“The Boys” is currently in its fourth season on Amazon Prime Video and season 5 has already been confirmed. The success of the series can be explained primarily by Homelander, but the supervillain also has a disadvantage.
When “The Boys” was released on Amazon Prime Video in July 2019, the third phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was just coming to an end in cinemas. At that time, no one could have known that Marvel fatigue would set in among many fans of the genre.
However, it was the perfect moment for a series that presented superheroes in a completely new light: not brave and heroic, but brutal, selfish, perverse and cowardly. Here, the heroes suddenly became villains and the Boys, led by Billy Butcher, stood in the way of the seemingly all-powerful “Supes”.
But even though we’re rooting for Butcher and co. in their hero hunt, we can’t deny that it’s the superheroes that make “The Boys” such an entertaining series. We’ve never seen superheroes like this before, and that’s exactly why it’s so much fun to see them from a completely different perspective.
“The Boys” knows this too, which is why The Deep, A-Train and especially Homelander ultimately escape every threat. Several times it looked as if Homelander would really die, only for the monstrous hero to escape. This is good for the entertainment value, but it also causes a big problem: the story goes in circles.
The Homelander vicious circle
In “The Boys” season 4, the boys want to put a stop to Homelander – again. Will they succeed? Probably not, because “The Boys” season 5 has already been confirmed and “The Boys” without Homelander is unthinkable at this point.
You wouldn’t think that a villain who is too good could be a problem, but Homelander is the perfect proof of that. Even after three seasons, the leader of the Seven, played by Anthony Starr, manages to take over every scene. “The Boys” without Homelander would be much more boring, but if the same goal is pursued in every season, only to fail in the finale, the story lacks suspense.
So how do you get out of this narrative dilemma? On the one hand, Homelander could be replaced by another hero, but who could hold a candle to Homelander? With Soldier Boy in Season 3, they at least introduced a sufficiently strong opponent, but he didn’t match Homelander’s mix of power, arrogance and inhumanity.
So if Homelander is to remain on “The Boys,” the starting point would have to be changed so that the Boys aren’t targeting Homelander in every season. Homelander has been the leader of the Seven since season 1, so perhaps he should take a different path and disappear from the Boys’ focus at least temporarily.
Omni-Man from “Invincible” could be a good example here. He is also an exciting opponent that the series cannot do without, but after a big fight he leaves the earth and becomes a distant threat. If “The Boys” don’t want to kill Homelander, they could at least get him out of the Boys’ reach.
This way, the Boys can take on new challenges and, fundamentally, the series can still follow Homelander as he expands his power on other planets or, more likely, in other countries and perhaps recruits international heroes.
After all, it has now been confirmed that “The Boys” will end with season 5. So we can expect a rounded end for Homelander in 2026 – presumably. One should not rule out the possibility that Prime Video will be tempted to make a Homelander spin-off, but in this case Homelander would no longer be the antagonist, but the protagonist and would now need a compelling opponent himself.
Rate The Boys | |
Genre | Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy |
First broadcast |
25.07.2019 |
First broadcast in Germany |
26.07.2019 |
Homepage | amazon.com |
Further sources | |
network | Amazon |
Production |
Sony Pictures Television, Amazon Studios, Original Film |
Seasons |
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