Homelander’s arc has come to a completion in The Boys Season 5, a nd the way it has come about is a little unhinged. Played by Anthony Starr, Homelander has slowly been losing his grip on reality across the series and the fifth season’s third episode really pushes him into disturbing theory. We see Madelyn Stillwell telling him that he needs to embrace his role as a god, comparing himself to Jesus and questioning why he shouldn’t receive the same level of devotion.
Talking about the episode and Homelander’s superiority complex, Eric Kripke tells TV Line,
“We wrote this episode two years ago, even before the election. It just came from us talking about where Homelander was moving, and what his sort of final form would be, as he’s been slowly losing his mind over the seasons.”
He then addressed how the events of the show kind of mirror real life, especially the political climate in USA, even though in the beginning he was afraid of the show being too unrealistic. Speaking about that he adds,
“My concern was that everyone would think Homelander had gone too far and it had gotten cartoonish. That was my legitimate concern. But the world keeps out-crazying us. I just want to be like, ‘Yo, we’re trying to do satire! Will you slow down for a minute and give us a chance to be crazier than the world?’ It’s honestly exhausting. I just wish the Trump administration would quit marketing the show for us.””
The result is a Homelander who’s more dangerous than ever and with only five episodes left in The Boys Season 5, Kripke and his writers have embraced their freedom to kill anyone off. A-Train’s shocking death in the premiere proved nobody is safe and as Kripke notes, without the pressure of keeping characters alive for future seasons, they can push conflicts to their absolute limits.
What happens in the third episode of The Boys Season 5?
The third episode of The Boys Season 5 is a messy one as Homelander experiences a messianic breakdown after a vision of Madelyn Stillwell convinces him he’s a god. Meanwhile, Vought rehabilitates Soldier Boy’s public image and welcomes him back to The Seven. The Boys learn that V1, the original Compound V, grants immortality, prompting them to hunt it down before Homelander does.
A mission to Stan Edgar’s bunker descends into chaos when Vought operatives arrive and Cindy and Translucent’s son are killed in the ensuing fight. Without the virus as leverage, Ryan confronts Homelander about his mother’s assault, leading to a brutal beating that leaves Ryan severely wounded. Annie abandons the group, The Deep captures Edgar, and Butcher discovers the injured Ryan, setting up a desperate final stretch of the season.
The Boys Season 5 is streaming on Prime Video.
Edited by Nibir Konwar