Was Homelander Always Evil? The Boys Explained His Past
The Boys has been progressively exposing more of the hidden past of Homelander, investigating the likelihood that the villain was always meant to be evil. Played by Anthony Starr, Homelander leads the Seven and is the most potent Supe available in The Boys' universe. In addition, he is a narcissistic, nasty, petty powerhouse who has shown great readiness to kill individuals he finds irritations, let alone threats. Homelander has turned out to be The Boys' most horrific character during four seasons of the show (including appearances in spin-offs like Gen V and The Boys: Diabolical).
Still, there's a strong doubt whether he was always destined for that kind of position. The Boys have looked at a number of subjects, including issues with the corrupting effect of authority and the need of nurture above nature. The Boys have been subtly investigating whether Homelander might have ever been anything different from the monster he's grown to be given his lonely and mistreated beginnings. The "Wisdom of the Ages" episode in Season 4 gives fresh light on the mistreatment at Homelander's beginnings with Vought, which directly resulted in the monster he is now. This begs a big issue regarding whether Homelander was always bad.
Vought To Be The Perfect Hero Created Homelander
Over the course of The Boys, Homelander's beginnings have become progressively clear, stressing Vought's attempts to produce the ideal hero and the unanticipated results of their deeds. For decades, the firm behind Compound V has been producing Supes; one of the first was Soldier Boy. Vought finally opted to produce a more flexible replacement even though Soldier Boy was a success for the industry and revered as a hero. Vought worked with his bitter Payback colleagues to remove Soldier Boy from the picture after persuading him to provide a sperm sample, therefore enabling Soviet operatives to seize him.
Artificial impregnancy of an unidentified lady using Soldier Boy's sperm sample produced the future Homelander. John, the infant, had ripped his way out of his mother as a newborn, was already thought to be possibly stronger than his father. Vought's attempts to establish a perfect hero expose their readiness to break great moral boundaries in the name of profit, and their seeming choice to raise John differently than Soldier Boy intended to shape him into Vought's ultimate marketing tool. But their efforts simply produced a much worse Supe than Soldier Boy's ever known.
Homelander's brutal upbringing and childhood explained
John's childhood in Vought's laboratory has become progressively clear to have been traumatizing. Homelander Originally a lovely boy, the company's ambition to make him the greatest Supe ever led to several cruel and painful tests forcing him to fight other Supes to hone his combat skills. Returning to the lab in season 4, Homelander reveals in "Wisdom of the Ages," how scientists would subject him to an incineration endurance test. But his "training" transcended physical suffering as over the years he also experienced a lot of emotional stress.
Spending hours in front of projections of "patriotic" images that distorted John's view of the world and himself, he was conditioned to be the greatest American hero. "Wisdom of the Ages" shows lab personnel turned their fear of the strong youngster into maltreatment by mocking him and neglecting his calls for aid. The adorable child became a possible monster as a result. In season 1's "The Self-Preservation Society," Jonah Vogelbaum apologized to Homelander saying John deserved to be raised by a loving family rather than in a terrible lab. Too late, though, and harm was done.
When "John" First became "The Homelander"
John started to view himself as Homelander sometime while still in the Vought labs (as shown by his scratching out of the name John on a wall), although on some level there seemed to be still some hope for the young guy. But the events of "One Plus One Equals Two" from The Boys: Diabolical verified how Homelander really evolved into the monster he is now. Verified by The Boys Executive Producer Eric Kripke as canon inside the universe of The Boys, the episode centers on Homelander's first superhero assignment and public debut with The Seven.
Homelander seemed to really feel he could be a hero, even with the residual trauma of his upbringing and public lies required. But Homelander's first attempt to gently disarm a bunch of eco-terrorists rapidly went south as he lacked appropriate self control. Black Noir helped to cover up and ignore the lab's destruction as well as multiple deaths. This helped to solidify Homelander's world-view by discounting mankind as ultimately useless objects. Homelander's first assignment finished his metamorphosis into a monster, even if he might have already be headed towards villainy.
Was homelander always bad in The Boys? Complicated.
The nature of evil and how it arises is one of The Boys' major thematic concerns. Characters like Ryan have battled their capacity for both good and evil; the deciding point seems to be his upbringing and the effects on him. A callous father emotionally mistreated Soldier Boy led him on the road to become a "hero" to show him wrong. Likewise, the lack of love and the litany of atrocities pushed on John as he grew up curdled inside the lad and helped shape him into the homicidal Homelander.
Perhaps Homelander did not have to be wicked over the long run. With the correct treatment, he might have been truly a hero. None of anything, though, justifies what Homelander's become or his actions afterward. Though John might not have always been destined to be wicked, his upbringing encouraged him to become someone who would gladly kill a mother in front of her child or leave hundreds of innocent people dead. It fits The Boys' general investigation of nature against nurture and emphasizes how bad we may make in others and ourselves.
Homelander: Examining the Villain Closest-LY
Homelander is a complicated and unsettling character resulting from both his natural aptitudes and the horrific events of his background. He stands for the negative side of bravery, highlighting the risks of unbridled authority and the corrupting effect of celebrity. The Boys has deftly examined Homelander's complexity, exposing his weaknesses and the psychological trauma behind his behavior.
Homelander's narrative serves as a sobering reminder of how easily even the most strong people could be engulfed in gloom. One of the most recognizable villains in modern television, the Boys has effectively produced a gripping and ethically dubious persona. His narrative begs significant issues regarding the definition of good and evil, the effects of trauma, and the results of authority.
The Boys: Investigating Superheroine World
Eric Kripke developed the superhero/dark comedic satire series The Boys based on the same-named comic series. 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 group of vigilantes headed under a vengeance-obsessed guy named Billy Butcher will fight back against these super-charged "heroes".
Critically praised and with a devoted audience, The Boys is a subversive and provocative series. The show has drawn compliments for its sophisticated humor, nuanced characters, and relentless investigation of power, corruption, and morality. Fans of superhero tales as well as those who value a decent dosage of dark comedy and social commentary should definitely check out The Boys.
