After The Boys Season 5, Episode 6, Homelander is officially stronger than ever, and that severely limits which supes stand a chance of stopping him. SPOILERS ahead for The Boys Season 5, Episode 6. The Boys team spends the entirety of the Prime Video series working to defeat Homelander, but none of them are strong enough to face him now that he has V1 in his bloodstream. Butcher’s final line in “Though the Heavens Fall” indicates how bad things are about to get. Not even Karl Urban’s character seems eager to face Antony Starr’s supe. Considering Butcher rarely backs down from a fight, that’s a big reality check.
Power ranking the characters from The Boys, Homelander is undeniably atop the list in terms of raw strength. It’s hard to imagine any of the supes we’ve met defeating him in a physical fight. There are a few who could stop him using unique power sets, however, providing an opening to take him out entirely.
3) Ryan Butcher
Ryan defeating Homelander seems unlikely, as their 1:1 fight earlier in The Boys Season 5 proves his father is significantly stronger — and that’s before the V1. Still, Ryan does accomplish something few others have: he makes Homelander bleed. He also survives the other supe’s pummeling, likely because Homelander’s complicated feelings for his son prevent him from unleashing the full extent of his power. Ryan is new to using his abilities in combat, so he’s far less experienced at it. However, he could potentially use his connection to Homelander manipulate his father into a false sense of security, then find a way to overpower him. Likewise, Ryan is capable of far more devastating attacks when he’s enraged. He nearly kills Stormfront, another V1 supe, with a combination of anger and heat vision. With that in mind, fans shouldn’t count him out entirely.
2) Marie Moreau
The Boys Season 5 only has two episodes left to make use of Gen V‘s missing characters, and Homelander’s latest power-up could give Marie Moreau a chance to shine. Marie’s unique ability to manipulate blood, even when it’s inside someone’s body, may be exactly what’s needed to fix The Boys‘ current predicament. If Marie can remove the V1 from Homelander’s bloodstream, Butcher’s supe virus should actually work, allowing The Boys to return to Plan A. Of course, if Marie is capable of doing that, she might be able to strip Homelander of Compound V entirely. This would be a fitting end for the supe, as it would turn him into the very thing he detests: an ordinary human. It would also give any number of characters the opportunity to kill him without fear of retaliation, Marie included.
1) Soldier Boy
Soldier Boy and Homelander have a complicated relationship in The Boys Season 5, and it’s because of Jensen Ackles’ supe that Homelander even gets the V1. However, there’s no guarantee that the pair won’t turn on each other in the last two installments. And Soldier Boy’s encounter with Bombsight proves that he can defeat Homelander — or at least heavily contribute to his downfall. Soldier Boy’s radiation blasts allow him to strip supes of their powers. This works on Bombsight, which means that even V1 supes are vulnerable. Considering Soldier Boy’s radiation takes longer to set off than Homelander’s heat vision, he’d need a good distraction. Still, his ability is currently one of the few that could damage Homelander. And once Homelander’s powers are gone, anyone can land the killing blow.
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