The Boys Season 5: Which 5 characters can actually stop Homelander? 

When it comes to The Boys Season 5, there is one question that is straightforward yet complicated: who can actually stop Homelander?

With his unparalleled strength, flight, laser vision, and utter lack of morals, Homelander has at every turn consistently demonstrated himself to be the most dangerous man on the show. He is not only a bad superhero, but a global threat whose power is as immense as an army.

Throughout the series, various attempts have been made to kill or subdue him, but Homelander has consistently managed to stay in power. There have been some people in The Boys universe who have shown the capability, brainpower, or raw determination necessary to take him down.

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Ahead of The Boys Season 5, let's review the five characters who can realistically take on the seemingly invincible head of The Seven

1. Soldier Boy

Soldier Boy is still one of the most grounded threats to Homelander. His ability, durability, and military training as a soldier make him a natural adversary.

Perhaps most importantly, his energy blasts possess the special property of draining Compound V abilities, making supes susceptible to them. This makes him not only a fighter but possibly a game-changer in a fight.

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2. Queen Maeve

Queen Maeve has been one of the few members of The Seven who could possibly keep up with Homelander. Brute strength, toughness, and fighting skills make her better equipped to handle him than many. Whereas she was unable to knock him out in earlier seasons, Maeve was shown to be able to withstand him long enough to inflict actual damage.

If her resolve is consistent with fresh plans in The Boys Season 5, she will again be able to demonstrate herself to be a critical roadblock for Homelander.

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3. Butcher

Billy Butcher, though human, has been able to become a force to reckon with due to the use of Temp V. The brief boosts provided him with laser vision and superhuman strength, equipment required to hold his own against Homelander.

Though side effects of Temp V are still a major limitation, The Boys Season 5 could contemplate the fact that Butcher might gain permanent Compound V powers. If that is the case, Butcher would not only have the motivation but would also have the capability to take on Homelander's power directly.

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4. Ryan Butcher

Homelander's own son, Ryan, has absorbed a great deal of his father's abilities. Young and inexperienced, Ryan is dangerous as well as a potential check on Homelander. His superhuman strength, flight capability, and laser vision qualify him as one of the few naturally gifted characters with the power to match power-wise with Homelander.

With Ryan's loyalty and moral growth in The Boys Season 5, he may be a weapon in Homelander's quiver or the reason of his downfall.

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5. Black Noir (or His Heir)

Black Noir was a clandestine figure throughout the series, but since his plot has been wrapped up, there's room to consider having an heir. Black Noir's function in The Boys Season 5 can change entirely depending on who is set to take his place. In the comics, Noir was created as Homelander's clone, but then simply used as a counterbalance in case Homelander turned rogue.

Where the show diverges from this narrative, however, the idea of a reimagined Noir, or a similar supe, remains as something of an existential threat to Homelander.

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Whipping Homelander was never easy, and The Boys Season 5 will probably still milk that fact for all it is worth. All these five characters, Soldier Boy, Queen Maeve, Butcher, Ryan, and Black Noir's replacement, each symbolize a different direction of going against his authority.

Through brute force, superpowers, or through the avenue of personal association, they are The Boys’ closest approximations to real threats against the most lethal man alive.

Also read: The Boys Season 5: Everything we know so far