No doubt the superhero genre is still alive.  Marvel got is started and rejuvenated itself with Deadpool and Wolverine.  With a few projects on the horizon that has fans reinterested, Marvel is starting to get some hype back on its side.  But a show that was popular during the time Marvel was down was The Boys.  The Boys spoofed many of Marvel’s flare.  The dark satire the show explored got fans loving the show but one character carries the banner; Homelander.  Homelander is a cruel, sadistic, narcissistic, and murderous villain.  His portrayal rivals any villain across the comic book genre.  Homelander serves as the main villain of the show.  But what will it look like if he as a villain to a Marvel character? And what will it look like?

Marvel has a great list of heroes.  Many of them iconic.  With the help of the MCU, many lesser-known characters go elevated to A-Listers.  Given how tyrannical Homelander could be, he could serve as villain to many of Marvel’s heroes.  Only one makes the most sense though.  The First Avenger himself; Captain America.  Both are a dark reflection of each other.  Although fundamentally different, so similar.

The biggest and most vital link between them is the drastic difference in their upbringing.  Steve Rogers  became Captain America not because Rogers is the best soldier but the perfect man.  He had empathy, sympathy, he was selfless, supportive, courageous and just outright noble.  All those great traits are just who he simply is.  All that comes natural to him.  It’s his natural state.  He’s always looking out to help people.  Always there to support.  And when he was given the Super Soldier Serum all that was amplified.  He didn’t want to enlist in the Army to be a gunman, he wanted to stop bad people from hurting good people.  Captain America used his serum for great things.  On the other hand, Homelander used his serum, Compound V, to do the most atrocious things.  Homelander was born to be product.  To be the most unbreakable Supe in the universe.  That came with a cost.  He was subjugated to experiments to make him unbreakable.  Those tests were physical, mental and emotionally.  They succeeded at a great cost.  Due to a horrific childhood, Homelander projected all the built-up hate from those experiments on everyone else.   He turned hateful, enraged, malicious, selfish, savage and bloodthirsty.  All that was imbued into him.  It was forced into him.  Because all that was thrusted upon him as a child, that’s all he knew even when he reached adulthood.  That’s his default stage.  He wants to be loved but at the same time he has no shame in inflicting as much fear and death on people. But all this against his will.  Being a subject as an infant was destined to create a monster.  Cap’s noble trait is natural.  Homelander’s sadistic state is manmade.  While Captain America was fated to be America’s best man, Homelander was forced to be everyone’s worst monster.

And of course there is a matter of aesthetic.  Both men have the American flag wrapped around them.  At first glance it’s all about visuals but mostly it’s to show their representation of the country.  The two sides of the country’s values, ideas, and morals.  Captain America represents the virtuous side of the United States. He’s understanding and supportive when someone comes to him with an issue.  He has this classic sense of respect when he meets someone new.  No matter the scope of the problem, not only does he lead by example but reassures everyone, who has doubts, that the issue could be conquered.  He makes sure everyone around is as confident as him, as brave as him, as optimistic as him.  Captain America always makes it known to his allies that he is one of their greatest friends and partners.  At the same time, he makes it known to all enemies, in any caliber, that he could be their greatest threat.  There may be a time where Captain America gets hit and gets down.  But he rises again and again and again.  He refuses to allow a threat have a final victory over him. Bruised but never beaten. Captain America always stands on his feet for himself but especially for everyone around him. 

With Homelander, he could represent the faulty side of the United States.  Materialism is something that could be corrosive and is something that many Americans chase after in destructive, unhealthy ways.  Homelander is a literal product of materialism.  Compound V is Vought’s most prized possession, followed by superheroes.  Compound V is what gave birth to Homelander.  It’s an unseen pillar to his selfish ways.  Because of it, he is imbued with this thought that he is superior to everyone.  Anybody who doesn’t have it is seen as weaker compared to him.  He puts up a smile for the public which is seen right away.  But there is a dark past filled with even darker actions  Homelander does have a volatile nature when he feels unseen, unwanted and underestimated.  He has harmful concepts that he is more than willingly to force people to accept.  And if they don’t, he will label them as an enemy if they reject his personal perception of reality.  . If anyone, inside his circle or not, threatens that power, Homelander could elevate his nature. Homelander is a man that is enamored by the power he has and is a great priority to him.

Some of the greatest and most memorable rivalries in the superhero genre tend to be the ones where opposing sides are different from each other.  Batman and The Joker.  Superman and Lex Luthor.  Spider-Man and Green Goblin.  But another great rivalry is when the opposing sides are dark reflections of each other.  These types of rivalries represent two stark differences about one single idea.  How a matter of perspective could direct two sides down different paths.  Captain America and Homelander seemed to be custom made to be rivals.  There’s too much similarities between the two that can’t be overlooked.  And the differences between them are still so parallel.  Everything about each character just screams that they need to be a rivalry that is up there with some of the other great matchups in comic books.