The Boys Creator Eric Kripke's Take On Homelander's Chilling Mirror Scene
I struggle to think of a TV villain scarier than Homelander on "The Boys." Played masterfully — almost too much so — by Antony Starr, America's greatest superhero is really anything but. He's toxic masculinity and U.S. imperialism packaged together with good PR and a soul-searing smile. Starr has a ravenous grin to rival a great white shark but with eyes of burning hatred, not black emptiness.
While Homelander is damaged beyond repair, the show doesn't imply he was born that way. Raised in a laboratory, "John" had a sterile, abusive childhood that left him with a psych textbook's worth of mommy and daddy issues. As an adult, he's actually scarier because he's pathetic — the most powerful man alive has the stability of a bratty 12-year-old boy. Homelander is less Superman gone bad than he is a grown-up Anthony Fremont (Bill Mumy), the child with the powers and temperament of Old Testament God in the "Twilight Zone" episode "It's A Good Life."
"Herogasm" — season 3, episode 6 — gave a picture of just how fractured Homelander's psyche is. He talks to himself in the mirror, a la Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe) and the Green Goblin in "Spider-Man." One side of Homelander is vindictive but too self-pitying, so he needs a stronger devil on his shoulder. Eric Kripke, showrunner of "The Boys," gave his take on Homelander's chat with the mirror in a 2022 interview with Nerdist.
An evil inspiration
Season 3 of "The Boys" is about the return of Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), Homelander's predecessor as the world's strongest "supe." Like his inspiration Captain America, Soldier Boy spent decades on ice — after he reawakens, Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) makes a deal with him to kill Homelander together.
In "Herogasm," Homelander is doubting his ability to defeat Soldier Boy. So, his reflection decides to reassure him, reminding him of all the "bad times" he's gotten them through. When Homelander admits he wants to be loved, his reflection tells him to ignore the "mud people" and cut out his "shriveled' humanity like it's a cancer, so he can be "pure — like marble."
Kripke played armchair psychologist, diagnosing Homelander with Multiple Personality Disorder and saying the scene was an insight into the foundation of his problems:
"You know, our take on Homelander is even though he's a sociopath, he's also a human being who has reactions and feelings. To me, the biggest sin that Homelander commits is that he hates that he has feelings and he hates that he's a human being. You know, if he embraced that part of him more, he might be a happier person who isn't going to destroy the planet."
Homelander doesn't quite manage to follow his other half's advice. When he learns Soldier Boy is his biological father, he instantly yearns for his acceptance — and is spurned. He has better luck with his son, Ryan (Cameron Crovetti), finally managing to win him over. Homelander does seem to love the boy (as much as he can), but I still don't foresee him winning Father of the Year.
The wrong kind of friend
While the mirror Homelander is aggressive, he's ultimately trying to get his other half to be the "best" (strongest and most evil) version of himself. That tough love is exactly the kind of support that Homelander thinks he needs. Per Kripke, this characterization was Starr's idea:
"I think in the original version of it, the figure in the mirror was just this kind of cruel browbeating character telling Homelander what a loser he was. And, Antony called me and said, 'What if it's his childhood friend? And what if they have this connection because he was alone for so long that he ended up creating this relationship with an image of himself? And that's what got him through these situations?'"
Kripke praised Starr's idea, calling it both "sad" and "scary" — the resulting scene even scared Kripke "a little," but it was just foreshadowing the true terror. Season 3 ends with Homelander killing a protestor in public while his fans cheer. In season 4, it's plausible that Homelander, having realized he doesn't need his humanity to be loved, will finally take up his other self's advice. Watching that unfold is sure to be more than just "a little" scary.
"The Boys" is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.