Homelander's Love For Ryan Might Be Real, But There's A Catch
This is the one character that is impossible to redeem.
The Boys was never meant to be a wholesome show, to begin with. Even though it's about superheroes, there's no hope for a happy ending. Instead, the series aims to show what would happen in reality if someone had unlimited power to abuse.
Homelander, being the most powerful, the most famous, and the most important hero of all, is the best example to prove this.
Filled with scenes of extreme violence, abuse, and perverted intimacy, The Boys is not the show where you'd expect a child to play a major role in the plot. But it does.
Homelander's son, Ryan, is not only a device to move the story and the relationship between the two main characters, Homelander and Billy Butcher, but also has immense power of his own.
The question that has haunted viewers since the end of Season 3 of the series is whether or not Homelander's love for Ryan is real and how far he would be willing to go to have his son all to himself.
We have already seen what fatherhood does to Homelander: when someone in the crowd accidentally throws something at Ryan, the superhero lets his guard down and lasers the person on the spot. Though he doesn't suffer any consequences for it, the incident shows how vulnerable Ryan really is.
The vast majority of fans would agree that Homelander truly loves Ryan, even if he loves him the only way he knows how.
He loves him, but he gets something out of his love for himself. He's not likely to put his own son in immediate danger, judging by how much he wanted to protect him in the Season 3 finale, but that doesn't mean he won't find other ways to use him.
After all, Ryan can make his father the happiest in the same way that any other little boy can for his dad, by carrying on the family business. Even if the business causes chaos and ruins other people's lives with fascist ideas.
Although season 4 has already been completed, its release has been delayed due to the ongoing WGA and SAG AFTRA strikes. So keep an eye out for news and behind-the-scenes updates if you want to see what's next for Homelander and Ryan in The Boys.