‘The Boys” Eric Kripke is surprised and confused by fans who see Homelander as a hero.
In a recent interview with Slash Film, Kripke explained that he doesn’t think about those viewers when writing the show. He said:
“I don’t write with them in mind. I mean, look, it doesn’t really particularly bother me. I just kind of throw up my hands, and I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t know what else to do then.’ The show is many things. Subtle is not one of them.”
He added that if people see Homelander as a hero, he doesn’t know what more he can do. Kripke said that he appreciates people watching the show for fun, but he wishes they could see the themes the team works hard to include:
“If you, for instance, think Homelander’s a hero, I just don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know what to tell you. But look, on the other hand, if people want to watch this show as just escapist entertainment, like as any other superhero thing… then I guess thanks for watching, question mark? But obviously, the show has a lot on its mind, and I would certainly appreciate it more if people get the different layers that we work so hard to put into it.”
‘The Boys” tries to reflect real-life issues. Kripke finds it hard to understand how some viewers miss these deeper messages.
A Former President Influenced Homelander
Some fans rally around Homelander — similar to his supporters in the show. Kripke hinted that a former President influenced Homelander and compared the character to a celebrity trying to become an authoritarian leader:
“Even as short as 10 years ago, the idea of a celebrity trying to turn themselves into an authoritarian autocrat was a slightly crazy idea. Then with 2016 and the build-up to it, suddenly it became a very, very real idea. Here’s this comic book that has a character that’s doing exactly the same thing, and I really lucked into adapting it at the single best time in history to adapt that comic.”
Kripke praised Antony Starr’s performance as Homelander. He believes it’s Starr’s acting that makes the character understandable.
‘The Boys’ season 4 premieres this week.
