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One of The Boys‘ most poignant superhero parodies is Homelander — an obvious pastiche of DC’s beloved Man of Steel — which has of course created an endless debate over who would win in a Homelander vs Superman fight. The Boys season 4 is on the way, and The Boys‘ darkly comical narrative lends itself perfectly to satirizing the superhero genre, with the Amazon series taking stabs at multiple MCU and DCU stalwarts across its three seasons so far. The most virulent of these portrayals is The Boys‘ Superman parody Homelander, who essentially bastardizes every value that DC’s poster child holds dear. Both Dark Horse’s Homelander and DC’s Superman originate from their comics counterparts, with both also representing the zenith of power within their respective universes.
The Boys own Superman-metaphor Homelander is the unchallenged leader of The Seven, Vought’s marketable superhero group that demands adoration and fear in equal measure throughout The Boys‘ canon. Superman, meanwhile, is designed as a bastion of virtue and power in equal measure, with his perch atop the DC universe’s hierarchy befitting of America’s first popular superhero concept dating back to 1938. Therefore, the obvious parallels between the two characters beg the question of who would win if The Boys‘ Homelander fought DC’s Superman. This comparison is primarily designed to define who would come out on top in a fair fight between the two caped heroes, given their respective powers, without any interference from either Vought International’s The Seven or the Justice League. As a result, here’s who would win the Homelander vs Superman fight.
Superman’s Powers Inspired Homelander’s Character
The powers of DC Comics’ Superman have continuously morphed since his introduction as Clark Kent in the 1930s, making a Homelander vs Superman fight tricky. The oldest incarnation of Superman is presented as a being whose “physical structure was millions of years advanced” past that of humanity and a man whose character is later fleshed out as an extraterrestrial humanoid known as a Kryptonian. Superman originally commanded a modest array of powers, including super-strength, super-speed, and enhanced durability against attacks. As the DC Comics character’s story progresses, however, he becomes increasingly imbued with new powers, including the ability to destroy planets and move at the speed of sound, designed to keep readers interested in Superman as other contenders to his popularity (including Marvel Comics’ canons) began to emerge. Along with just a handful of heroes at the time, Superman’s origin served as the roots of today’s roster of DC series and movies.
The extent of Superman’s comics powers peaked during the 1970s, with his god-like potency reaching a critical mass whereby it became difficult for DC Comics writers to create suitable challenges for the character continually, which also makes an accurate Homelander vs Superman fight call tricky. As a result, the now overpowered Superman saw a wide fluctuation in power level from the 1980s onward, in which some publications like John Byrne’s Crisis on Infinite Earths series reduced Superman’s power level to essentially a “strongman” status on Earth. Superman has since seen numerous incarnations that have toyed with his power level accordingly, with his invincibility and strength scaling to meet the plot challenges placed before him.
Today, the DCU Superman’s powers exist on a much simpler scale, with Henry Cavill’s Superman consistently displaying a set of powers that rival the 1960s’ “Golden Age” for the iconic character. Superman’s Kryptonian physiology grants him godly powers in the current DCU canon, with his super-strength and speed supplemented by imperviousness to almost every known weapon to the point where his skin cannot be broken. The DCU’s Superman is also bolstered by heat vision, arctic breath, flight, and numerous other superpowered permutations that make him the most powerful entity on Earth in the DCU. While this version of Superman still has his classic weakness to the iconic Xenomineral Kryptonite and was defeated by Doomsday, an entity made from this substance, his current revived status in Zack Snyder’s Justice League make him a near-omnipotent force, so in a Homelander vs Superman fight, Superman may win.
How Homelander’s Powers Compare To Superman
Homelander existing as a parody of Superman means his powers are designed to mimic his forebear canonically. Homelander’s powers and abilities include superhuman strength, speed, stamina, smell, hearing, invulnerability; heat vision; X-Ray vision, and flight. This unique set of powers within The Boys‘ universe make Homelander unquestionably the apex predator of Amazon’s The Boys, with very few characters able to actually damage the antihero, so a Homelander vs Superman fight could have interesting results.
Homelander’s potency, unlike Superman’s heritage, is not derived from lineage but rather was granted to him by the nefarious Vought, making a Homelander vs Superman fight more complicated. As a child, Homelander was subjected to experiments using Compound V, an alchemical super serum designed to create superpowered humans. Homelander’s physiology, whether by luck or design, absorbed more Compound V than any other Vought test subject, granting him supremacy in his universe. While Superman’s regenerative powers that stop him from aging and being harmed are derived from the sun in most continuities, The Boys has shown no evidence that Homelander needs Compound V “top-ups,” making him a consistently dangerous adversary at any given time. Indeed, although Soldier Boy’s return in The Boys season 4 could once again challenge Homelander’s reign, it’s notable how Soldier Boy and a Temp-V-powered Butcher had to work together to have some hope of defeating Homelander.
Homelander vs. Superman: Who Would Win?
Despite Homelander’s supremacy in his own universe, in the context of a Homelander vs Superman fight, Superman wins this conflict at a canter. Whereas Homelander exists to parody Superman with an array of powers that imitate the iconic hero, Superman’s feats and powers dwarf those of his mirror image in any continuity from either DC Comics or the DCU. At various points in his history, Superman has absorbed energy from the sun, destroyed entire planets, and battled interdimensional beings.
Meanwhile, Homelander exists in The Boys as the proverbial shark in a swimming pool, which has made him weak. This can be observed during the only real tests of Homelander’s powers in The Boys’ season 3. While Soldier Boy and Butcher’s plan against Homelander didn’t exactly pan out in the finale, it’s become clear that Soldier Boy can kill Homelander. Maeve also revealed how Homelander’s inexperience can make his physical superiority useless in a Homelander vs Superman fight. Indeed, when Homelander does battle with a Compound V-powered Billy Butcher in the final throes of The Boys’ comics storyline, Butcher bests Homelander in combat before prying his head open with a crowbar. It is impossible to envision Homelander’s fate, either in the show or the comics, happening to Superman. Clark Kent’s nigh-invincibility is heightened by the fact he has been tested by many equally powerful enemies across his lifetime and walked away mostly unscathed.
Even breaking the rules of this comparison and factoring in a world where Homelander can attain access to a supply of the rare mineral Kryptonite, Superman’s superior tactical knowledge and combat training would still likely best Homelander in a Homelander vs Superman fight. The Homelander shown in Amazon’s The Boys primarily uses his laser eyes on enemies of any skill level, highlighting not only his callous nature but also the lack of significant challenge he has faced in his time as a superhero. Pitting the Man of Steel against Homelander only ends in one way, which is with The Boys‘ antagonist crumpled in a heap at the feet of Superman. That’s presuming it’s a fair fight, however — which, with Homelander’s twisted morality, it almost certainly wouldn’t be.
Why Homelander Wouldn’t Need To Fight Superman To Win
If the Homelander vs Superman fight isn’t just about their superpowers and also factors in their other abilities, Homelander’s chaotic evil leadership and knack for casual atrocity could potentially allow him to eke out a victory against the Man of Steel. At his very core, Homelander only really wants one thing: the adulation of the public. Homelander isn’t a strategist, but he might be more charismatic than Superman. As seen in The Boys’ season 3 finale, when a certain segment of society accepts Homelander for who he really is, Homelander proved that he can poison the population and validate evil thoughts and prejudices. By justifying people’s most violent impulses and herd mentality, Homelander could still make a horrific dent in the society Superman is sworn to protect. Homelander could win by targeting innocent people and their minds, and millions could die before Superman even shows up to that fight.
After all, The Boys’ Homelander is the black mirror image of the Man of Steel. Superman would surely beat Homelander to a pulp and lock him in the Phantom Zone – but not before Homelander finds and kills someone or something that is near and dear to Clark Kent. In fact, if Homelander and Superman existed in the same universe, Homelander’s actions would have already resulted in more dangerous versions of Compound V-powered Billy Butcher or evil Ryan. Even after defeating Homelander, Superman would still need to deal with the fallout of Homelander turning people — including children — against him or committing various atrocities just to get under his skin. Homelander could conceivably push Superman to execute him brutally, but the cost of Superman’s victory could mean that Homelander already won.
Are Superman And Homelander The Strongest Fictional Superheroes?
With all of this talk about a Homelander vs Superman fight, it’s understandable that people would question whether or not the two are the most powerful fictional superheroes to ever exist. However, this isn’t wholly true. There have been other fictional superheroes capable of bringing a good match against Superman or Homelander. First off, there’s the Invincible series’ Omni-Man. Similar to Superman, Omni-Man is a member of an extraterrestrial race known as the Viltrumite. Omni-Man is described as the most powerful human being on Earth in Invincible, and boasts superhuman strength, super speed, enhanced healing, and the power of flight. One Punch Man from the eponymous manga also deserves an honorable mention, as he can defeat any opponent with one punch.
Next up on who could take on either Homelander or Superman is a Marvel superhero: The Sentry. One of the many to take the Super-Soldier serum, The Sentry has a long history in Marvel, befriending the likes of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. The Sentry has a long list of powers, including chemically enhanced physiology, molecular manipulation, immortality, superhuman strength, super speed, flight, photokinesis, and many more. Finally, one surprising entry could be a contender against Homelander and Superman, and that’s Goku from Dragonball Z. Goku boasts a ton of abilities in the long-running anime series, some of these powers include super strength, super speed, healing, flight, telepathy, and telekinesis, to name a few. So, while a Homelander vs Superman fight may end in a draw, there are plenty of other fighters to go up against The Boys‘ most dangerous Supe, or the timeless DC Comics classic that inspired him.
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