Episode 1 of The Boys Season 4 shows Homelander dropping an unexpected visit to Victoria Neuman’s campaign event with his son, Ryan. There, he meets Billy Butcher, who tries his best to convince Ryan to leave his egomaniacal and deranged father. But Homelander manages to “save” Ryan from Butcher. Plus, he learns that Butcher is slowly dying and does not have much time left. In the first three episodes, we see Butcher dealing with the side-effects of using too much Temp V. But what about Homelander? Is he growing old?
Homelander’s plate is overflowing. He recognizes that fear or sycophancy now defines his relationship with The Seven and Vought. In Butcher’s words, we can say that no one from the controversial yet multi-billion dollar superhero entertainment conglomerate has the “b#llocks” to confront or oppose Homelander. Adding to his woes, Homelander desperately seeks Ryan’s approval but remains unaware of his son’s internal struggles. We should also consider that The Seven is a mess, and he has to lead Vought now. The weight of managing himself, Ryan, and the company is clearly taking its toll on him.
So, is Homelander growing old? Well, it seems like he is. Homelander is filling a jar with his gray hair. He keeps that jar with his other “valuable” objects in his room at Vought Tower. This scenario is troubling Homelander. Why? Because they remind him of the fact that he is mortal, despite being one of the most powerful Supes at Vought. Believe it or not, Homelander does grow old, but not as fast as other ordinary human beings, thanks to Compound V.
As Sister Sage observed, Homelander might be experiencing a mid-life crisis. The stress that comes with leading and taking care of Vought has finally caught up to him. Apart from gray hair and a lot of peeing, the controversial supe could show more signs of degrading health in the upcoming episodes. All these scenarios take us to one important question: Is he losing his powers? While it’s too early to say for sure, the show’s final season (Season 5) on Prime Video might see a decline in his abilities. The Boys need some sort of advantage to take him down for good in the final season. Perhaps we’re witnessing the gradual deterioration of the once-invincible supe.
Homelander has realised that he is mortal. It seems like he is trying to find meaning in his actions, and in a way, in his life as well. He attempts to create a legacy by molding Ryan in his image, a desperate attempt to conquer his own mortality. Stay tuned for more updates