The Horrifying Non-Horror Villain
Homelander isn't a horror villain -- but he feels like one.
The Boys is one of the biggest series right now. It’s also one of my favorites, and has continued to outdo itself with every season. With the teaser trailer for season four being released, I felt it was only right to dive deep into the main antagonist.
Homelander, the infamous character played by Anthony Starr, is a staple for the series. He’s a narcissistic villain playing the role of the hero, with powers too powerful for most to be up against. I like to describe him as a “non-horror horror villain,” as his motives feel similar to a killer you may see in a classic 80s film.
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(SPOILERS AHEAD)
An Introduction to Homelander
A little while ago I wrote my essay on Horror That Isn’t Horror, which is one of my most popular pieces on here! So, thank you for that.
I suppose this could be a sequel to that in some way. There’s certainly many characters one could categorize as horror-adjacent despite said characters not being from the genre. Characters like the Horned King or the Joker are some that come to mind, but there’s another one that’s just as prominent: the Homelander.
He’s like Superman, but instead of being a kind soul that leads by example, Homelander is the exact opposite. He’s cruel, narcissistic, and unapologetic for any of his wrongdoings. But, just like Superman, he’s the strongest man in the world.
Suddenly, the idea of a superhero with such great power turns bleak. Nobody really deserves that much power, but the citizens over in DC were lucky enough to get Clark Kent be theirs. The people in The Boys universe weren’t so lucky.
An all powerful man that’s basically unstoppable. Go against him and he’ll easily get rid of you—unless you have blackmail, of course.
It’s easy to see how The Boys could transition into a horror series if they really wanted to. Although, someone technically already beat them to it.
Brightburn
Brightburn released in 2019 and was meant to parallel the origin story of Clark Kent with a more sinister twist. Brendon Breyer, Brightburn’s answer to the boy wonder, becomes a twisted and nasty version of himself once he reaches puberty. Think of Smallville, but if Clark decided to go crazy evil with his powers instead of just helping out on the farm.
But Brightburn is about a child. A child that still has time to be molded.
Homelander is an adult, and his his mental is severely screwed because of his lack of childhood. He has no room to grow, set in his ways of wanting to be all-powerful.
And… Omni-Man?
Of course, if I’m going to talk about Homelander, I need to swiftly bring up Omni-Man too. There’s been discourse over who would win in a fight for awhile now—I have to agree with most people and say Omni-Man would be the winner, considering he has more training and a deeper understanding of combat.
On the other hand, I believe Homelander wins in the horrifically evil category. See, the difference here is that Omni-Man doesn’t really think what he’s doing is wrong. What Omni-Man is doing—conquering the universe for his civilization—was taught to him by the Viltrumite Empire. He’s a product of his surroundings rather than a product of evil.
That’s not to say what he has done is forgivable, of course. He still sucks.
Homelander, however, understands what he’s doing is wrong. He knows killing an entire plane of people isn’t okay. He knows murdering fellow heroes for his own gain isn’t okay. He isn’t sorry for any of those things, but he is sorry when he gets caught.
Queen Maeve was able to hold blackmail on him for so long because he cared about his image, not because he cared about actually letting people die.
In the same vein, Starlight is able to publically call him out without fear because she knows he can’t just “get rid of” of her without people questioning him. He doesn’t care about his lack of morals, he cares about people’s approval.
Why Homelander?
Homelander is a terrifying character from a non-horror franchise. There’s plenty of those, yes, but I think Homelander particularly stands out due to his personality and unique background.
He’s Superman, but without the moral integrity.
But at the same time, I can argue he’s also like the iconic Freddy Krueger. Another character who is terrifying in concept, is hard to defeat, and overall cares about having power. Actually, he has way more in common with your average horror villain than with Superman.
Looking Back
Believe it or not, there was a time when Homelander wasn’t evil.
The Boys Presents: Diabolical (S1, EP8) introduced us to Homelander before his cruelty took over. A newly inducted hero with more innocent intentions, understanding that he was put there to protect people. This is the most Superman that Homelander will ever be.
But he’s too innocent. Sheltered, actually. He was raised in a lab with no parental figures, experimented on and tortured as a child rather than nurtured. A trauma that stuck with him.
He wasn’t taught basics. He wasn’t taught social awareness. He certainly wasn’t taught how to navigate the world. He was taught how to be a weapon.
Throughout the episode, we see an innocent Homelander try his hardest in his first hostage situation. One that eventually leads to a breaking point, causing him to blackout and murder everyone because of his trauma. When he comes to, he freaks out and realizes what he had done.
Fast forward and Black Noir helps him out of it, making him look to be innocent and as if everybody simply died in an accident.
In knowing what we know from season 3 of The Boys, Black Noir’s attempts to help Homelander makes much more sense. He wants Homelander to be better than Soldier Boy (his father). Though, those attempts seemingly failed, even if Black Noir managed a strong bond with him.
All of this is brought up to compare his background to that of another icon of horror: Jason Voorhees.
Jason was an innocent boy once too, but he was different. He looked different. He was “weird.” The kids bullied him mercilessly at camp. He died and came back a vengeance, his mind clouded with the want to kill and only kill.
Unhinged and Dangerous
Like his horror counterparts, Homelander is a character that is completely unhinged.
He wants people to worship him. He is a god, and people need to recognize his greatness. He has the all-mighty power of Pinhead and the mind fracture of Jack Torrance. He has the unpredictability of Norman Bates, the coldness of Michael Myers, and the determination of Candyman.
He’s… well, he’s fucking scary.
But at the same time, Homelander is a villain that’s meant to be “charming.” A character you love to hate, just like the slashers of the golden age. He’s not meant to be the one you root for, but you’re certainly interested in seeing what the jackass has in store.
He’s not meant to always be taken seriously. We know that, considering his breast milk addiction. He has moments of idiocy and downright cringe, but that highlights his lack of social awareness in a world he doesn’t understand.
So, yes, he’s scary. But we can also laugh at him. He’s the bad guy and the butt of the joke.
He’s the perfect combination of what makes an 80s slasher villain.
One of The Boys
I certainly believe there’s room on the council to consider Homelander as a low level “horror” villain at best, right? I mean, at the very least, we know he would get along with some of the freaks.
And, even if he’s not welcomed… well…
He’s the Homelander, and he can do whatever the fuck he wants.