The Ways Homelander’s Story Could End In The Boys

Ever since The Boys first debuted in 2019, Anthony Starr has been staking a claim as television’s most compelling villain. The Australian’s tackle the sadistic “superhero” Homelander is nothing in need of breathtaking – an easy mix of narcissism, insecurity and unadulterated evil hiding behind a sophisticated smile that might make a politician blush.

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 type of violent end to his violent delights appears to be the most definitely end result. With that being said, that 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’ predominant character meeting his arch nemesis in an epic final battle would bring the show full circle.
• The argument against: The final word satirical tackle the superhero genre is unlikely to feature a traditional ending.

It is a narrative device as old as time – the predominant character meets the master villain in a winner-takes-all endgame. The show has contentiously been constructing to a Billy Butcher-Homelander grudge-match from the very starting, with Season 3’s “Herogasm” brawl providing a tantalizing preview of what their climactic showdown might appear to be.

Nonetheless, for a show that prides itself on subverting pre-conceived genre notions, it might be argued that utilizing a conventional showdown on this vein might be construed as lazy and unimaginative. Butcher can also be terminally unwell after abusing temporary Compound V – Karl Urban’s foul-mouthed charge is soon unlikely to be in any state to dispatch probably 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 can be an ending straight out of Greek mythology.
• The argument against: Homelander’s demise by the hands of the one person he cares about can be a predictable conclusion.

When it comes to sheer satisfaction, an ending that saw Ryan Butcher grow to be the Zeus to Homelander’s Cronus can be hard to top. It’s hard to assume a more delicious comeuppance for The Boys’ chief antagonist than death by the hands of the one individual he even remotely cares about. Ryan’s burgeoning powers mean that he is probably going certainly one of the few individuals in existence who might actually be able to dispatching his father.

Nonetheless, it’s hard to flee the feeling that this ending parallels the thought 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 simply too obvious an answer – there’s also no guarantee that the virus would even work on Homelander.

The virus introduced within the acclaimed first season of Gen V looks as if the proper technique to dispatch Homelander on paper – a disease tailor-made to eradicate superheroes. Nonetheless, while the concoction proved to have devastating effects on the inmates housed in “the Woods”, Homelander isn’t any young supe coming to grips along with his abilities.

He’s probably the most powerful individual on the planet, a force unlike anything the world has ever experienced before. As such, it will not come because the slightest surprise to find that even the virus was incapable of ending him off. Madelyn Stillwell said it best, “there’s not a weapon on Earth that they have not 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 feasible.
• The argument against: A jail that might hold Homelander eternally looks as if wishful pondering.

The notion of Homelander locked in a jail cell is laughable for a lot of viewers. Nevertheless, ridiculous as such an idea could seem, it is 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 could also be incapable of being killed, this looks as if certainly one of the safest alternatives. With that being said, there’s nothing that dastardly villains love greater than breaking out of jail. As such, an ending where Homelander was simply banged up in some type of super-max facility would likely lack a component of credibility and closure.

3

Homelander Loses His Powers

How The Mighty Have Fallen

• The argument for: Homelander’s biggest fear being realized would represent glorious poetic justice.
• The argument against: This might seem to be a comparatively light punishment for such a vile villain.

It is not inconceivable that Maeve losing her abilities in “The Easy White-Hot Wild” was set as much as foreshadow the demise of her most hated enemy. Soldier Boy’s Season 3 escapades proved that it is feasible for even the more formidable superheroes to grow to be “depowered”.

Granted, Homelander is considerably more powerful than his former flame or Kimiko and Soldier Boy is currently locked away just like the Ark of the Covenant. Nonetheless, Starr’s charge still derives his powers from Compound V, meaning that this ending is not an not possible one. It is a conclusion that might divide fans considerably – while the thought of Homelander living out his own personal hell might sound like an appropriate fate, it might be argued that he got off relatively easily in light of his quite a few atrocities.

2

Homelander’s Comic Book Ending

Bringing The Boys To Life (And Death) Onscreen

• The argument for: Giving Homelander his canonical ending can be probably the most faithful depiction of the unique 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 apart from a maniacal clone of Homelander himself, created to destroy the unique should he ever turn against Vought.

The live motion 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 tackle Black Noir clouds matters because it has been established that this version of the character is categorically not a Homelander clone. Nonetheless, a new edition of Noir has been spotted within the trailers for Season 4, meaning that this apocalyptic ending is not quite dead within the water.

1

Homelander Wins

Comfortable Endings Are Overrated

• The argument for: The Boys is notorious for stressing that the great guys don’t at all times win – letting their despicable big bad triumph would stand as the last word proof of this message.
• The argument against: This might parallel concluding Game of Thrones with the Red Wedding.

Amazon’s twisted epic has never been afraid to focus on that evil incessantly triumphs over good. Accordingly, the notion of the show’s lead villain coming out on top is not all that outlandish. Not only is Homelander able to ripping each member of the Boys into bloody shreds, he would enjoy it.

A dastardly supervillain left to rule the world unopposed can be the last word genre subversion, a undeniable 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 might potentially have on the show’s fandom. Morally speaking, a Homelander triumph would contentiously be probably the most devastating ending in television history.