The Boys all the time captured real-world political tensions, however followers of the Prime Video sequence are choosing up on these themes extra and extra in season 3. Showrunner Eric Kripke responded to latest backlash about The Boys‘ getting political, noting why the writing is leaning further in that direction — and confirming suspicions about Homelander’s inspiration.
The Boys Season 3 premiered this June, bringing viewers again into the world of corrupt Supes — and proving there’s no restrict on how self-serving a few of them will be.
The Prime Video sequence has all the time used characters like Homelander (Antony Starr) to touch upon real-world points. Nonetheless, followers seem to be noticing the present’s political commentary extra in its newest batch of episodes. As journalist Ryan Broderick famous on Twitter, The Boys’ subreddit discovered itself “in chaos” after followers expressed outrage over its inclusion of politics.
Showrunner Eric Kripke addressed the backlash, stating that The Boys has all the time been political, with former president Donald Trump influencing his tackle Homelander from the start.
Throughout an interview with Rolling Stone, Kripke admitted they is likely to be barely extra forthright with their messaging in season 3. He attributed that to the present state of the world:
“He’s always been a Trump analogue for me. I’ll admit to being a little more bald this season than I have in past seasons. But the world is getting more coarse and less elegant. The urgency of our team’s writing reflects that. We’re angrier and more scared as the years go on, so that is just being reflected in our writing.”
Kripke additionally delved deeper into Homelander’s character, emphasizing that he’s meant to seize a sure set of qualities greater than a particular particular person.
Eric Kripke known as Homelander a mix of ‘white-male victimization and unchecked ambition’
Throughout his dialog with Rolling Stone, The Boys’ boss Eric Kripke dug additional into Homelander’s characterization. He famous the qualities the Supe reveals, chalking his arc up to sure shortcomings:
“He has this really combustible mix of complete weakness and insecurity, and just horrible power and ambition, and it’s just such a deadly combo. Of course he would feel victimized that people are angry that he dated a Nazi. All he ever wants is to be the most powerful person he can be, even though he’s completely inadequate in his abilities to handle it. So it’s white-male victimization and unchecked ambition.”
Kripke went on to counsel that these attributes pertain to quite a few public figures. He included Donald Trump in that sentiment however added that “it’s a bigger issue than just Trump.”
“The more awful public figures act, the more fans they seem to be getting,” he defined. “That’s a phenomenon that we wanted to explore, that Homelander is realizing that he can actually show them who he really is and they’ll love him for it.”
That realization might show an issue sooner or later, as Kripke not too long ago hinted at the place Homelander’s storyline is headed.
Eric Kripke promised Homelander will go ‘full sociopath’ in ‘The Boys’
When it comes to Homelander’s future in The Boys, Eric Kripke promised the character will solely lean additional into villainy.
Talking with the Writers Guild America West, Kripke teased the course of Homelander’s story arc. It appears like The Boys group will quickly have their fingers full making an attempt to cease him.
“So the writers know — and Antony [Starr] is a big part of this as well — that, eventually, whenever the series reaches its climax, this guy is going to go full sociopath, and he has to be stopped before some kind of apocalyptic event,” Kripke revealed. “That’s what we’re building towards.”
That appears like a worrisome improvement. And apparently, all of it goes again to these “fans” Kripke talked about. The showrunner revealed that Homelander will attain his breaking level when he “realizes he doesn’t want love or approval from anybody.”
It’s unclear if that may occur in season 3, The Boys’ newly greenlit season 4, or additional down the road. We’ll have to wait and see how Homelander’s arc progresses.
The primary 5 episodes of The Boys Season 3 are at the moment streaming on Prime Video.