Antony Starr Rejects Homelander-Trump Comparisons in The Boys: “It’s Low-Hanging Fruit”

Antony Starr, celebrated for his portrayal of Homelander in Prime Video’s The Boys, doesn’t align himself with the frequent comparisons between his character and Donald Trump. Despite season 4 featuring heavy MAGA-inspired imagery and a January 6-style coup, Starr dismisses such parallels as “low-hanging fruit” that oversimplify his nuanced portrayal of the show’s menacing antagonist.

“Of course, people could make the comparison, and they did,” Starr acknowledges. “But it was quite strange getting dragged into a conversation I didn’t necessarily sign on to be a part of. I didn’t want the character to be a mustache-twirling villain. It had to be a real person built from the ground up.”

A Complex Villain

Starr, 49, aimed to infuse Homelander with layers of complexity, making him more than a typical “psychopath,” a term the actor finds reductive. This approach was evident in season 4’s fourth episode, Wisdom of the Ages, where Homelander revisits the Vought lab where he was raised. Initially written as a scene of pure cruelty, Starr suggested adding emotional depth to reflect Homelander’s internal conflict about his origins.

“Eric [Kripke] and I like to say we’ve co-parented [the character] pretty damn well,” Starr says of his collaboration with the showrunner. “What was on the page was already good, but it just struck a chord in me that we could go in a slightly different direction.”

Reflecting Society Through Satire

Kripke, the creator of The Boys, embraces the show’s satirical lens on modern culture, likening its approach to political dramas like The West Wing and comedies like Veep.

“We’re making this fun-house mirror of what’s going on in culture,” Kripke notes, though he also credits Starr for ensuring Homelander remains a multidimensional character.

Fans of the series have developed a love-hate relationship with Homelander, which Starr interprets as a sign of success. “It’s really interesting meeting fans. They’re like, ‘What the f—? What’s wrong with me? I love Homelander, but he’s so bad.’ That tells me we’re challenging people in the right way,” he explains.

The Endgame

As The Boys approaches its fifth and final season, Kripke teases a dramatic conclusion to the show’s narrative.

“Homelander really did it,” Kripke says of the season 4 finale. “He took over the country. It’s his country now. What does that look like in season 5, and how do our characters fight against it? I’m excited with what we’re coming up with.”

Fans won’t have to say goodbye to The Boys universe entirely, with spinoffs like Gen V and Vought Rising continuing to expand the series’ satirical world.

The Boys season 4 is streaming now on Prime Video, with season 5 in development.

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