Homelander Deserves A Fate Worse Than Death On The Boys Season 5

Contains spoilers for Season 5 of "The Boys" 

The main antagonist of "The Boys," Homelander (Antony Starr), is undoubtedly one of the most iconic TV villains of all time. Few villains in pop culture enjoy the same combination of casual sadism, extreme narcissism, and interpersonal aggression, and none can combine those failings with virtual invulnerability. He is terrifying partially because of who he is and also because of what Homelander represents; in short, fascism in America. 

Any recap of the first four seasons of "The Boys" will explain that Homelander's death has long been the main goal of the show's titular group of anti-supe rebels. The Boys' leader, Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), has a personal vendetta against Homelander on top of a huge aversion to Vought and its super-powered humans. While his comrades like Hughie (Jack Quaid) and Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso) tend to take a less violent stance than Butcher on many issues, they also understand that taking down supes is pointless unless they can also take down Homelander. 

The group constantly speaks in terms of killing Homelander; killing him is their main metric of success. But as someone who has only watched the show and not read the comics, it's hard to believe that there's any way Homelander could die that would be satisfying enough to make up for how horrible he's been in these five seasons of "The Boys." However, if Homelander lost his powers but not his life, and was forced to live as a normal human, he would experience a narcissistic collapse of epic proportions. And for a narcissist, a collapse is worse than death.

Thanks to Dr. Edison Cardosa (Marco Pigossi), Butcher and his team have almost everything they need to make and release a lethal virus designed to attack anyone who has been altered by Compound V. As viewers have learned this season, the virus is highly contagious, and there won't be an easy way to protect good-aligned supes — like Annie (Erin Moriarty) and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) — from its effects.

The Boys realize a snag in their plan when Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) survives the virus. He survives because he got his super-humanity from V1 — a more volatile-yet-powerful predecessor to Compound V. V1 was deadly for many who took it, but those who survived gained immortality (they don't age), a super-human ability that even Homelander doesn't have. The Boys and Homelander both independently discover the existence of V1, and begin a race to find it. Homelander wants the V1 to be immortal; the Boys want it to prevent Homelander from becoming immortal and inoculate Annie and Kimiko to the virus. 

It would make more sense for the Boys to pursue a cure for Vought's super serum. Not only would they be able to save Annie and Kimiko without forcing them into a life of ageless immortality, but they'd also avoid a global massacre. There are a lot of supes, and its likely that more than two of them are redeemable. Soldier Boy, who conveniently returned in Season 5, is likely the key to eradicating super abilities. His energy blasts temporarily nullify super powers and could theoretically be harnessed to work permanently. Additionally, this season Soldier Boy revealed that exposure to enriched uranium can also nullify powers.

A cure for supes would provide the most satisfying and excruciating ending for Homelander. It's clear that, despite all of the power he's amassed, Homelander is still unsatisfied. He's frequently sullen and disappointed in the sycophants that surround him (even though their worship of him is mandatory). Death would, in a way, offer Homelander release from his agony, and he doesn't deserve that. He deserves a slow, mortifying existence without the dignity of going down fighting.

If Homelander were stripped of his powers and left alive, he would experience a massive narcissistic collapse, and his self-image would be shattered. As many characters have pointed out, including A-Train (Jessie T. Usher): without his powers, Homelander is just a vile, short-fused psychopath. Nothing could humiliate him more than becoming impotent and having to answer for his many crimes. Plus, there are a lot of people who deserve a chance to exact revenge on him. 

Homelander's disdain for humanity is well-documented in the series, and the only thing that kept him from indiscriminately slaughtering people in the early seasons was his desire to be loved. He ultimately realized that he could rule through fear and intimidation rather than love and adoration, but without his powers, he won't be able to do either. If he lives but loses his powers, Homelander won't have any control over his life, let alone the world. It's likely "The Boys" will end with Homelander's death, but that feels too good for such an evil character.