Antony Starr Reveals The Hidden Truth Behind Homelander's Most Shocking Scene In The Boys
If you plan on tuning into "The Boys," you may want to throw out everything you think you know about on-screen superheroes. Based on the comic book series of the same name, the Amazon Prime series takes the superhero genre and turns it on its head by depicting what superheroes may actually be like in the real world. Think superheroes as famous as celebrities who often abuse their powers for their own devices. Meanwhile, "The Boys" refers to a group of vigilantes fighting to bring the supes, as they're referred to in the show, down a few notches.
Out of all the supes in "The Boys," Homelander (Antony Starr) is undoubtedly the baddest of the bunch. On the outside, he's every bit of America's favorite superhero — blonde hair, blue eyes, towering frame, and dazzling smile. But on the inside, he's a narcissist with a God complex complete with a terrifying set of powers. Unsurprisingly, Homelander has a pretty dark history as well.
Plenty of scenes in "The Boys" go a bit too far, but there's one particularly shocking scene that reveals the hidden truth behind Homelander's character.
Antony Starr said Homelander is like a 'little boy'
It's no secret that Homelander has some serious internal issues, having grown up as an over-glorified lab experiment raised by scientists. Because of his unconventional upbringing, Homelander has some particular dysfunctions like a weird fondness for milk and some mommy issues.
We see this in the Season 2 episode titled "Nothing Like It in the World" when Homelander has Doppelganger (Dan Darin-Zanco) morph into Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue) for some kind of sexual fantasy. Holed up in a secluded cabin in the woods, Doppelganger's Stillwell cozies up to Homelander, but then changes into Homelander's image for another sick twist. This was apparently the wrong move on Doppelganger's part, as moments later Homelander snaps his neck in a fit of rage.
It's a pretty bizarre scene (to say the least), but we do get some insight into who Homelander really is. Speaking to TVLine, Antony Starr said, "It's a very surreal moment of clarity for Homelander when he sees himself and how weak he is and how needy he is." He continued, "At the same time that he's disgusted and repulsed by that, there's also an empathy for himself, for the little boy in him." Starr went on to say that Homelander is just like an emotionally stunted little boy who is now trying to do better, but doesn't know how to approach the problems he's created. "It's a bit of a rollercoaster ride for Homelander," Starr said. "The poor old dear has got a lot to learn."