Does Homelander die in The Boys?

In The Boys comics, Homelander does die. However, in the show, he is not yet dead.

The Boys is an American satirical superhero television series based on the comics of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. The show was created by Eric Kripke for Amazon Prime. The Boys’ plot revolves around a group of vigilantes who take it upon themselves to fight against Supes (superpowered humans) who abuse their powers for personal interest.

The series’ first season was released on July 26, 2019, on Prime, which received great reviews from viewers and critics. The Boys, starring Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jensen Ackles, Chase Crawford, Dominique McElligott, and many more, won seven Critics' Choice Super Awards and other numerous accolades.

Who is Homelander?

Homelander (also known as John) is one of the main antagonists of The Boys and the leader of the Supe team, The Seven. Homelander is also considered to be one of the strongest Supes, with multiple superpowers such as heat vision, super strength, super speed, durability, flight, super hearing, and many more.

Homelander was born in 1981 and is the son of America’s first superhero, Soldier Boy. As per the story, Soldier Boy’s sperm was inseminated in a homeless runaway paid by Vought, and during labor, the supe lasers his way out, gruesomely killing his mother while he rose in the air with the umbilical cord still on, leaving many shocked. Since then, the entirety of his childhood was spent in the lab, surrounded by doctors who named him John. Homelander was put through numerous painful and traumatic tests to study his superpower. This left him depressed and craving for parental love, affection, and approval.

How does Homelander die?

Spoilers ahead.

While Homelander is yet to meet his end in the show, the supe has died in the comics. To many readers’ surprise, the strongest superhuman was not killed by his arch-enemy Billy Butcher but by his closest friend Black Noir in the comics. As per the comics, Black Noir (also a part of The Seven) is Homelander’s clone created as a backup plan to kill the latter in case he ever gets out of control.

However, Black Noir could not wait to kill Homelander and executed a master plan by dressing up as Homelander and committing horrible crimes. John, aka Homelander, believed that he had gone mad as he could not recollect committing the crimes for which he was being accused, leading him to become a bigger psychotic villain.

As the story goes further in the comics, Homelander takes over the Oval Office and prepares to fight Billy Butcher. Before that happens, Noir reveals the truth of his doings to Homelander, and they engage in a fight. During the duel, Black Noir rips Homelander’s guts out, killing him. Now it is unclear whether the makers of the show would follow the same arc as The Boys’ comics.

Will Homelander die in The Boys’ last season?

Yes, Homelander will surely die in The Boys’ last season. The fifth season of The Boys will be about the final duel between The Boys and Homelander. Despite Homelander being one of the most brutal villains, the character enjoys a sizable fan base. These fans should prepare themselves because Homelander is all set to die in the final season, as per the makers.

During an interview with Metacritic, Eric Kripke revealed that there is no series’ end without Homelander’s death. Kripke said, “There's no way the series ends without Homelander dying. I'm just not comfortable with keeping that guy alive in the universe. We have to do something!”. He promises that there is a way to kill the Supe and that The Boys just have to find it.