The Boys Season 4 Episode 4 Has Homelander's Most Disturbing Moments - By Far
Contains spoilers for "The Boys" Season 4, Episode 1 – "Wisdom of the Ages"
Can you have a midlife crisis if you ever really had a life to begin with? That's a question that might be worth raising as Homelander (Antony Starr) continues nailing down his future in a world he could destroy, by looking to the past he wishes he could probably do the same to. The origin of the Seven's psychopathic leader has always been teased throughout "The Boys" but it's only now in Season 4, Episode 4, "Wisdom of the Ages," that we really get a look into what molded the star-spangled monster — and it marks one of the most disturbing moments in the dark history of Homelander.
What feels like a quality control inspection becomes anything but that as Homelander proceeds to mess with lab technicians he knows by name, killing them (as expected) in particularly heinous ways. This isn't like squishing the head of a purse snatcher or wiping out a terrorist group, though. It becomes quickly apparent that there's a history in this off-the-books facility and Big H is having a twisted time revisiting it all.
From throwing one in a furnace to humiliating another before lasering away his genitals, there really is no stopping Homelander. But then what else is new? Be it a scientist or spineless super that's a few levels down from him, it really does seem like there's nothing to hold back Homelander and his homicidal activities. More importantly though, with the bloody bar raised in this week's episode, it makes you wonder just how things could get in the future.
Have we peaked too soon with Homelander?
After seeing Homelander leaving his kill site with a smile soaked in blood and guts, it really does feel like the head madman of the Seven has reached his limits. This season has established already that "no" isn't a word he's hearing much anymore (besides Sister Sage), which explains why he's been able to do what he's done to those who created him. But now what? Just how horrific can Homelander get and will it carry much weight after seeing him mutilate his makers? As it stands, the shock and awe factor of the show is at a high level. But it is also the one big problem fans were worried about in Season 4.
Perhaps in trying to humanize the most terrifying character in the show, the brains behind "The Boys" are setting us up to see something unthinkable, pleading the case that the reason we end up there is because of what happened here. But is it too little, too late? We're too far into the game and have seen Homelander perform too many unforgivable acts to sympathize with him and his upbringing. After rape, mass murder, and public executions, the "why" no longer matters. It's the "how" by which Butcher and the rest of The Boys are going to take him down that is the more important issue, and with another season to go, we might see things come to pass in a similar way to how "The Boys" comic ends. That is to say, blood, guts, and capes.