Here's What The Boys' Antony Starr Would Look Like As Superman
Beginning with 1938's Action Comics #1, Superman took the world by storm. People from all four corners of the world recognize the big red "S" on his chest, and can recite his oft-retold origin forwards and backwards. But what would the DC universe look like if Superman was evil? The Injustice games and comics may have asked this question, but Amazon's The Boys provides the most entertaining answer.
Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson were two of the creators swept up by the storm of revisionist superhero stories when they created The Boys, the story of superheroes corrupted by corporate greed as well as their own power. Without the generally more family-friendly restrictions of DC, they go all out in showcasing just how horrible superheroes have the potential to be. A TV show of the same name has since received much critical acclaim for its portrayal of Ennis and Robertson's world.
Homelander stands in as The Boys' Superman analogue, possessing many of the latter's powers and dressed in a similarly-colored costume. His surface-level campiness is also directly inspired by Superman, also known as the Big Blue Boy Scout for that very attitude. Their respective true selves couldn't be more different, but Homelander is undoubtedly inspired by earlier sinister depictions of DC's flagship character. Looper reached out to digital artist Subi Özil to see what Homelander actor Antony Starr might look like in Superman's duds. The results: Disturbing in the best way.
Superlander?
It's almost too weird to look at, isn't it? Seeing Homelander's face above Superman's iconic "S" gives off the creepiest vibes. That it does is a credit to both Starr's exceptional performance as the twisted hero and Özil's artistic talents.
Taking a closer look at the costume reveals elements of both superheroes' own costumes mixed together. Superman's long red cape is nearly as famous as the "S" itself, and it's present here — a stark contrast to Homelander's American flag stripes hanging from his back. The lack of gloves is also a Superman specialty; very few redesigns of his costume have featured gloves, a recent exception being artist John Romita, Jr.'s fingerless gloves design. The Man of Steel's over-underwear (for lack of a better term), however, has been commonly swapped with the same kind of belt Özil employs.
As for the Homelander bits, let's start with the collar. Superman's costumes often leave much more room for his neck to breathe, an exception being his original New 52 design. Homelander, on the other hand, seems almost inhibited by the stuffy collar coming up around his neck, making Özil's collar feel right at home. The golden lines streaming along Özil's design are also much more in sync with Homelander, whose costume is highlighted by an embossed-looking red line running down the right side of his chest. Finally, the completely red shoulders standing out from the rest of the costume achieve a similar effect to the golden eagles on Homelander's shoulders.
All in all, Özil's deepfake does a spectacular job of meshing Superman and Homelander together, despite how off-putting the ultimate effect is — or perhaps because of it. If Starr ever gets the call to play Superman in the future, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him in a costume like this.