The Boys Theory: Homelander Has A Second Son – Who He’s Already Met

WARNING: The following contains SPOILERS for The Boys season 2.

The Boys season 2 followed Homelander’s attempts to develop a relationship with his biological son Ryan; however, it’s possible that Becca Butcher’s child wasn’t the Supe’s only offpspring. Vought International is the corporation behind creating superheroes, and Homelander is their star celebrity hero. Unfortunately, Homelander, along with the rest of his super group The Seven, are not the paragons of virtue that they appear to be in the public eye — behind the scenes, the Supers in The Boys are powerful yet corrupt, and their actions are primarily self-serving. The first season ended with the twist reveal that one of Homelander’s many transgressions resulted in an illegitimate son, Ryan.

Homelander is one of the main antagonists in Amazon Prime’s hit series The Boys, which is an adaptation of Garth Ennis’s comic book series by the same name. A main theme in both versions is the disparity between public image and reality, often played for black comedy. There are differences between the Amazon Prime TV series and the comics — especially for Homelander.

One of the most significant changes in the TV version of The Boys is that Homelander has a son: Ryan. In the comics, Becca Butcher dies as a result of her pregnancy with the Supe, but in the TV series, she lives — and, with Vought’s help and supervision, is able to disappear and live in hiding. Homelander was shocked to learn of his son, and forming a familial relationship with the boy becomes his motivation in season 2. However, there are hints throughout the first two seasons that Ryan isn’t Homelander’s only child. His former handler, Madelyn Stillwell, had a son (whom Homelander was clearly jealous of), and based on the existing evidence, this infant may have been Homelander’s son.

Madelyn Stillwell’s Baby May Have Powers

Madelyn Stillwell was the Senior Vice President of Vought International, before Homelander killed her in the season 1 finale. Throughout season 1, she was often seen with her young son Theodore, or “Teddy.” After her death, Billy Butcher blew up her house in a moment of suicidal nihilism (aware that there was a crying infant in the room). Season 2, episode 1 revealed that Teddy was still alive, and had been discovered, unharmed, 17 miles away.

No proper explanation is ever given for how Teddy survived the explosion, and many viewers have assumed that Homelander made the choice to save Teddy and drop him off. However, this doesn’t actually match Homelander’s personality — he hated Teddy because he was jealous of not just the attention Teddy received from Madelyn, but also on a basic level, was jealous that he had a mother, since Homelander never did. Furthermore, it’s unclear if Homelander even could have saved Teddy and dropped him off while also saving Butcher. Season 1 established that Homelander’s powers do have limitations; not only that, but the speed necessary to move Teddy out of the explosion in time likely would generate g-forces his infant body could not handle. More likely, Teddy was thrown from the building due to the explosion — and survived because he too is a Supe.

Homelander’s Birth and Parents Are Unknown

Little is known about Homelander’s origins, other than him being raised by Vought scientists in a lab. The unconventional upbringing is likely responsible for his sociopathic tendencies — but also is why Homelander tries so hard to be a good father to Ryan. While the public believes that Homelander had a normal, loving, small-town America upbringing, the truth is much more sinister and sad. Flashback scenes in season 1 revealed that Homelander had a lonely upbringing, and never knew his mother and father. It’s possible this is due in part to him not having any — because he wasn’t just raised in a lab, he was also made in a lab.

Homelander & Teddy Could Be Vought Clones

The Boys is intentionally vague about Homelander’s origins and Vought’s Compound V, the substance that gives humans superpowers. Other Supers appear to have had relatively normal upbringings: Starlight, for example, grew up in a loving family home. Homelander’s situation seems to be an exception — and it’s unlikely a coincidence that his powers are also exceptional. The leader of The Seven is arguably the most powerful Super alive in The Boys: he has increased durability and strength, he has laser eyes, has x-ray vision, and can fly. Homelander could be Vought’s most successful experiment yet: a custom-made superhero.

The problem is, Homelander has proven unruly and hard for Vought to manage — even before he turned on Madelyn and leaked Compound V. Not having a loving parent, and being subjected to brainwashing techniques as a child, made Homelander into a monster whom Vought could not control. If Vought were to have learned from their mistakes, it’s reasonable to assume that they would try again, but with a different strategy. Since Madelyn was already used to taking care of Homelander, she would be an excellent candidate to raise Homelander 2.0.

There are several hints in season 1 that Teddy may have been a clone. The Boys implies that Madelyn’s child was the product of some sort of artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization. For one, Madelyn doesn’t have a husband, and the father is never mentioned. Also, at one point, Homelander comments that Stillwell is lucky to have a child “at her age.” It’s possible that Vought is responsible for having the child, either because they facilitated the pregnancy or may have even provided a genetically-engineered embryo.

The Boys Season 1 Hinted Another Possible Homelander Clone

So far, one of Homelander’s signature powers is his laser vision, which he passed down to his son Ryan. This power was seen in another character as well in season 1: the baby that Butcher uses the fight off Vought guards. That baby was in a Vought lab being subjected to Compound V, and while that Supe-to-be had blue laser vision, while Homelander and Ryan’s is red, it’s still possible that the baby is somehow connected to Homelander. It could be that this is a new, improved, version of Homelander, or that some of Homelander’s DNA was used to create the child. Hopefully, The Boys season 3 will further explore Vought’s history and experiments, shedding new light on the possible connections between these characters.

About The Author

Sarah Bea Milner
(333 Articles Published)

Sarah Milner is the Weekend Lead Editor for Screen Rant’s Film/Television features (SR Originals) division. She is a writer, editor, and folk musician. She often watches movies — sometimes she reviews them too.

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A graduate of Trent University, Sarah’s MA thesis examines Frankenstein adaptations and their relationship with popular culture. She has a fierce love of all things “spooky,” and a deep appreciation for classic cinema.

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