For the majority of ‘The Boys’, Homelander has not been seen as a villain, but rather a force of nature. Absolute authority, complete impunity, and a sufficient amount of charisma to fool the world.
It is a lethal combination. Season 5 is beginning to break that illusion, though. Not by a single threat, but by several quite different ones, which are going round simultaneously. And that makes things interesting. Homelander no longer has enemies; he has weaknesses.
Power Alone Won’t Save Him This Time
Ryan Butcher is the most evident wildcard. Being the son of Homelander, Ryan is a kind of long-term project of the show: the notion that power does not necessarily corrupt. He has already demonstrated signs of power that rival and even frighten his father. However, it is not only about who is stronger. It’s about choice. Should Ryan go against Homelander, it would not be a mere physical victory, but a symbolic one.
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Then there is Soldier Boy, a walking contradiction. He might not be able to fight Homelander on the same level, but his power to depower powers puts the game in a different perspective.
A single shot, and Homelander is another man. The question is whether Soldier Boy is concerned enough to pull the trigger.
And leta not forget Frenchie. He is not a fighter, but he does not have to be. Provided that he can reproduce or enhance the supe-killing virus, he turns out to be one of the most dangerous individuals in the narrative. It is not glitzy, but it works, and in this world, that means a lot.
The Real Threat Might Be The One He Trusts
The difference with this season is that the greatest threat to Homelander may not be brute strength at all. Sister Sage is playing a very different game. She does not have to beat him up; she has to outwit him. And that she has been doing successfully so far.
Then there is the imminent arrival of Marie Moreau, whose powers might circumvent conventional defenses altogether.
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She is not yet entrenched in this story, but the possibility exists, and it is disturbing. This is the reality that the show is gradually unveiling: Homelander does not fall because somebody is stronger. He stumbles as too many things begin to go wrong at the same time.
That is the way empires fall. Not a single big hit, but cracks all around. And you can finally see those cracks forming.
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