The Boys star thinks people who “idolize” Homelander are “missing the point entirely”
By Dan Selcke
Homelander is by far the most entertaining character in The Boys. As actor Anthony Starr put it to the Los Angeles Times, he’s like if Superman were a narcissistic sociopath. “He’s the loneliest guy in the world. He’s got no one to relate to but himself,” Starr said. “His isolation is immaculate. It’s almost perfect. He’s not stupid; he’s incredibly emotionally stunted.”
He is also the most powerful person on the planet, able to immolate crowds with his eyes and punch through steel doors without a second thoughts. This makes him incredibly dangerous and a terrific villain.
Homelander is also a clear analog for Donald Trump, another narcissistic sociopath with way too much power. Showrunner Eric Kripke has been upfront about this, although you don’t have to look hard to see the parallels. Remember the end of season 3, where Homelander murders a protester at a rally and his fans cheer him for it? Starr confirmed that the scene is a direct reference to what Trump said when he was first running for president back in 2016: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK? It’s, like, incredible.”
Homelander is meant to be a reflection of Donald Trump
The Boys clearly paints Homelander as a villain, but he’s still attracted a crowd of real-world fans, which disturbs Starr a bit. “There’s a very strange thing that’s happened with the character, though he is clearly not a good guy,” the actor said. “A lot of people have glommed onto him. There’s a weird element out there that actually kind of idolize him. I’ve seen some shit on Twitter and I’m like, ‘Wait, What? You are missing the point entirely!’”
Personally, I’m not surprised at all that Homelander has gained something of a cult; after all, lots of people fawn over Trump as well, despite him being a fascist crackpot. Thank goodness Homelander isn’t running for president, because you know he’d get votes.
The fourth season of The Boys is on the way, although we don’t have a release date yet.
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