The Boys Fans Have A Wild Theory About Season 2
Contains spoilers for Season 1 of The Boys
With the September 4 season 2 premiere of The Boys fast approaching, fans have kicked themselves into a fever pitch hypothesizing about what direction the show might take. Sifting through all the theoretical ramblings is enough to induce delirium, but we've crawled through the mental mayhem and plucked out one theory that actually holds some water.
Season 1 of The Boys put to rest an adolescent argument that has raged for over half a century: If Superman and Lois Lane actually procreated, would she be able to survive the pregnancy? Surely, her frail human form would be unable to handle the might of Earth's greatest hero, and even if she were able to survive the ordeal, would the child be able to control his incredible power with his infantile brain?
Well, it seems that Lois would be just fine — more than fine, actually. She'd get a nice, cozy house in suburbia with an ever-watchful eye in the form of an invincible superhero. Homelander (Antony Starr) revealed as much to Butcher (Karl Urban) when he dropped the bomb that Butcher's wife Becca was still alive and raising Homelander's superhero son. This cliffhanger led fans to develop a wild theory about what season 2 of The Boys has in store.
Homelander needs someone to obsess over
Most of the speculation percolating in the fan ether deals with elements of the comic book and how they will be implemented. Chatter over at /r/TheBoys on Reddit reveals some intriguing theories being tossed around. One in particular caught our attention.
In order to fully grasp this fan theory in all its complexity, we have to briefly recollect the creepy object of Homelander's oedipal complex throughout the first season: Madelyn Stillwell (Elizabeth Shue). It was a relationship that Stillwell recognized and used to her advantage, but it ultimately led to her downfall, while making us aware of just how dangerous Homelander is. Up until the moment he melted the face off his maternal squeeze, we were all thinking that the Supe was an overgrown toddler with superpowers, but the surprising moves at the end of season 1 made us all realize that the man's got more going on upstairs than we gave him credit for ... which is exactly why everyone is terrified for Becca.
Homelander recognized that Stillwell had control over him, and by eliminating her, he regained that control. Fan theorizing offers up another reason Homelander felt fine blasting Stillwell in the dome with his eye lasers: his realization that he could get that same relationship elsewhere. That disturbing void needs to be filled; Earth's mightiest needs someone to obsess over.
Fans theorize that Season 2 might see some type of relationship develop between Becca and Homelander when he tries to replace that maternal connection he had with Stillwell. Given that he tells 'Psychopath Jr.' that he is his father at the end of last season, Homelander probably doesn't have a close relationship with Becca at this point. The Supe's search for connection may cause him to set his demonic eyes on her. After all, what's a lab-raised superhero without a mommy figure to obsess over? This development could put Becca in an extremely dangerous position that she may not be ready for. Then there's the kid.
Homelander's son is a different kind of superhero experiment
Homelander may attempt to step up to the plate in season 2 of The Boys as he tries to be the father figure he never had. He could even use that connection against Becca, forcing her to be what he wants: a mother and a love interest. After observing that Homelander is becoming more and more unhinged, Vought may have already started to develop other scenarios to better control their superhuman assets. The reasoning for Becca and son's suburban location could be another experiment brought to you by Vought, the fans suggest.
Homelander was raised in a lab with mostly white coats and mechanical arms as parental figures. The end result was a powerful hero, but a mentally unstable one. Could it be that Vought is implementing the forbidden experiment on Homelander's kid? Attempting to raise a superhuman in a more nurturing environment certainly sounds like the next logical step for the powerful corporation to take. These developments in Homelander's relationship with his son and his baby momma would make a lot of sense. Not only is the Supe starved for nurture, but Vought also likes to keep a vice grip on its assets; this could help with both.
The first three episodes of The Boys season 3 are crashing onto Amazon Prime Video on September 4.