The Boys Season 4 sees Homelander unhinged and at his breaking point. Antony Starr says his character really believed he came out as a new person by revisiting his traumatic childhood.

Antony Starr described Homelander’s self-contained side story at Vought Labs as the character’s bottle episode. “Wisdom of the Ages” explored multiple arcs but Homelander’s existed in a bubble that trapped even the audience in his trauma. One scene had Homelander humiliating a Vought researcher as payback for a past insult. Showrunner Eric Kripke told TV Line that Antony Starr’s maniacal laugh in that scene was unscripted, confirming what audiences sensed at that moment. Kripke said they kept that version of the sequence in the episode because Starr’s performance was terrifyingly brilliant.

“To be clear, that was not scripted,” Kripke asserted. “In the script, [Homelander] blasts the guy and then walks over to him. When Ant is playing that laugh, when I saw it in the dailies, I just was like, ‘Jesus Christ, that could be the scariest I’ve ever seen Homelander,’ and I’ve seen hundreds of hours of Homelander film.” The Boys has so far made it impossible to empathize with Homelander even as a tragic villain. Kripke commended Starr for his nuanced performance in the scene, saying, “That to me was just such a terrifying and brilliant performance, and I would like to announce my campaign entitled ‘Give That Guy an Emmy Already.'” Kripke previously voiced the same petition after praising Starr for fleshing out Homelander’s quirks.

Homelander’s Deluded Redemption Arc

Starr said Homelander really believed he was redeemed after he visited Vought Labs, though the closing moment of that episode revealed him as unhinged as ever. “I think it was a really important part of the journey and the season for the character, and overall, in the show, for the character, because I think he really believed that that was, like, a really great, cathartic, therapeutic exercise, going back there,” he explained. “…I think, at the end, he comes out of it really thinking he’s done the right thing and done something great to move forward, and he can be a better father now for the kid.”

Kripke has encouraged audiences to read deeper into The Boys‘ socio-political commentary, something many fans noticed is more overt in Season 4. He said the show is never subtle in its messaging, noting how it has never hinted or implied that Homelander is a hero.

The Boys is streaming on Prime Video.