Homelander

This article is about The Boys comic book character. For the young adult novel series, see Andrew Klavan § The Homelanders series.
Homelander
The Boys character
Homelander as depicted in the comic book series (left) and the television series portrayed by Antony Starr (right)
First appearance
Last appearance
Created by
Based on
Adapted byEric Kripke
Portrayed byAntony Starr
Rowan Smyth (child; season 1)
Isaac Weeks (child; season 4)
Voiced byAntony Starr (Diabolical, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II)
Yong Yea (Death Battle!)
Jake Green (Mortal Kombat 1)
In-universe information
SpeciesSupe
AffiliationVought-American

The Homelander (John Gillman)[1][2] is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists in the comic book series The Boys and the media franchise of the same name, created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. He is depicted as a psychopathic and sadistic narcissist who serves as the extremely powerful leader of The Seven—a group of corrupt and hedonistic superheroes grown and funded by Vought-American—and the archenemy of Billy Butcher. Beneath his public image as a noble and altruistic hero, the Homelander cares little about the well-being of those he professes to protect. Described as the living personification of how the world sees America,[3][4] the character has received critical acclaim along with Starr's portrayal in the series.[5][6] Homelander has also been compared to Superman and Captain America.[7][8][9][10]

In the Amazon Prime Video television adaptation developed by Eric Kripke, Homelander is primarily portrayed by Antony Starr, with Rowan Smyth and Isaac Weeks portraying him as a child. This version is the megalomaniacal son of Soldier Boy and the father of Ryan, born as a result of Homelander raping Billy Butcher's wife Becca (a crime committed by Black Noir in the comic book series). Homelander has also appeared in the spin-off and promotional web series The Boys Presents: Diabolical and Death Battle!, respectively.

  1. ^ Robertson, Darick; McKay, Adam (March 10, 2015) The Art of The Boys: The Complete Covers Dynamite Entertainment.
  2. ^ Cragg, Nelson; Monahan Ellie (June 17, 2022) The Boys Season 3: "The Last Time to Look on This World of Lies" "Queen Maeve: John- Homelander: Don't you fucking John me."
  3. ^ Smail, Gretchen (August 2, 2019). "THE BOYS' Homelander Represents the Worst of America". Nerdist. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  4. ^ Coates, Lauren (October 26, 2020). "The Boys' Homelander represents how the world sees America". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  5. ^ Darwish, Meaghan (6 August 2019). "'The Boys': Why Homelander Is TV's Best New Villain". TV Insider. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  6. ^ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (16 November 2020). "The Fascism Is the Point". io9. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  7. ^ Rubin, Peter (July 26, 2019). "Amazon's 'The Boys' Tests the Limits of Superhero Fatigue". Wired.com. Archived from the original on 2019-07-26. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  8. ^ Hale, Mike (July 26, 2019). "Review: 'The Boys' Deconstructs the Superhero, With a Light Touch". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2019-11-26. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  9. ^ Sarner, Lauren (July 20, 2019). "'The Boys' star Antony Starr dishes on edgy new superhero show". New York Post. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  10. ^ Gass, Zach (12 June 2021). "Omniman (& 9 Other Best Known Alternative Versions Of Superman)". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.