The Boys: Homelander’s Fake Origin Truly Makes Him Evil Superman

Warning! Spoilers for The Boys comic and television series below!

Homelander’s origin in The Boys was originally identical to that of Superman’s, only unlike his DC comics counterpart, it was all a lie. In the comic series, the public believed Homelander was an alien baby who landed on Earth. In reality, the evil Supe couldn’t have a more different origin from Superman – as he was born in a lab, not on a faraway planet.

Homelander is the most powerful member of The Seven, which is The Boys analog to the Justice League. Homelander’s powers are based on those of Superman, although that’s where the similarities end. Superman is selfless and fights for truth, tolerance, and justice. Meanwhile, Homelander is a selfish and fake hero, who doesn’t care about being a real good guy as long as he looks good to the public. Homelander has let innocent people die, killed people who have gotten in his way, and has been depicted as a monster disguised as a savior.

In The Boys #19 by Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Simon Bowland, and Tony Avina, Hughie learns more about the history of Vought-American in a conversation with The Legend, who helped create Homelander’s origin story to the public when he worked for Victory Comics – which was a section of Vought-American. The Legend describes Homelander’s story and it’s practically identical to Superman’s, as he was found as a baby in a spaceship in the prairies. With a golden smile and a humble attitude, Homelander became a beloved figure. But, the honest truth is Homelander was created in a lab and kept in a silo with hydrogen bombs until Vought-American believed he could be trusted.

Homelander’s origin on The Boys TV is explored in more detail. There’s a whole backstory created about how he grew up with his mother and father on a farm, played baseball, ate apple pie, and had the perfect American upbringing. In reality, that was also a lie. As a child, Homelander was given Compound V and raised to be a super-soldier on behalf of Vought-American. His trauma is likely the reason why developed an Oedipus Complex with Mallory Stillwell.

While Superman’s origin is the real comic story of an alien from a distant planet landing on Earth and being raised on a farm – Homelander’s is much darker and predicated on lies. Being created to be an American superweapon clearly impacted him as a child and turned him into the monster he is today. Homelander turned into an evil version of Superman because of his surroundings. If his faked origin was true, there’s a good chance he wouldn’t be such a bad guy.  Homelander’s origin in The Boys with Vought-American made him a powerful villain from the getgo.

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Liam McGuire
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Lead writer for Screen Rant’s comic team. [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @LiamRMcGuire for comic news and reporting.

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