Highlights
- Homelander is a sociopathic, unpredictable villain with an unrivaled capacity for destruction on The Boys.
- The antagonist’s one-liners reveal his narcissistic, sadistic nature that both terrifies and disgusts viewers.
- Homelander’s past trauma fuels his ruthless grudges and merciless nature towards anyone who crosses his path.
One of the most unhinged vessels of evil that popular culture has ever seen, Antony Starr’s Homelander serves as walking, talking proof of the dangers an evil Superman would pose. An unpredictable cocktail of functional invincibility and sociopathic narcissism with an unrivaled capacity for sadistic destruction, The Boys‘ lead antagonist is a front-runner for television’s most dangerous character.
Like many great villains, Homelander is a master in the art of the one-liner. Whether he is contemptuously bullying anybody unfortunate enough to cross his path, gleefully taunting his adversaries, or simply revealing the psychopathic nature at the heart of his personality, the Seven’s leader possesses an effortless ability to awe, terrify, and disgust in equal measure through the lines he delivers.
10 “I’m The Homelander, And I Can Do Whatever The F*** I Want.”
Reminding Crime Analytics Of The Status Quo
- Season 1, Episode 2: “Cherry”
Homelander is acutely aware of his status as the most powerful individual on the planet. As such, the ruthless supe is genuinely bemused at the notion that anybody might dare challenge him in any shape or form, a fact that is perfectly symbolized by a quote during an early visit to Crime Analytics.
After he is refused access to Vought’s security systems, Antony Starr’s charge gleefully seizes the opportunity to remind what he describes as “mud people” of the status quo. With calm tones eerily juxtaposed against the unhinged glint in his eyes, Homelander informs the unfortunate analyst blocking his path: “I’m the Homelander, and I can do whatever the f*** I want.”
9 “Get In The Oven, Frank.”
Bearing A Grudge Like No Other
- Season 4, Episode 4: “Wisdom of the Ages”
Homelander bears a never ending resentment towards the scientists who raised him in a lab. This is hardly shocking considering the horrors he was subjected to during his adolescence. The Seven’s leader was experimented on like a guinea pig in the bowels of hell; one particular test saw him locked in an incinerator and burned at horrific temperatures to assess his durability.
Unsurprisingly, “John” does not forgive and forget. In an abjectly pitiless sequence, Homelander invites a scientist who played a game of “waste paper basketball” while he burned to experience his tribulations for himself. “Get in the oven, Frank,” Homelander ominously demands. The unfortunate Frank has no choice but to comply, where he is swiftly torched to a crisp as his tormentor watches with sadistic glee.
8 “You Are Dark, And I Kind Of Like It.”
Homelander’s Take On His Mortal Enemy
- Season 1, Episode 8: “You Found Me”
Homelander has proven himself to be an almost unflappable individual. Not only is the superhero immune to virtually all forms of physical damage, but his sociopathic personality means that he rarely values anybody enough to allow them to be used against him.
Case in point? Even when confronted with an unhinged individual threatening to blow his romantic interest Madelyn Stillwell to kingdom come, Homelander’s deadpan response is no more than a mocking “You are dark, and I kind of like it.” The supe isn’t just unmoved by the grim situation he finds himself in; he quite literally finds it amusing.
7 “I’m Stronger, I’m Smarter… I’m Better! I Am Better.”
Breaking Down Before The World
- Season 3, Episode 2: “The Only Man in the Sky”
Before the events of “The Only Man in the Sky,” Homelander’s sociopathic nature was expertly disguised, hidden behind a beaming smile that would make a politician blush. However, the loss of Stormfront, coupled with the humiliation of his public association with a Nazi, causes his carefully maintained facade to crumble spectacularly on national television.
Ranting about his superiority to the human race, Homelander finally puts words to the contemptuous emotions that have lurked behind his gaze since his first appearance, passionately remonstrating: “I’m stronger, I’m smarter… I’m better! I am better!” This iconic soundbite serves to signal an irreversible change of the status quo on The Boys, the introduction of a new Homelander unfettered by standards of social acceptability.
6 “Is Your Idiot Brain Getting F***** By Stupid?”
A Humorous Yet Terrifying Line For Ashley
- Season 3, Episode 4: “Glorious Five-Year Plan”
Much like A-Train and the Deep before her, Ashley Barrett finds herself installed as one of Homelander’s chief punchbags in short order. “The Only Man in the Sky” hires her as Vought’s new Vice President of Hero Management to replace Madelyn Stillwell, banking on his ability to easily manipulate Colby Minifie’s character out of fear.
This state of affairs is hilariously underlined by a particularly brutal Season 3 one-liner. After Ashley informs her new boss of Victoria Neuman’s intention to stage a press conference concerning himself, Homelander’s contemptuous response to his latest victim is to ask her: “Is your idiot brain getting f***** by stupid?” Despite the nonsensical nature of his insult, Antony Starr’s villain proceeds to further highlight his terrifying nature by insisting that Ashley answer the humiliating question.
5 “I’m The Upgrade.”
An Arrogant Line Said Upon Meeting His Hero
- Season 3, Episode 6: “Herogasm”
“Herogasm” marks the first time Homelander has ever come close to meeting his match. Confronted with his childhood hero Soldier Boy, the supe finds himself in foreign territory in short order, facing an opponent who can partially rival him for strength and durability. The fact that he also finds himself being ridiculed for his appearance is just the icing on an extremely unfamiliar cake.
However, Homelander’s egocentric personality always shines through. Confronted with the accusation that he is no more than a “cheap, f****** knock-off” of Soldier Boy, Homelander grimly informs his adversary, “I’m the upgrade,” before flying at him like a superpowered bat out of hell.
4 “So What, They’re All Starving, But One Of Them’s Got A F****** Cellphone?”
Offers An Insight Into Homelander’s Political Incorrectness
- Season 2, Episode 5: “We Gotta Go Now”
Collateral damage and Homelander go together like a horse and carriage. One need only ask the unfortunate passengers aboard Transoceanic Flight 37 to confirm this. The Seven’s leader has never been afraid to bloody his hands while playing superhero, a fact that has never been more apparent than during an incident where he accidentally murders a civilian bystander with his laser vision.
It speaks volumes to Homelander’s merciless nature that his petulant reaction to watching a video of a family screaming in horror at the brutal demise of one of their own is no more than an incredulous: “So what, they’re all starving, but one of them’s got a f****** cellphone?”
3 “Ashley, Look At Me!”
Channeling Shades Of Heath Ledger
- Season 2, Episode 1: “The Big Ride”
Homelander is an individual who expects unwavering obedience at all times, even when there happens to be a mortally wounded individual screaming and writhing in a pool of his own blood in the background. For proof of this, one need only look toward the unfortunate Blindspot, a visually impaired supe who Homelander sadistically deafens after Ashley Barrett proposes him as the Seven’s latest member.
With an instantly traumatized Ashley frozen in horror at the sight of the stricken superhero, Homelander orders her to “look at me” instead. Using a blood chilling tone reminiscent of Heath Ledger’s iconic take on the Joker, it’s an incredibly terrifying moment. It offers a shocking glimpse into the sadistic nature at the heart of Homelander’s personality.
2 “You Know What, Chelsea? I Think You Should Jump.”
A Birthday Save Gone Wrong
- Season 3, Episode 2: “The Only Man in the Sky”
It has been established on numerous occasions that Homelander is a sociopathic individual of the highest order, a fact that has rarely been more evident than during his treatment of swiftly repentant suicide jumper Chelsea during a purported “save.”
After discovering that his former beau, Stormfront, has taken her life, Homelander petulantly brings the full brunt of his pitiless personality to bear on the unfortunate young girl, callously advising her, “You know what, Chelsea? I think you should jump.” Ruthlessly intoning that “the only man in the sky is me” in response to Chelsea’s desperate pleas to God for mercy, Homelander coerces her into splattering on the sidewalk like a meat-filled balloon.
1 “Eat F****** Timothy.”
A Funny Line That Leads To An Unsettling Scene
- Season 3, Episode 3: “Barbary Coast”
Much in the same manner that his father tormented Gunpowder, Homelander has always taken a unique pleasure in torturing the Deep, a state of affairs that has been evident ever since he invited Chace Crawford’s character to go and “f*** Shamu in the blowhole” early in Season 1.
This tyrannical relationship is perfectly epitomized during a scene in Season 2 where Homelander forces Deep to devour his friend, an octopus named Timothy. Dispassionately ignoring the duo’s pleas for mercy, Homelander pitilessly forces his aquatic subordinate to “Eat f****** Timothy” in one of the show’s most hilariously depraved sequences to date.
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