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Highlights
- Homelander's demise may come at the hands of his own son, Ryan, providing a Greek mythology-esque ending straight out of a tragic tale.
- Killing off Homelander with Gen V's virus may seem like a perfect solution, but his invincibility could render the virus ineffective against him.
- While imprisoning Homelander could be a safe alternative, it may lack credibility considering his history of breaking out of confinement.
Ever since The Boys first debuted in 2019, Antony Starr has been staking a claim as television's most compelling villain. The New Zealand actor's take on the sadistic "superhero" Homelander is nothing short of breathtaking - an effortless blend of narcissism, insecurity, and unadulterated evil hiding behind a polished smile that would make a politician blush.
The Boys: 12 Things Only Comic Readers Know About Homelander
In Amazon Prime Video's The Boys, Homelander is the twisted leader of The Seven, but his comic version is a whole other beast.
Unfortunately for Starr's dramatic charge, history has shown that bad guys of his caliber rarely live happily ever after. Despite being functionally invincible, Homelander's litany of appalling crimes would indicate that some form of violent end to his violent delights appears to be the most likely outcome. With that being said, this is The Boys - a shocking ending for the show's chief antagonist arriving completely out of left field would come as little surprise.
7 Homelander Is Killed By Billy Butcher
A Showdown For All The Marbles
- The argument for: The Boys' main character meeting his arch nemesis in an epic final battle would bring the show full circle.
- The argument against: The ultimate satirical take on the superhero genre is unlikely to feature a conventional ending.
It's a narrative device as old as time - the main character meets the master villain in a winner-takes-all endgame. The show has contentiously been building to a Billy Butcher-Homelander grudge match from the very beginning, with Season 3's "Herogasm" brawl providing a tantalizing preview of what their climactic showdown might look like.
The Boys: 4 Ways Butcher's Story Could End
With his time running out, how will Butcher's story continue in season 4 of The Boys?
However, for a show that prides itself on subverting pre-conceived genre notions, it could be argued that utilizing a traditional showdown in this vein could be construed as lazy and unimaginative. Butcher is also terminally ill after abusing temporary Compound V - Karl Urban's foul-mouthed charge is soon unlikely to be in any state to dispatch the most powerful being in existence.
6 Homelander Is Killed By Ryan Butcher
The Sins Of The Father
- The argument for: Homelander being killed by his own son would be an ending straight out of Greek mythology.
- The argument against: Homelander's demise at the hands of the only person he cares about would be a predictable conclusion.
In terms of sheer satisfaction, an ending that saw Ryan Butcher become the Zeus to Homelander's Cronus would be hard to top. It's hard to imagine a more delicious comeuppance for The Boys' chief antagonist than death at the hands of the only individual he even remotely cares about. Ryan's burgeoning powers mean that he is likely one of the few individuals in existence who might actually be capable of dispatching his father.
However, it's hard to escape the sensation that this ending parallels the idea of Billy being the one to kill Homelander. Ryan turning on his father might come across as too convenient and formulaic for a show as unashamedly chaotic as The Boys.
5 Homelander Is Killed By The Virus
A Literal Taste Of His Own Medicine
- The argument for: It's entirely realistic while killing off Homelander using Gen V's virus would boost the spin-off's profile and relevance.
- The argument against: A silver bullet is too obvious a solution - there is also no guarantee that the virus would even work on Homelander.
The virus introduced in the acclaimed first season of Gen V seems like the perfect way to dispatch Homelander on paper - a disease tailor-made to eradicate superheroes. However, while the concoction proved to have devastating effects on the inmates housed in "the Woods", Homelander is no young supe coming to grips with his abilities.
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Gen V is just as popular as “The Boys” but what’s next for the superhero series?
He's the most powerful individual on the planet, a force unlike anything the world has ever experienced before. As such, it would not come as the slightest surprise to discover that even the virus was incapable of finishing him off. Madelyn Stillwell said it best, "there isn't a weapon on Earth that they haven't thrown at him."
4 Homelander Is Imprisoned
Locked Away Until The End Of Time
- The argument for: Soldier Boy's captivity shows that caging animals like Homelander is possible.
- The argument against: A prison that would hold Homelander forever seems like wishful thinking.
The notion of Homelander locked in a jail cell is laughable for many viewers. Nevertheless, as ridiculous as such an idea may seem, it's not outside the realm of possibility. Soldier Boy's imprisonment underlined that powerful supes can still be chemically subdued and locked away like popsicles.
Considering that Homelander may be incapable of being killed, this seems like one of the safest alternatives. With that being said, there's nothing that dastardly villains love more than breaking out of jail. As such, an ending where Homelander was simply banged up in some form of super-max facility would likely lack an element of credibility and closure.
3 Homelander Loses His Powers
How The Mighty Have Fallen
- The argument for: Homelander's greatest fear being realized would represent glorious poetic justice.
- The argument against: This might seem like a relatively light punishment for such a vile villain.
It's not inconceivable that Maeve losing her abilities in "The Instant White-Hot Wild" was set up to foreshadow the demise of her most hated enemy. Soldier Boy's Season 3 escapades proved that it is possible for even the more formidable superheroes to become "depowered".
Granted, Homelander is considerably more powerful than his former flame or Kimiko and Soldier Boy is currently locked away like the Ark of the Covenant. However, Starr's charge still derives his powers from Compound V, meaning that this ending isn't an impossible one. It's a conclusion that would divide fans considerably - while the idea of Homelander living out his own personal hell might sound like an appropriate fate, it could be argued that he got off relatively easily in light of his numerous atrocities.
2 Homelander's Comic Book Ending
Bringing The Boys To Life (And Death) Onscreen
- The argument for: Giving Homelander his canonical ending would be the most faithful depiction of the original story.
- The argument against: Practical considerations aside, The Boys has not suffered when diverting from the comic's version of events.
While The Boys' success has never been contingent on rigidly adhering to the show's source material, bringing Homelander's comic book ending to life onscreen would have spectacular results. Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men reveals that Black Noir is none other than a maniacal clone of Homelander himself, created to destroy the original should he ever turn against Vought.
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The Boys: How Did The Show Change Black Noir From The Comics?
The Seven's silent assassin has a lot in common with his comic book counterpart, but they're very different when the mask comes off.
The live action spectacle of Homelander being ripped apart by his own hands would constitute a biblical conclusion to his twisted saga like none other. The show's take on Black Noir clouds matters as it has been established that this version of the character is categorically not a Homelander clone. However, a new version of Noir has been spotted in the trailers for Season 4, meaning that this apocalyptic ending isn't quite dead in the water.
1 Homelander Wins
Happy Endings Are Overrated
- The argument for:The Boys is notorious for stressing that the good guys do not always win - letting their despicable big bad triumph would stand as the ultimate proof of this message.
- The argument against: This would parallel concluding Game of Thrones with the Red Wedding.
Amazon's twisted epic has never been afraid to highlight that evil frequently triumphs over good. Accordingly, the notion of the show's lead villain coming out on top isn't all that outlandish. Not only is Homelander capable of ripping every single member of the Boys into bloody shreds, but he would revel in it.
A dastardly supervillain left to rule the world unopposed would be the ultimate genre subversion, a fact that The Boys would likely wear like a badge of honor. With that being said, it's hard to overstate the harrowing effect that this could potentially have on the show's fandom. Morally speaking, a Homelander triumph would contentiously be the most devastating ending in television history.
