Homelander from the series The Boys is a cruel villain who has committed many atrocities. And even in the comic source, you wouldn’t want to encounter Homelander. But who is worse of the two?
Spoiler Warning: Attention! This text contains mild spoilers for the series and strong spoilers for the comics related to The Boys. The ending of the series will officially deviate from the comics, which are already different in many ways, but be warned.
Who is Homelander in the series? What if Superman were evil? That’s a question that has been vividly explored not only in DC examples but also in the series The Boys
. It revolves around the hero
Homelander, a broken man with definitely too much power.
Homelander commits almost every terrible act imaginable in the series. The flying scoundrel with super strength and laser vision terrorizes his enemies, his allies, basically the entire world. At the same time, he knows how to instill fear and spin even the most horrific act into public relations so that there are still a few people in the world who revere him as a hero.
In the current final season, Homelander has reached an absolute position of power. At the same time, he struggles with his own demons, shaped by a horrific childhood, rejection, and hate. These experiences give his backstory a somewhat tragic feel in moments. Nevertheless, he is an insecure, impulsively driven being who compensates for his own fear with brutality.
His worst deeds? It’s hard to know where to start. He commits countless brutal murders in the series, carries out slaughters, abuses his power massively, and does not even stop in front of innocents. The reasons for his atrocities are often downright ridiculous. You shouldn’t be surprised if you get cut in half by Homelander just because you tell him something he doesn’t want to hear.
And what about his comic counterpart?
What drives Homelander in the comic series?
In the comics, Homelander resembles the series’ Homelander in many aspects. He still has an extreme need for validation. He still commits terrible acts without showing much remorse or other emotions. And he is driven by his own emotions, which he expresses through his power, without regard for others.
There are a few interesting parallels and differences in certain events that also take place in the series. Just like series-Homelander, he is partially responsible for the deaths of the passengers in a crashing airplane. However, he is not alone in failing here – other Seven members are involved in the situation. In another scene, he abuses Starlight alongside The Deep and A-Train when she joins the Seven. In the series, it is The Deep alone.
The crucial point of this Homelander is, and here another Spoiler Warning for the end of the comics: Many terrible acts attributed to Homelander were actually not committed by this Homelander. Instead, it was Black Noir who, for example, is responsible for eating a baby and murdering Butcher’s wife. The thing is: Black Noir is a clone of Homelander in the comics and resembles him almost completely.
That is definitely not the case in the series. In the comics, it can therefore be noted: Homelander is also a cruel and especially insane monster, similar to the series, but there are some things he did not actually commit himself.
And that is a point that fans are currently discussing shortly before the finale.
What do The Boys fans say about the Homelander comparison?
In the subreddit for The Boys, a discussion has developed on the way to the series finale about which of the two is likely the worse Homelander. You can find the post on Reddit about it here.
And here a large part of the fans comes to a clear conclusion: Yes, the comic Homelander is a nasty, nasty villain. Rapist, murderer, ruthless criminal. To a large extent, fans attribute this to the madness of the villain. On the other hand, it is due to the fact that in the end he was a pawn for Vought, who was also misled and committed some of the terrible acts not himself.
Homelander, on the other hand, is portrayed in the series as a calculating being that pursues clear plans and is very much aware of his actions. While this Homelander also has a tragic backstory, it does not excuse his conscious actions. And: Everything he has done, he has indeed also committed himself and decided to do so.
What do you think of the comparison? Which Homelander do you rate as the worse one? Let us know in the comments! Otherwise, we are now making great strides towards the finale regarding the Amazon series. And even there, The Boys does not hold back with some pretty wild, over-the-top characters. The latest example: A stone being with a very special problem.
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!
