Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Boys season 4, episode 4!
Summary
The Boysshowrunner Eric Kripke has explained how Antony Starr changed season 4, episode 4 with one crucial adjustment to Homelander’s story, making the episode even better than before. The latest episode ofThe Boysseason 4saw the leader of the Seven return to Vought’s lab where he was raised, confronting researchers there who had tortured him as a child. Throughout the episode, he is needlessly cruel to the people working in the lab, acting like an upset child through the punishments he makes them endure to reflect his anger.
Speaking withEntertainment Weekly, though, Kripke revealedmuch of Homelander’s story inThe Boysseason 4, episode 4 was adjusted by his actor, Starr, who believed the original script was too cruel. The showrunner explained how the actor wanted to approach the episode as if Homelander was regressing toward a more childish state, something he believes worked better than the original script. Check out what Kripke had to say below:
The original draft had Homelander coming down there and being just cruel top to bottom. It was very much like he was coming down there to torture those people and basically pull the wings off flies. Ant called me and he said, ‘That feels wrong to me. This is like my home. I think there would be moments where I would be very childlike and sometimes confused. I could be cruel, but then I could feel bad about being cruel and I could just be this mess where you never know how I’m going to react next.’
Man, was he right. What makes that story is he comes down there and he almost becomes that kid again. So it’s really remarkable and it’s terrifying.
What Will Homelander Do For The Rest Of The Boys Season 4?
Season 4, episode 4 saw the leader of the Seven spend the whole episode at the lab where he grew up, tormenting older staff members who had subjected him to multiple physically and mentally damaging tests. This includes the head of the lab, Barbara, who confronts him in an attempt to stop him. However, it doesn’t work,withHomelander leaving Barbara aliveafter killing the rest of the staff members, locking her up in the “bad room” with their remains as he leaves covered in blood.
Now that he’s finally confronted his past, it seems the show’s main antagonist has finally left his humanity behind for good. This will make him a powerful threat to both the Boys and to the world, as it appears he no longer cares if humanity overall views him as a monster.This could help him and Sister Sage with their plans to get Victoria Neuman in the White House, giving him the push he needs to do horrible things in order to better progress their plans.
Since Homelander is already this dangerous halfway through season 4, it appears he’ll be the most formidable he’s ever been from now untilThe Boysseason 5. It’s possible his most atrocious acts are yet to come, with him finally coming to terms with how he wants to perceive people without superpowers. Now that he’s embraced the most dangerous side of himself, the rest of his time on the show is liable to be even more horrifying than it’s ever been before.
New episodes ofThe Boysseason 4 arrive Thursdays at 12 a.m. PT/ 3 a.m. ET on Prime Video.
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The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
