The Major Homelander Revelation in Boys Season 4 Completely alters Your View of Him
One major revelation from The Boys season 4, episode 4 causes Homelander's story to become even more terrible. Flashbacks across The Boys seasons 1–3 hint at Homelander's past; additional information is provided via online shorts featuring young Homelander and The Boys: Diabolical. Still, the finer points of the supe's background have stayed mostly elusive. Finally whipping back the shroud on Antony Starr's character, "Wisdom of the Ages," reveals the terrible secrets of Homelander's youth in all their awful grandeur.
When Homelander visits his old lab and meets the scientists that poked and prodded him mercilessally in years past, "Wisdom of the Ages" sees Homelander literally walk down memory lane. A slaughter is expected, but first Homelander redecorates the "Bad Room" with a variety of unidentified meaty bits, then several important aspects about his past arise. Homelander is still the merciless, horrible villain of The Boys Season 4's cast as the dust settles; but, it is difficult not to view him in another light when the credits roll.
Barbara Verifies That Vought's Design Explicitly Designed Homelander's Need For Approval
Homelander's ravenous craving for affection and admiration has been quite evident ever since The Boys started in 2019. From sucking away at Madelyn Stillwell's season 1 nipple to aching for an emotional father-son reunion with Soldier Boy in The Boys season 3, Homelander has always sought approval. In the fourth season of The Boys, episode 4, Barbara, the head scientist in charge of Homelander's research, says Vought found this quality and hired "the best psychologists in the world" to "engineer" that want as a means of regulating Homelander.
Simply said, Homelander's relentless search for love and recognition did not arise as a natural feature of his character; rather, Vought deliberately fostered this throughout Homelander's early years. Vought hoped the gaping hole in the heart of the test subject would guarantee Homelander always stayed faithful to the likes of Stan Edgar and Madelyn Stillwell, therefore making him feel unworthy and unloved. All they had to do was let Homelander pursue the acceptance he so fervuously yearned for. This realization alters the audience's viewpoint on the Homelander narrative in The Boys entirely.
Has Homelander overcome his strongest weakness following the fourth boys' season?
Homelander visits his old lab as he is quite unhappy about the start of The Boys Season 4. His relationship with Ryan is turbulent; the other Seven Supes all crouch in dread, the populace acclaim his every action without inquiry. Homelander's attempt to rid those residual horrors from decades past is returning home and eliminating the scientists who once tortured him. Homelander is maybe expecting his unquenchable need for approval would vanish once he kills his way through his oldest tormentors.
Regretfully for Homelander, the psychological weakness Vought assigned him will not be readily reversible. Homelander's objective for Approval has changed throughout The Boys; he usually drops them and moves on to the next after one possible source of affection let him down. Homelander has been emotionally depending on Stillwell (killed by Homelander), Edgar (betrayed by Homelander), Black Noir (killed by Homelander), Stormfront, Soldier Boy (betrayed by Homelander), and now Ryan since the first season started. Killing the scientists thus does not ensure Homelander has achieved closure.
Butcher's Boys Can Leverage Weakness Against Him in Season 5
As things stand in The Boys season 4, Ryan is the character Homelander most yearning affection and respect from. But between the child's working moral compass and Billy Butcher's paternal shadow, Homelander and his son have struggled emotionally. This is a situation Butcher's crew can take advantage of, albeit probably not until The Boys season 5's last battle arrives. Should Butcher turn Ryan to his side, the Boys can seize Homelander's yearning to win his son's love and entice him into a trap.
Given Homelander's son is the only Supe carrying the inner power to truly murder Homelander, that trap might even be Ryan himself. Vought's team of world-renowned psychologists - the ones who purposefully made Homelander seek love and approval - would have directly contributed to the villain's defeat if Ryan tempts Homelander into a loving father-son embrace and slyly grabs that chance to laser his dad to death in The Boys Season 5.
The Boys: Examining the Superhero Genre's Backstage Scenes
Eric Kripke developed a superhero/dark comedic satire sitcom based on the same-named comic book franchise. Set in a "what-if" universe honoring superheroes as gods and celebrities with few consequences for their deeds. To reveal them for what they are, one squad of vigilantes under the direction of a vengeance-obsessed guy called Billy Butcher will fight back against these super-charged "heroes."
Sharp, irreverent, and frequently cruel deconstruction of the superhero genre, The Boys explores the dark side of power, the corrupting of fame, and the fallout from unbridled ambition. The show is renowned for its dark humor, startling turns, and examination of difficult subjects including morality, retribution, and the nature of good and evil. Fans of the superhero genre as well as those who appreciate a darkly comic and provocative series should definitely check out The Boys with its outstanding cast, snappy writing, and engaging characters.
