Warning: spoilers ahead for The Boys season 4, episode 4.
Summary
Homelander’s story becomes infinitely more tragic as a consequence of one big reveal fromThe Boysseason 4, episode 4.Homelander’s backstoryhas been alluded to in flashes acrossThe Boysseasons 1-3, with extra details revealed via online shorts starring young Homelander andThe Boys: Diabolical. The finer details of the supe’s past have, however, remained largely mysterious.The Boysseason 4, episode 4, “Wisdom of the Ages,” finally whips back the shroud on Antony Starr’s character, exposing the painful secrets of Homelander’s youth in all their ugly glory.
“Wisdom of the Ages” sees Homelander take a literal trip down memory lane when he drops by his old lab, reuniting with the scientists who poked and prodded him mercilessly in years gone by. Predictably, a bloodbath ensues, but before Homelander redecorates the “Bad Room” with an assortment of unidentifiable meaty chunks, many key details about his past rise to the surface. Once the dust settles, Homelander is still the ruthless, despicable villain ofThe Boysseason 4’s cast, but it becomes impossible not to see him in a different light when the credits roll.
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Barbara Confirms Homelander’s Need For Approval Was A Deliberate Part Of Vought’s Design
Vought’s Experiments Look Even More Cruel After The Boys Season 4, Episode 4
Ever sinceThe Boysbegan in 2019, Homelander’s desperate need for love and approval has been abundantly clear. From sucking away at the nipple of Madelyn Stillwell in season 1 to pining for an emotional father-son reunion withSoldier Boy inThe Boysseason 3,Homelander has always sought validation. InThe Boysseason 4, episode 4, Barbara - the head scientist responsible for Homelander’s development - reveals that Vought identified this trait and recruited “the best psychologists in the world” to “engineer” that desire as a means of controlling Homelander.
Homelander is responsible for his own actions, and no event from the past can justify the many murders committed at his hands.
In plain terms, Homelander’s ceaseless quest for love and acknowledgment did not occur as a natural aspect of his personality - it was intentionally cultivated by Vought during Homelander’s childhood.Vought wanted Homelander to feel unworthy and unloved, hoping the gaping hole in the test subject’s heart would ensure he always remained loyal to the likes of Stan Edgar and Madelyn Stillwell. All they had to do was keep Homelander chasing the approval he so strongly craved. This revelation completely changes the audience’s perspective on Homelander’s story inThe Boys.
Not only did Vought make the grave mistake of birthing a supe with enough power to destroy humanity, the company deliberately gave him an emotional itch that could never be scratched. Ultimately, Homelander is responsible for his own actions, and no event from the past can justify the many murders committed at his hands. At the same time, it cannot be denied that Vought intentionally gave the most powerful man on Earth a deep-seated psychological reason to be constantly angry at the world around him.
Has Homelander Overcome His Greatest Weakness After The Boys Season 4, Episode 4?
Is Homelander Finally Over His Need For Approval? Not So Fast…
Homelander visits his old lab because he is immensely dissatisfiedwhenThe Boysseason 4 begins. The other Seven supes all cower in fear, the public cheer his every move without question, and his relationship with Ryan is tempestuous. Returning home and killing the scientists who once tortured him is Homelander’s attempt to exorcise those lingering demons from decades gone by. Homelander is perhaps hoping that by murdering his way through his oldest tormentors, his unquenchable thirst for validation will disappear.
Barbara was, in essence, the closest Homelander had to a mother figure during his formative years.
Unfortunately for Homelander,the psychological weakness Vought bestowed upon him will not be so easy to shake off. Homelander’s target for approval has constantly shifted duringThe Boys, and when one potential source of love lets him down, he typically drops them and moves onto the next. SinceThe Boysseason 1 began, Homelander has been emotionally reliant on Stillwell (killed by Homelander), Edgar (betrayed by Homelander), Black Noir (killed by Homelander), Stormfront, Soldier Boy (betrayed by Homelander), and now Ryan. Killing the scientists, therefore, does not guarantee that Homelander has successfully found closure.
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Homelander not killing Barbara is another telltale clue that his demons remain intact. During Homelander’s lab visit inThe Boysseason 4, it becomes clear that Barbara was always the person he most sought to impress, as she was the only scientist to never show fear towards him. Barbara was, in essence, the closest Homelander had to a mother figure during his formative years. Crucially, she is the only lab worker not killed during Homelander’s rampage, proving his longing for approval has gone absolutely nowhere.
Butcher’s Boys Can Use Homelander’s Weakness Against Him In Season 5
Homelander’s Loss Is Butcher’s Gain
As things stand inThe Boysseason 4, the character Homelander most wants to receive love and admiration from is Ryan. Between the youngster’s functional moral compass and the paternal shadow of Billy Butcher, however, Homelander and his son have been unable to connect on an emotional level. This is a situation Butcher’s team can exploit - albeit likely not until the final battle arrives inThe Boysseason 5. If Butcher can flip Ryan to his side,the Boys can take advantage of Homelander’s desperation to earn his son’s love and lure him into a trap.
That trap could even be Ryan himself, since Homelander’s son is the only supe harboring enough inner power to actually kill Homelander. If Ryan tempts Homelander into a loving father-son embrace and slyly takes that opportunity to laser his dad to death inThe Boysseason 5, Vought’s team of world-renowned psychologists - the ones who deliberately made Homelander seek love and approval - would have played a direct part in the villain’s defeat.
July 18
The Boys
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
