In Season 4 of The Boys, Homelander (Antony Starr) finds himself in a rather precarious position – one that leads him on a path of absolute carnage in Episode 4. Throughout three seasons, Homelander’s attempts at resisting opposition have brought him to the helm of Vought International, with Season 3’s coup d’état helping displace Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) from the power hierarchy. As a consequence, Homelander not only wields ultimate power when it comes to decisions made at Vought Tower, but he also finds himself surrounded by a group of sycophants, led by puppet CEO Ashley Barret (Colby Minifie).

In terms of character traits, Homelander’s booming sense of entitlement is only preceded by his constant need for adoration. Albeit quite late for the most powerful Supe on Earth, Homelander has finally realized that being surrounded by flatterers will not serve him well in his pursuit of higher motives. Despite bringing Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) to the Vought Tower in a desperate act of course correction, Homelander continues to enjoy the praise he’s surrounded by. But ultimately, it’s the turbulent relationship with his son Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) that urges Homelander to lead a bloody crusade against his biggest weakness — his undying need for love and validation.

Homelander’s Weakness Has Been Clear From the Beginning of ‘The Boys’

From the onset, Homelander has been built out to be a character with a great need for power but an equal thirst for validation. Until Season 3 of The Boys and the reveal of Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), it may have been thought that the absence of a father figure directly resulted in Homelander’s vulnerable disposition in which he sought praise from those he respected, considering that Homelander otherwise looked down upon almost everybody around him. In the public eye, Homelander’s need for validation materialized in the form of his public persona as a Supe and the leader of the Seven, always playing to the crowd’s pleasure. In private, this forced him to be a puppet at the hands of many at Vought, including Madelyn Stilwell (Elisabeth Shue) and Stan Edgar.

Even in his romantic pursuits with Stilwell and Stormfront (Aya Cash), Homelander’s exigency for acceptance allowed him to be manipulated for the personal gains of his partners. Similarly in Season 4, Homelander seems to be desperately vying for acceptance from his son Ryan, who doesn’t seem to reciprocate Homelander’s affections in equal measure. Moreover, Homelander’s need for validation continues to be a hurdle even in his relationship with Ryan, as he sabotages Ryan’s first stint in the limelight by making a surprise and unwarranted public appearance. To add to Homelander’s raging displeasure, Ryan continues to hold onto his attachment to Butcher (Karl Urban). This friction with his own heir results in Homelander realizing that it’s about time he loses the last iota of human emotion lying deep in his heart, resulting in Homelander’s most ruthless transformation so far in the series.

Homelander’s Relationship With His Son Hurts His Ego

Along with Homelander’s displeasure at his son’s indifference toward him, his fast-shifting perception of humans culminates in his wish to get rid of his Achilles heel. At the receiving end of applause, especially after his public execution of a protester in the Season 3 finale of The Boys, Homelander naturally finds himself elevated to the position of a god (at least in his own eyes). For Homelander, he is no longer the Supe looking for cheers from the humans he clearly looks down upon. As he teaches Ryan in Season 4, humans exist only for the amusement of the Supes. This realization has forced Homelander to seek out Sister Sage for guidance as he now plans his total domination of humankind. For the longest time, Homelander served as the mascot for Supes. However, he now seeks to set the record straight for everyone to know that he walks and breaths in the form of a god among measly humans.

The gradual loss of respect for humans has only hastened the magnitude of Homelander’s self-aggrandizement. Homelander no longer sees value in playing the crowd’s favorite, and the indifferent treatment from his own blood — which amounts to an act of disrespect from Homelander’s perspective — forces him to reconsider his priorities in Season 4. In Episode 4 “Wisdom of the Ages,” Homelander finally questions his need for validation and decides that it is time he rises above this singular fatal flaw.

As a result of his choice to get rid of this weakness, Homelander goes back to the Vought lab where he was kept as a child. Although the meeting with old acquaintances takes off as a happy reunion initially, it quickly turns out to be a stomach-churning affair for everyone involved, except Homelander. In the moments that follow, Homelander seeks redemption by punishing everyone who played a part in his traumatic experiences at the lab. Initially, it seems that Homelander’s return is merely an attempt at seeking retribution. However, it’s the appearance of Barbara (Nancy Lenehan), the Director at the facility, that reveals the true reason behind Homelander’s return to the lab.

Homelander’s Need for Validation Gets Bloody in Episode 4Seeing right through Homelander, Barbara questions him regarding the real reason for his visit. Homelander reveals that he’s only punishing the employees for being participants in his torture as a child. At this point, Barbara cuts in and suggests that they could only achieve what they did with Homelander’s consent. It’s revealed that Homelander was brainwashed by Vought scientists to have the need for love and the need for validation built into him. This allowed Vought to keep Homelander obedient to its rules and goals. While Homelander could have easily released himself from his captivity, he allowed himself to be tortured because he sought acceptance even from his torturers. This revelation by Barbara changes everything known about Homelander up until this point in Season 4.

Unlike the other scientists, Barbara refuses to let fear reflect in her eyes even though she’s well aware of Homelander’s murderous intentions. She reveals to him that he can never let go of his need for love and, in a bid to prove his point, Homelander kills everyone but Barbara. To Homelander, this appears to be an act of redemption and rebirth as he sets out to conquer true power. However, even in doing this, he spares Barbara, who’s left in a room filled with the remains of her co-workers. Sparing Barbara shows that Homelander still thrives on his obsession with validation, no matter what his recent actions may suggest. He spares her because he wants Barbara to believe that he has risen above the human need for love – which requires that Barbara remain alive.

While Homelander’s recent carnage in The Boys Season 4 may force the audience to believe that Homelander is truly invincible, it’s still to be seen whether he’s really above his greatest, and possibly only, vice. Time and again, Homelander has committed human errors as a result of his emotional vulnerability and the need for love — which even makes Ryan a potent weapon against Homelander. Even with all the smarts in the world on his side in the form of Sister Sage, in some ways, Homelander remains as vulnerable as ever.

New episodes of Season 4 of The Boys are streaming every Thursday on Prime Video in the U.S.