What Homelander's Reaction To The Boys Season 2's Courtroom Attack Tells Us

Antony Starr's performance as Homelander in Amazon's The Boys has been one of the most widely praised parts of the series adapted from the comics of the same name. His sinister smile and penchant for extreme, bloody violence makes him an unpredictable force that the team constantly goes up against. But surprisingly, the villainous superhero does have some restraint, which becomes obvious towards the back half of The Boys season 2. Maybe it's the influence from his relationship with Stormfront, or perhaps he's just grown up ever so slightly — but the explosive attack on Congress showed a different side to Homelander.

It was a moment that perfectly captured what The Boys is all about: gory chaos and its consequences. And the fact that nobody saw it coming made it all the more shocking. And you'd be forgiven for thinking that Homelander would have a part in slaughtering a crowd of innocents (just look at that fantasy he had when the crowd booed him) but his muted reaction proved he had nothing to do with it. And although we later discovered it was Victoria Neuman who perpetrated the horrifying attack — it actually taught us a lot about the psychopathic leader of the Seven.

Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) hasn't scared Homelander just yet, but the courtroom attack definitely did. When Dr. Vogelbaum's head exploded, the "hero" looked on in disbelief — unable to comprehend what he'd just seen. And when the heads continued to roll, sorry, explode, all Homelander could do was stand and survey the carnage around him. He didn't get angry or act like he was next; it was just pure confusion. For once, he wasn't the apex predator in the room — he was a potential victim.

The audience already knows that Homelander hides a lot of insecurities and fears from the public, but for once, the villain was completely fearless. But that's not because he wasn't scared, because otherwise he would've surely flown through a window or blasted through the roof to escape the situation. His reaction likely means that he didn't understand the severity of what was unfolding around him. Even when he's briefly faced off against other superheroes, he's always been at the top of the food chain. 

But at least the scene shows us that he's not afraid to stay and fight an unknown enemy, and Victoria Neuman is definitely a threat he doesn't know how to handle. It'll be interesting to see if he discovers that the congresswoman was behind the attack when The Boys season 3 eventually arrives on our screens, although we hazard a guess that he might be a little preoccupied tackling Vought's original superhero: Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy. But maybe don't expect to see the pair's questionable relationship from the comics on the small screen — since this version of Homelander isn't quite as perverted as his counterpart in the source material.