Warning: spoilers ahead for The Boys season 4’s ending.
Summary
Homelander has one foot in the White House whenThe Boysseason 4 ends, as Neuman’s death and Singer’s arrest put his presidential status in something of a gray area. SinceThe Boysbegan, Homelander has maintained a belief that supes should reign over regular humans due to their biological superiority. Season after season, Antony Starr’s character has grown bolder in chasing that dream, andThe Boysseason 4’s endingbrings him closer than ever to achieving it.
Set upon the backdrop of Robert Singer’s election victory, Homelander andSister Sage’s initial planinvolved assassinating the incumbent US president and triggering the 25th Amendment to replace him with Victoria Neuman. As a secret supe and reluctant ally, Homelander expected Neuman to be his puppet in the White House. This plot appears scuppered when Billy Butcher kills Neuman, but Sage had wisely not divulged her full design, andThe Boysseason 4 ends with Senator Calhoun receiving an unexpected promotion to President Calhoun - sort of.
Homelander’s Past In The Boys Explained: Was He Always Evil?
The Boys season 4 reveals more of Homelander’s origins, highlighting the show’s thematic exploration of morality and if the Supe was always evil.
Homelander Is The President In All But Name When The Boys Season 4 Ends
Homelander May As Well Be President After The Boys Season 4’s Shock Ending
When he woke up on theday ofThe Boysseason 4’s finale, Calhoun was not expecting to be president by sundown. More importantly, he had already sworn allegiance to Homelander during the meeting at Tek Knight’s mansion.Calhoun knows siding with Homelander will benefit him financially, while defying Homelander would be bad for his health, and the combination of these two factors make the new president entirely subservient to Homelander’s will. This is first demonstrated when Homelander shrugs Calhoun aside during his speech, then again when Calhoun immediately calls Homelander regarding Soldier Boy.
Homelander’s feet may not be perched atop the Oval Office’s desk, but his control over the USA is absolute.
Effectively,Calhoun is a figurehead president, posing for photos, signing documents, and attending meetings. Homelander is the true premier for the United States of America afterThe Boysseason 4 ends, and the supe’s political influence is significantly greater than it would have been if the original plan to parachute Neuman into the White House transpired.
Neuman may have been susceptible to blackmail and threats, but she never worked with Homelander willingly, was too strong to let him call the shots, and had the intelligence to fight back. Calhoun brings none of those problems. He is the exact kind of puppet Homelander wanted, but that Neuman never would be, held up by strings that are far easier to pull. Homelander’s feet may not be perched atop the Oval Office’s desk, but his control over the USA is absolute.
Homelander Could Become The Official President By The Time The Boys Season 5 Begins
Does Sister Sage’s “Phase 2” Involve Getting Rid Of Calhoun?
Since Calhoun is just a “patsy,” in the words of Sister Sage, his services may not be required long-term.Calhoun’s appointment allows Homelander and Sage’s coup to go largely unchallenged, and gives Vought’s new regime a cloak of legitimacy from the outside. Homelander couldn’t have taken Robert Singer’s job directly without attracting questions over whether the appointment was democratic. After Calhoun bestows upon Homelander an official US government position, however, the leap from President Calhoun to President Homelander is much more straightforward.
“Phase 2”: What Sister Sage’s Goal For The Boys Season 5 Could Be
Homelander and Sister Sage’s plan finally moves forward in full force in The Boys season 4 finale, but their true plot seems to be far from over.
It’s possible that duringThe Boysseason 5, or even in the gap between seasons, the whole facade is dropped and Homelander is officially, legally inaugurated as Calhoun’s successor and the new US president. This might even be what Sage means when she mentions “phase 2” inThe Boysseason 4’s finale.
How The Boys Season 4 Is Adapting Homelander’s Comic Story
Things Go A Little Differently For Homelander In The Comics
Homelander’s power grab inThe Boysseason 4 is not a direct adaptation of Garth Ennis' comic story, but certainly follows the broader outline from the source material. In the original version,Homelander assembled an army of superheroesand seized the White House by force, personally murdering the then-president, Victor Neuman. Amazon’sThe BoysTV show incorporates Homelander’s army, Neuman’s death, and Homelander staging a coup, but the live-action version is much less direct. Antony Starr’s character still receives the keys to the United States, but adding Senator Calhoun and Sister Sage’s masterplan creates a more realistic onscreen takeover.
Intriguingly,The Boysseason 5 has no choice but to diverge significantly from the comic story. After killing the president in the comic books, Homelander was forced to reckon with his clone, Black Noir, and his presidential stint quickly came to a bloodsoaked end. Amazon’sThe Boysstory has already progressed in such a way that the comic books' clone twist is impossible, meaning season 5 will actually have to show Homelander presiding over his domain.
The Boys
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.
