

In the following 2020–2021 promotional

, '' Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman'', which bridges the events of the second and third seasons, Homelander continues dealing with the aftermath of Stormfront being revealed to be a Nazi, as well as filming promos for Vought's streaming service, Vought+, and to celebrate

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

''Death Battle!'' (2020–present)

In the 2020

-sponsored ''The Boys'' promotional episodes of '' Death Battle!'', in promotion for its second season, Homelander (voiced by Yong Yea) participates in the Seven's simulated

battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...

e, declaring himself the winner after killing

( standing-in for Black Noir), before throwing aside the laser baby to fight Stormfront, a consequence of which Wiz and Boomstick are uneasy of. In a 2022 episode, Homelander is pitted against Nolan Grayson / Omni-Man (from ''

Invincible Invincible may refer to: Film and television * ''Invincible'' (2001 drama film), a drama by Werner Herzog about Jewish cabaret during the rise of Nazism * ''Invincible'' (2001 TV film), a fantasy / martial arts TV movie starring Billy Zane ...

''). In the fight he tries to drive his opponent out of America during

, by killing his wife Debbie. Homelander is promptly killed by Omni-Man in response, who dislocates his jaw and feeds his heart to him before crushing his head.

''Diabolical'' (2022–present)

In '' The Boys Presents: Diabolical'', Homelander first appears in the final moments of the episode "

An Animated Short Where Pissed-Off Supes Kill Their Parents ''The Boys Presents: Diabolical'' is an American adult animated Superhero fiction, superhero anthology series that premiered on Amazon Prime Video on March 4, 2022. It serves as a Spin-off (media), spin-off of the live action television series ' ...

", executing the title characters (escaped Supe teenagers with abnormal powers) on Vought's behalf, after they kill their parents due to the events of ''The Boys'' episode " Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men". Homelander next appears in the episode " I'm Your Pusher", set in the same continuity as ''The Boys'' comic book series, while honouring the Great Wide Wonder during a promotional campaign, Homelander witnesses his

drug overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.

(induced by

) lead him to crash into Ironcast during a stunt, killing them both. In order to cover for the event, Homelander,

Queen Maeve Medb (), later spelled Meadhbh (), Méibh () and Méabh (), and often anglicised as Maeve ( ), is queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Her husband in the core stories of the cycle is Ailill mac Máta, although she had seve ...

, and Jack From Jupiter blame a "

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...

" controlled by Galaxis for their deaths, claiming it is "hidden in the light of the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

", which the watching crowd eagerly believe. In the season finale, the

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...

episode "

One Plus One Equals Two ''The Boys Presents: Diabolical'' is an American adult animated superhero anthology series that premiered on Amazon Prime Video on March 4, 2022. It serves as a spin-off of the live action television series '' The Boys'', and is similarly based ...

", a young Homelander makes his debut as a member of the Seven. Flashbacks of his childhood reveal the systematic torture he received from Vought scientists testing the extent of his powers. His superior Madelyn Stillwell, who has been manipulating him, warns him of Black Noir, the "Homelander before Homelander", claiming that he will seek every opportunity to destroy him. Assigned to tackle a hostage situation at a chemical plant ahead of Noir as his first mission as a superhero, Homelander attempts a peaceful resolution; however, after accidentally killing a hostage and injuring the eco-terrorist leader by lasering the latter's broken gun, he kills the remaining eco-terrorists and all but one hostage in a psychotic episode after they collectively berate him for his recklessness. After Black Noir arrives on the scene, Homelander attempts to explain his actions before resolving to kill Noir to cover them up. However, after Noir tricks Homelander into blowing up the compound, he gains his trust by

mercy kill ''Star Wars: X-wing'' is a ten-book series of '' Star Wars'' novels by Michael A. Stackpole (who also co-wrote the similarly named comic book series) and Aaron Allston. Stackpole's contributions cover the adventures of a new Rogue Squadron forme ...

ing the last witness to Homelander's murders in its aftermath, and writes him an excusatory speech to provide to the press outside, claiming the eco-terrorists had a bomb. Later, at Vought headquarters, Homelander tells Stillwell that she was wrong about Noir. Starr reprises his role as Homelander from the live-action series.

Development

The character was designed as an evil version of

and

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

in terms of powerset and costume. His cape pulled to the left resembles the first costume of Captain Marvel a.k.a. Shazam. Homelander's

backstory A backstory, background story, back-story, or background is a set of events invented for a plot, presented as preceding and leading up to that plot. It is a literary device of a narrative history all chronologically earlier than the narrative of p ...

in the original comics is similar to that in the television adaption of '' The Boys''.

describes Homelander as: "an almost entirely negative character. He is really just a series of unpleasant urges kept in check by his own intelligence, which is enough to understand that he can have anything he wants so long as he doesn't push his luck too far." Also: "It might help to think of the Homelander as having all the self-control of... let’s say... a fourteen-year-old." ''The Boys'' producer and

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...

has stated that while Homelander can "in theory" be killed, a

plot twist A plot twist is a literary technique that introduces a radical change in the direction or expected outcome of the plot in a work of fiction. When it happens near the end of a story, it is known as a twist or surprise ending. It may change the aud ...

which involved the character being killed by his clone Black Noir in the comic book version will not be used in the television adaptation, where Black Noir is instead depicted as a

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

man and the character's psychopathic traits are amalgamated with Homelander.

Powers and abilities

The Homelander's powers include heat vision,

super strength Superhuman strength is a superpower commonly invoked in fiction and other literary works such as mythology. A fictionalized representation of the phenomenon of hysterical strength, it is the power to exert force and lift weights beyond what is ph ...

, durability, flight, and enhanced

vocal cord In humans, vocal cords, also known as vocal folds or voice reeds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speech ...

s. He also ages more slowly than a normal human, due to Compound V. It is mentioned that his first name is John, with Homelander mentioning to Starlight that he once had an alias or

secret identity A secret identity is a person's alter ego which is not known to the general populace, most often used in fiction. Brought into popular culture by the Scarlet Pimpernel in 1903, the concept was widespread in pulp heroes and is particularly prevalent ...

, but eventually gave it up. In the finale of the first season of the television series, when asked about Homelander's weakness, Madelyn Stillwell claims he does not have one, saying, “There isn't a weapon on Earth that they haven't thrown at him. They've all failed.” The Homelander's powers and sense of entitlement have led him to exhibit extreme

megalomania Megalomania is an obsession with power and wealth, and a passion for grand schemes. Megalomania or megalomaniac may also refer to: Psychology * Narcissistic personality disorder * Grandiose delusions * Omnipotence (psychoanalysis), a stage of ...

, causing him to commit crimes against innocent people, including acts of rape and

mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

, out of the idea that he can do anything he wants because of who he is.

Reception

The character and Starr's portrayal in the series have received critical acclaim. The character has been described as the living personification of how the world sees the worst America. Homelander has been compared to

and

References

Footnotes