Feared or Loved: Why Homelander is One of the Greatest TV Villains
Spoilers for Seasons 1–4 of The Boys.
Every once in a while, a villain pops up in a TV show that changes the landscape of television culture for years to come. A villain who you love to hate on the deepest of levels — one who’s depths of atrocities, violence, and uncaring megalomania knows no bounds. In the modern day of TV — which, by the way, is having one hell of a 2024 so far — that antagonist is The Boys’ very own dark reflection of Superman: Homelander. I know some of my readers might not have ever watched the show, so I’ll tell you two things before I get started. One: what are you doing? Go watch it, it’s on Amazon, and it’s fantastic. Two: this will contain spoilers from the show, as I really just want to gush about Homelander, Antony Starr’s performance, and why he’s already one of the greatest TV villains of all time.
From the beginnings of John Gillman’s life, his existence is one of expectations, quotas, and pain. Born from laser-ing his mother’s stomach open and flying out like a creature from Hell, the scientists of Vought — the corporation responsible for the creation of the world's Supes — made him to test the boundaries of what a genetically modified superhuman individual could take. John was raised without compassion from parental figures, and that upbringing would influence everything…
