The Boys: What’s With Homelander’s Milk Obsession?

Homelander makes it clear in the season 2 premiere of The Boys that he is still obsessed with Madelyn Stillwell — or at least, her milk. Throughout season 1, Homelander’s jealousy of Stillwell’s infant son became increasingly clear, finally peaking in the finale. In a shocking turn of events, he kills Stillwell after confronting her about her continued dishonesty regarding his own offspring. The Boys season 2 continues this story, showing a despondent Homelander lurking around her empty office, eventually helping himself to the leftover bottle of her breastmilk he finds in her freezer.

In a show that is unafraid to have a superpowered baby lazer people to death, or a “hero” with invisibility powers using it to lurk in the women’s washroom, somehow, the scenes between Homelander and Madelyn Stillwell still standout because of their bizarre, uncomfortable nature. Homelander is a man-child with extraordinary yet dangerous powers, and Stillwell was the Vought executive tasked with keeping him under control. The latter accomplished this by appealing to his deepest desires — not for a sexual partner, but for a mother.

Homelander’s maternal desire is most strongly illustrated in a memorable scene from season 1 (arguably the most memorable event, in a long list of shocking scenes on The Boys) in which Stillwell invites Homelander to lay his head on her lap as she imitates breastfeeding him, having him suck her fingers while she cradles him and soothingly assures him “you’re my good boy.” The dialogue and energy of the moment has an undercurrent of sexual tension — especially her seductive tone of voice, and the slow saunter of her movements — yet the act itself is limited to a mother-child pantomime. Homelander actually drinking her breastmilk in season 2 is the natural continuation of this arc.

As season 2 explores further, Homelander may be a sociopath, but he does have a genuine desire to belong to a family, and clearly has unresolved resentment toward Vought, the corporation that raised him to be their star property. Homelander was made in a lab — and unlike other heroes who were still raised in a home environment, such as Starlight, Homelander’s upbringing was at the hands of scientists trying to make him into something they could use. Season 2 sees a desperate Homelander trying to bond with his son Ryan, but he struggles to do so because he lacks the basic experience of a normal loving relationship. Madelyn offered that with her strange pseudosexual Madonna act, but — as Homelander discovered in season 1 — it was all a lie.

Homelander didn’t just kill Madelyn because she lied to him about Ryan; he killed her because she revealed to him that her maternal act toward him had been just that — an act. In the end, his obsession with watching her pump breast milk, his jealousy of her relationship with her infant son, and his actual drinking of her breastmilk were all behaviors of a frustrated, lonely man. Call it an Oedipus complex or just plain “mommy issues” — either way, Homelander is motivated to fill a void inside resultant from his unorthodox upbringing.

New episodes of The Boys releases weekly on Fridays on Amazon Prime.

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.

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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