Homelander has been the star of The Boys since the midpoint of season one. Sure, Billy Butcher's gang of anti-supe soldiers and spies are in the title, but Homelander is as central a character as any. Many villains get a backstory or a chance to explain their motivations, but Homelander deals with his past in a slightly more violent way. The Boys gave Homelander the opportunity to explore the terrible home he grew up in, and it went as poorly as possible. This scene is more than another senseless slaughter for Homelander.
One of the central themes of The Boys season four has been making up for past mistakes. Hughie, Frenchie, Annie, Butcher, A-Train, and nearly every other major cast member has something terrible in their backstory that they'll spend most of this season apologizing or suffering for. Sometimes it's a few mean words, sometimes it's multiple cold-blooded murders, but every character has sins to atone for. Homelander, who seems to lack remorse, chooses to further that theme by punishing others for their bad behavior.
What did the Vought scientists do to Homelander?
Vought created Homelander in an underground laboratory. He's the product of genetic engineering. The company impregnated an anonymous young lady with Soldier Boy's DNA, subjected the fetus to consistent Compound V, and raised the resulting infant after it immediately killed its mother. Dubbed John, the young Homelander flew and shot lasers out of his eyes from the moment he was born, killing several doctors. Scientist Jonah Vogelbaum oversaw the infant, becoming a would-be father figure in John's eyes. His interaction was limited, as John was exceedingly dangerous. Gradually, the scientists shifted away from raising John in favor of an intensive testing protocol. They needed to determine exactly how invulnerable John could be. They also needed to inspire specific character traits in him. They isolated him for long periods of time, boiled him alive, burned him in an oven, forced him to fight Compound V-enhanced adults, conducted regular surgeries, and mentally conditioned him with pro-American imagery. The scientists molded him into the symbol Vought needed. They also used cruelty to push his limits.
The big reveal in "Wisdom of the Ages" comes after Homelander spends an afternoon torturing the scientists that made him. He subjects one to the oven that used to cause him endless pain, then maims another for mocking him decades ago. When project director Barbara Findley finally arrives, she seems as if she saw this coming. She takes Homelander aside for a private conversation and explains one of Vought's best-kept secrets. Homelander could have escaped their torment at any time. None of their reinforced walls or containment procedures did anything to keep him trapped. Homelander stayed because he couldn't bare the thought of disappointing the only humans he'd ever known. That psychological dependency on the approval of others kept Homelander obedient and useful. As cruel, reckless, and unaccountable as Homelander is, he remains obsessed with the opinions of others. Vought instilled that need in John, hiring the nation's best psychologists to encourage Homelander to crave love.
Homelander's humanity is central to The Boys
The central conflict in Homelander's character is that he could use his immense power to destroy most of the world without consequences, but doing so would lose him the only thing he's ever cared about. Homelander doesn't believe that he's human, but his emotions, desire, and need for love consistently hold him back. One of his finest pieces of dialogue comes in season three, when he explains to Annie that he'd be a much bigger threat if he didn't have people's love to worry about. He states:
See, Starlight, I'd prefer to be loved. I would, but if you take that away from me, well, being feared is A-one okie-dokie by me.
Fans now know that the only redeeming aspect of his character was entirely the result of outside forces. The only thing keeping him in check is the damage Vought inflicted in the only place he isn't immune. It would've been easy to assume that Homelander is the product of his childhood abuse. Maybe a version of John, born to the most loving parents humanity could offer, would have been something else. Vought absolutely crafted Homelander into the destructive monster he is today, but they're also the only ones successfully holding him back. They created him, but without them, he'd be an apocalyptic threat.
How could Vought's training affect The Boys in the future?
The ongoing threat of The Boys is that Homelander will one day lose his humanity and start a concentrated assault on humanity. He's already outlined his plan, and the lack of suitable countermeasures hangs heavily over the heads of every character. Dr. Edison Cardosa developed a virus that could eliminate supes, but it's now in the hands of Victoria Neuman. Butcher knows that the virus can't kill Homelander at the moment. It seems that Soldier Boy's unique blast attack would be the only way to defeat Homelander. With Homelander now aware of the clever trick Vought played to keep him in line, he's more likely to rebel against his owners. As Homelander tries to work with Sister Sage to launch a foolproof global takeover, the gradual decline of his humanity will likely both help and hurt. He'll be less likely to shy away from any action, but he'll also be more likely to fall prey to his usual unhinged outbursts. It's safe to assume that Barbara's knowledge has only made Homelander more dangerous.
Homelander is a monster, but there are still several questions surrounding his culpability in that reality. Vought molded Homelander very carefully. His cruelty, violence, and self-obsession all stem from the brutal upbringing Vought forced upon him. However, for all of their evil actions, Vought instilled one safeguard that even Homelander hasn't found a way to overcome.
The Boys Season 4 Is Being Review Bombed
The Boys Season 4 has garnered the unfortunate distinction of having the lowest audience score in the series' history.