Homelander's Contradiction: Antony Starr Reveals What Makes His Character Complicated to Play

Summary

• Antony Starr's Homelander evokes a visceral reaction in most viewers.
• The actor didn't want his character to be a one-dimensional villain.
• Despite Homelander's badass powers, Starr has a pretty low opinion of him.

Of all the fictional characters on television and in the movies, few are more despicable than The Boys' Homelander. Portrayed by Antony Starr, the all-American superhero is anything but heroic, as his cruel and violent demeanor combined with his God complex makes him a threat to everyone in the world.

Completely unhinged, Homelander does as he pleases with no regard for human life or law, while at the same time being revered and celebrated as a beloved Supe thanks to the vast propaganda machine of the Vought Corporation that created him. While this ambiguity of the character persists on screen, it's crystal clear to the audience that Antony Starr's character is an antagonist. But playing him is still a challenge, because Homelander is much more complicated than a typical villain.

Homelander Isn't 'a Cardboard Cutout' of a Villain

According to Antony Starr, he and the showrunners of The Boys wanted to create a complicated, multifaceted character with many layers to explore, without falling into the trope of the evil, all-powerful villain.

'We didn't want to make a mustache-twirly villain where everything is bad. We want to see under the hood a little bit with this guy and see what makes him tick and why his engine is the way it is,' the actor explained Homelander's intricacies in a recent interview.

That's why it's important for Starr to show Homelander's background and its effect on his mental health and adult life. We finally get to explore this in the currently airing fourth season of The Boys, which delves into the character's origins. So far, we've learned that Homelander was a test subject from birth and never knew parental love. He endured much pain and suffering from the experiments performed on him, such as being burned alive in a special oven – in vain, of course.

Cause and Effect

Homelander didn't know what human life was and didn't develop much as a person, which is why Antony Starr believes he is 'the weakest character' on the show, despite his enormous power and invincibility.

This contradiction between the character's might and his lack of emotional intelligence, his heinous, villainous actions, and the vulnerability of his psychological trauma makes him a challenge to play convincingly.

Nevertheless, the actor manages to convey his character's complexity so well that there are some The Boys viewers who deeply sympathize and empathize with Homelander, regardless of the many atrocities he has committed over the show's four-season run. The beloved and hated Supe will return in the new episode of The Boys Season 4, which premieres on July 4.

Source: Rolling Stone.