Wikipedia

Homelander

This article is about The Boys comic book character. For the young adult novel series, seeAndrew Klavan § The Homelanders series.

TheHomelander(John Gillman)[1][2]is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists in thecomic bookseriesThe Boysand themedia franchiseof the same name,created byGarth EnnisandDarick Robertson.He is depicted as apsychopathicand sadisticnarcissistwho serves as the extremely powerful leader ofThe Seven—a group of corrupt and hedonisticsuperheroesgrown and funded byVought-American—and thearchenemyofBilly Butcher.Beneath his public image as a noble andaltruistichero, the Homelander cares little about the well-being of those he professes to protect. Described as the living personification ofhow the world sees America,[3][4]the character has received critical acclaim along with Starr's portrayal in the series.[5][6]Homelander has also been compared toSupermanandCaptain America.[7][8][9][10]

Homelander
The Boyscharacter
Homelander as depicted in the comic book series (left) and the television series portrayed byAntony Starr(right)
First appearance
Last appearance
Created by
Based on
Adapted byEric Kripke
Portrayed byAntony Starr
Rowan Smyth (child; season 1)
Isaac Weeks (child; season 4)
Voiced byAntony Starr (Diabolical,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II)
Yong Yea (Death Battle!)
Jake Green (Mortal Kombat 1)
In-universe information
SpeciesSupe
AffiliationVought-American

In theAmazon Prime Videotelevisionadaptationdeveloped byEric Kripke,Homelander is primarily portrayed byAntony Starr,with Rowan Smyth and Isaac Weeks portraying him as a child. This version is the megalomaniacal son ofSoldier Boyand the father ofRyan,born as a result of Homelander raping Billy Butcher's wifeBecca(a crime committed byBlack Noirin the comic book series). Homelander has also appeared in thespin-offandpromotionalweb seriesThe Boys Presents: DiabolicalandDeath Battle!,respectively.

Appearances

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Comic book series

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The Homelander is apatriotic superherowho leads the superhero team The Seven. He is the most powerful superhuman created byVought-American.The company's cover story for the Homelander is that he is an alien who landed in the United States as an infant, much likeSuperman.In reality, he and the rest of the original roster of the Seven were grown in a secret laboratory, the progeny of genetic material taken fromStormfront,who was injected with Compound V while still a member of theHitler Youth.Homelander spent most of his young life chained down with a hydrogen bomb strapped to him in case he tried to escape. His mother was a mentally disabled woman who died giving birth to him. Homelander remains under the financial thumb of V, as their money funds the Seven'shedonisticlifestyle. Homelander eventually tries to encourage the other superheroes to do what they want, but relents due to his fear of his boss"The Vought Guy" / "The Guy From Vought".

Until the events of the series' climax, Billy Butcher is tricked into thinking Homelander had raped his wifeBecky,who then died giving birth to a superhuman babyButcher had then killed.In Issue #40, the Boys receive a series of incriminating doctored photos seemingly showing Homelander engaging in grisly acts of murder, cannibalism, andnecrophiliaagainst men, women, and children. In private, Homelander shows signs of suffering amental breakdown,talking to his own reflection in a mirror, and having bouts of nausea. He eventually decides that he is damned anyway for the acts depicted in the photos, and decides to give in to anyintrusive thoughtsthat cross his mind.

FromHerogasmonward, Homelander resolves to free himself and the superhero community from Vought-American's control. InOver the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men,he leads the other superheroes in acoup d'etatagainst the United States, launching an attack on the White House and killing everyone inside, including thePresident.During the subsequent confrontation between Homelander and Butcher, the maskedBlack Noirarrives in the Oval Office and reveals himself as a clone of Homelander (the first of the Seven grown after him), created solely to kill Homelander if he ever went rogue. Gradually driven insane due to not being allowed to kill Homelander, Noir reveals he committed the atrocities in the photos, including raping Butcher's wife, to trick the initially truly benevolent Homelander so that Noir would finally be allowed to fulfill his purpose. Outraged, Homelander attacks Black Noir. The remainder of their fight takes place off-panel, with a greatly injured Noir reappearing several pages later holding the headless remains of Homelander's torso, before being killed himself by Billy Butcher.

Television series

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The Boys(2019–present)

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In thetelevision adaptation,Antony Starrplays Homelander as an adult, with Rowan Smyth playing him as a child in thefirst season,and Isaac Weeks playing him as a child in thefourth season.As interpreted within the television series, he is considered by some reviewers to be analogous to DC'sSuperman.[7][8]Grown from theDNAsamples taken fromSoldier Boy'ssemenby Jonah Vogelbaum and having been reared in a laboratory environment to become Homelander, John displays many sociopathic tendencies and is openly contemptuous of those he considers lesser beings.

He is also highly self-righteous, delusional, possessive, paranoid, vindictive, insecure, insensitive, hypocritical, reckless with his powers, and incapable of accepting the possibility of any flaw in his person or decision-making. Unlike in the comic series, Homelander rapes Butcher's wife after she has been assigned as his assistant. However, he left her alive and, though he was unaware of it until the end of the season, pregnant with his son, Ryan. His discovery of the lies surrounding Ryan's existence influences his decision to maim the scientist responsible for his upbringing, Jonah Vogelbaum, and murderMadelyn Stillwell.However, his emotional incompetence and sociopathic traits initially alienate him from his son, and the loss of Stillwell's moderating influence on his behavior unbalances him further. He enters a sexual relationship withStormfront,despite a difficult beginning, and conspires with her to remove his son fromBecca's care and turn the public against "supervillains," creating public outcry for the creation of more superheroes. Stormfront is critically injured by Homelander's son Ryan and Maeve blackmails Homelander into letting the boy go and leaving her alone.

In a series of television interviews, he is forced to denounce his relationship with Stormfront and apologize for his actions. Partly to moderate Homelander's behavior, CEOStan Edgarand Vought'sboard of directorsinstall Starlight as co-captain of The Seven. However, in response to this, Homelander bribes Edgar's secret adoptive daughter Victoria Neuman into opening an investigation into Edgar, ousting him from Vought, with Homelander assuming control of the company himself. Before leaving, Edgar warns Homelander that he will not be here to clean up his messes. He appointsAshley Barrettas hispuppet rulerand antagonizes Starlight by reinstatingThe Deepas a member of the Seven and falsely announcing that the two are in a relationship during the finale ofAmerican Hero.After Starlight denounces Homelander and Vought and abandons her persona as Starlight via a livestream, Homelander says that he dumped her and accuses her of engaging in human trafficking via her charitable foundation, the Starlight House. After learning thatQueen Maevenot only acted as an informant for the Boys but also slept with their leader Billy Butcher, Homelander has her detained at Seven Tower with the intention of harvesting her eggs. Homelander later learns of his connection with Soldier Boy after receiving a call from him. After confirming this connection with Black Noir, Homelander savagely murders the latter. He later picks up Ryan from Mallory's house after intimidating her. When Homelander attempts to connect with Soldier Boy by introducing him to Ryan and saying that all three of them could be a family, Soldier Boy disowns him as a weak, damaged, attention-seeking disappointment and attempts to kill or depower him (as part of his deal with Butcher). Homelander turns against Soldier Boy after the latter strikes Ryan, but is forced to reluctantly fight Queen Maeve. He later introduces his son Ryan to his and Stormfront's supporters at Vought Tower. There, a pro-Starlight protestor hits Ryan in the face with a soft drink can, provoking Homelander to kill him with his heat vision. This grants him the applause of his and Stormfront's supporters, while Ryan is impressed.

Homelander, after getting everything he's ever wanted, faces a murder trial and begins to have a breakdown, so he recruitsSister Sageto help him. On the day of the trial, he orders three of his fans to be killed to start a brawl right after being declared innocent. He organizes the first rescue of his son Ryan, forcing him to use his power by killing the false criminal. After trying to kill Hughie, he has a fight with Ryan for seeing Butcher and has a mental breakdown. He then visits the lab where he was created and kept locked up. He proceeds to kill all of the people responsible for testing on him in an act of revenge, with the exception of Dr. Barbara Findley, whom he leaves locked up along with the rest of the dead staff. Following the events at the lab, Homelander begins to connect with Ryan and starts to support him. Later, Homelander tells his team that they will have to be more cruel and ruthless for the greater good just before he orders The Seven to kill Cameron Coleman, who is believed to have leaked the video. Homelander, along with most of The Seven and Neuman, attend a party organized byTek Knight,in which he plans to turn, along with Sage and Neuman, the congressmen against Singer. Homelander learns fromFirecrackerthat the mole is still alive and they become intimate when she feeds him herbreast milk.Homelander begins to give Firecracker more weight on the team. Homelander kills Webweaver thinking he is the mole and sends The Deep and Black Noir II to kill Butcher and the rest of The Boys, without success. Feeling betrayed by A-Train, Homelander expels Sage from The Seven after hiding that A-Train was the mole. That night, Homelander sees how his son talks live about his mother Becca and Butcher, which leaves him in shock. Homelander discovers Butcher's gift and in a rage destroys his apartment and scolds Ryan making him leave. Afterwards, Homelander reveals Neuman as Super and orders The Seven to kill everyone in Vought who knows about his dirty laundry. When Neuman dies, Sage reveals to him that it was all part of her plan and the newpresident of the United States,Steven Calhoun, swears loyalty to Homelander, declaresmartial lawand deputizes him and hissuperhumanarmy. Calhoun would show Homelander the pod that Soldier Boy is held in. Homelander looks at it with a sad expression.

Gen V(2023–present)

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Homelander appears during the chaos at Godolkin University in the first season finale ofGen Vafter being called by Ashley Barrett. Upon arrival, he sees the fallen Supes from "the Woods" and Cate Dunlap's left arm being blown off as he asks Marie what kind of Supe attacks her own kind. Before Marie can explain, Homelander blasts his heat vision at her. After this, he makes the real perpetrators of the attack, Cate and Sam Riordan, the ones who saved the day, and Marie and her group are locked up. Homelander watches his cover-up be mentioned by Cameron Coleman with satisfaction.

Web series

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Seven on 7(2020–2021)

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In the following 2020–2021 promotionalweb series,Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman,which bridges the events of the second and third seasons, Homelander continues dealing with the aftermath of Stormfront being revealed to be a Nazi, as well as filmingpromosfor Vought's streaming service, Vought+, and to celebrateChristmas.[11][12]

Death Battle!(2020–present)

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In the 2020Amazon Prime Video-sponsoredThe Boyspromotional episodes ofDeath Battle!,in promotion for its second season,[13]Homelander (voiced byYong Yea) participates in the Seven's simulatedbattle royale,declaring himself the winner after killingBilly Butcher(standing-inforBlack Noir), before throwing aside the laser baby to fight Stormfront, a consequence of which Wiz and Boomstick are uneasy of.[14][15]

In a 2022 episode, Homelander is pitted againstNolan Grayson / Omni-Man(fromInvincible). Through a simulated battle, the hosts determined Omni-Man's superior strength, skill, and experience would prevail against Homelander if the two fought to the death.[16]

The Boys Presents: Diabolical(2022–present)

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InThe Boys Presents: Diabolical,Starr reprises his role as Homelander from the live-action series. Homelander first appears in the final moments of the episode "An Animated Short Where Pissed-Off Supes Kill Their Parents",executing the title characters (escaped Supe teenagers with abnormal powers from the Red River Assisted Living for the Gifted Child) with his heat vision on Vought's behalf, after they kill their parents due to the events ofThe Boysepisode "Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men".Ghost was the only survivor of the attack. Vought covered up all the deaths that were caused where one news report states that Homelander saved Ghost's mother from a" natural gas explosion "that took the life of Ghost's dad.

Homelander next appears in the episode "I'm Your Pusher",set in the samecontinuityasThe Boyscomic book serieswhile honoringGreat Wide Wonderduring a promotional campaign. Homelander witnesses hisdrug overdose(induced byBilly Butcher) lead him to crash intoIroncastduring a stunt, killing them both. In order to cover up what happened, Homelander,Queen Maeve,andJack from Jupiterblame a "Cold Warsatellite"controlled by the evil Galaxius for their deaths claiming it is" hidden in the light of theSun"which the watching crowd eagerly believed as they flew away.[17][18]

In the season finale, theprequelepisode "One Plus One Equals Two",a young Homelander makes his debut as a member of the Seven. Flashbacks of his childhood reveal the systematic torture he received from Vought scientists testing the extent of his powers. His superior Madelyn Stillwell, who has beenmanipulating him,warns him ofBlack Noir,the "Homelander before Homelander", claiming that he will seek every opportunity to destroy him.[19][20]Assigned to tackle a hostage situation at a chemical plant ahead of Noir as his first mission as a superhero, Homelander attempts a peaceful resolution; however, after accidentally killing a hostage and injuring the eco-terrorist leader by lasering the latter's broken gun, he kills the remaining eco-terrorists and all but one hostage in a psychotic episode after they collectively berate him for his recklessness. After Black Noir arrives on the scene, Homelander attempts to explain his actions before resolving to kill Noir to cover them up. After Noir tricks Homelander into blowing up the compound, he gains his trust bymercy killingthe last witness to Homelander's murders in its aftermath, and writes him an excusatory speech to provide to the press outside, claiming the eco-terrorists had a bomb. Everyone bought that speech. Later at Vought headquarters, Homelander tells Stillwell that she was wrong about Noir.[21]

Development

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The character was designed as an evil version ofSupermanandCaptain Americain terms of powerset and costume. His cape pulled to the left resembles the first costume ofCaptain Marvel a.k.a. Shazam.[22]Homelander'sbackstoryin the original comics is similar to that in the television adaption ofThe Boys.[23]

Garth Ennisdescribes Homelander as: "an almost entirely negative character. He is really just a series of unpleasant urges kept in check by his own intelligence, which is enough to understand that he can have anything he wants so long as he doesn't push his luck too far." Also: "It might help to think of the Homelander as having all the self-control of... let's say... a fourteen-year-old."[24]

The Boysproducer andshowrunnerEric Kripkehas stated that while Homelander can "in theory" be killed, aplot twistwhich involved the character being killed by hiscloneBlack Noirin the comic book version was not used in the television adaptation, where Black Noir is instead depicted as ablackman and the character's psychopathic traits are amalgamated with Homelander.[25][26][27]

Powers and abilities

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InThe Boyscomics, Homelander's powers includeheat vision,super strength,super speed, durability, flight, regenerative healing factor, super hearing and enhancedvocal cords.He also ages slower than a normal human, due to Compound V. Homelander additionally hasX-ray vision,which enables him to see through anything except items made out of, or lined withzinc,a reference to Superman's inability to see throughlead.Compound V can also bring life back to a dead brain, but limits the cognitive abilities of the user. He is much stronger than everyone else inThe Boysuniverse.

In the television series,The Boys,in thefirst seasonfinale "You Found Me",when asked about Homelander's weakness, Madelyn Stillwell claims he does not have one, saying," There isn't a weapon on Earth that they haven't thrown at him. They've all failed. "[28]The Homelander's powers and sense of entitlement have led him to exhibit extrememegalomania,causing him to commit crimes against innocent people, including acts ofrapeandmass murder,out of the idea that he can do anything he wants because of who he is.[29]

In other media

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Video games

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Homelander as he appears inMortal Kombat 1
  • Homelander appears inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare II,voiced byAntony Starr.[30]
  • Homelander, based on Antony Starr's likeness, appears inMortal Kombat 1via the "Kombat Pack"DLC,[31][32]voiced by Jake Green.[33]In November 2023, prior to Homelander's addition, Starr revealed that while he would be providing his likeness for the game, he would not be voicing the character.[34]In his arcade mode ending, Homelander starts to lay waste to America until a portal from theMortal Kombatuniverse opens and a demon horde emerges from it. After destroying them and regaining public favor, he travels through the portal to take part in the Mortal Kombat tournament.[35]

Music

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References

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  1. ^Robertson, Darick;McKay, Adam(March 10,2015)The Art of The Boys: The Complete CoversDynamite Entertainment.
  2. ^Cragg, Nelson;Monahan Ellie (June 17, 2022)The BoysSeason 3:"The Last Time to Look on This World of Lies""Queen Maeve:John-Homelander:Don't you fucking John me. "
  3. ^Smail, Gretchen (August 2, 2019)."THE BOYS'Homelander Represents the Worst of America ".Nerdist.Archivedfrom the original on August 2, 2019.RetrievedAugust 2,2019.
  4. ^Coates, Lauren (October 26, 2020)."The Boys'Homelander represents how the world sees America ".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on July 9, 2022.RetrievedOctober 26,2020.
  5. ^Darwish, Meaghan (6 August 2019)."'The Boys':Why Homelander Is TV's Best New Villain ".TV Insider.Archivedfrom the original on 7 August 2019.Retrieved6 August2019.
  6. ^Pulliam-Moore, Charles (16 November 2020)."The Fascism Is the Point".io9.Archivedfrom the original on 16 April 2021.Retrieved16 November2020.
  7. ^abRubin, Peter (July 26, 2019)."Amazon's'The Boys'Tests the Limits of Superhero Fatigue ".Wired.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-07-26.RetrievedJuly 26,2019.
  8. ^abHale, Mike (July 26, 2019)."Review:'The Boys'Deconstructs the Superhero, With a Light Touch ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-11-26.Retrieved2020-12-15.
  9. ^Sarner, Lauren (July 20, 2019)."'The Boys'star Antony Starr dishes on edgy new superhero show ".New York Post.Archivedfrom the original on July 20, 2019.RetrievedJuly 20,2019.
  10. ^Gass, Zach (12 June 2021)."Omniman (& 9 Other Best Known Alternative Versions Of Superman)".Screen Rant.Archivedfrom the original on 9 July 2021.Retrieved3 July2021.
  11. ^Gribbin, Sean (7 October 2021)."Black Noir's Season 3 Arc InvolvesThe Boys'Scariest Supe ".Comic Book Resources.Archivedfrom the original on 2 July 2022.Retrieved7 October2021.
  12. ^Ryan, Danielle (12 November 2021)."The BoysRoasts Disney With A 'Vought+ Day' Video "./Film.Archivedfrom the original on 13 July 2022.Retrieved12 November2021.
  13. ^Spangler, Todd (March 16, 2022)."Rooster Teeth Hires Amazon Studios' Adam Bersin as Head of Marketing (EXCLUSIVE)".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on March 16, 2022.RetrievedMarch 16,2022.[Amazon Studios Head of Marketing, Adam] Bersin said he was attracted toRooster Teethafter working with the company on custom-content partnerships for several ofAmazon Studios['] launches, like theDeath Battlefor"The Boys"Season 2.
  14. ^The Seven Battle Royale (The Boys).DEATH BATTLE!.September 17, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on December 30, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 17,2020– viaYouTube.
  15. ^BREAKDOWN: The Seven Battle Royale (The Boys).DEATH BATTLE!.September 17, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on November 3, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 17,2020– viaYouTube.
  16. ^Omni-Man VS Homelander (InvincibleVSThe Boys).DEATH BATTLE!.May 23, 2022.Archivedfrom the original on August 5, 2022.RetrievedJune 18,2022– viaYouTube.
  17. ^Milligan, Mercedes (February 2, 2022)."Prime Offers a Taste of'Diabolical'in New 'Vought-A-Burger' Teaser ".Animation Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on July 5, 2022.RetrievedMarch 3,2022.
  18. ^Maas, Jennifer (February 16, 2022)."The Boys: DiabolicalTrailer: Simon Pegg Finally Plays Hughie Campbell ".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on July 13, 2022.RetrievedMarch 3,2022.
  19. ^Swanstrom, Kevin (5 March 2022)."HomelanderDiabolicalFinale Is Canon ForThe BoysSeason 3, Says Kripke ".Screen Rant.Archivedfrom the original on 7 March 2022.Retrieved5 March2022.
  20. ^Stinson, Katherine (March 15, 2022)."Is Black Noir Actually Homelander's PR Agent? There's Proof in'The Boys Presents: Diabolical'".Distractify.Archivedfrom the original on June 7, 2022.RetrievedMarch 15,2022.
  21. ^Maas, Jennifer (March 5, 2022)."How'Diabolical'Connects to'The Boys'Season 3: Yes, That Finale Is Canon ".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on July 6, 2022.RetrievedMarch 5,2022.
  22. ^Berlatsky, Noah (September 4, 2020)."The Triumph of Evil Supermen".The New York Observer.Archivedfrom the original on September 25, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 4,2020.
  23. ^Harn, Darby (October 26, 2020)."5 Ways Homelander In Amazon'sThe BoysIs Comics-Accurate (& 5 How He's Different) ".Comic Book Resources.Archivedfrom the original on November 1, 2020.RetrievedOctober 26,2020.
  24. ^Rybandt, Joe (September 9, 2008)."The Writer and his Editor: Ennis & Rybandt".Newsarama.Archived fromthe originalon June 3, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 9,2008.
  25. ^Venable, Nick (October 11, 2020)."DoesThe Boys'Black Noir Reveal Mean That Big Homelander Comic Twist Isn't Happening? ".CinemaBlend.Archivedfrom the original on July 7, 2022.RetrievedOctober 11,2020.
  26. ^Reimann, Tom (September 4, 2020)."Can Homelander Be Killed? The Boys' Eric Kripke Weighs In".Collider.Archivedfrom the original on September 6, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 4,2020.
  27. ^Griffeth, Trey (September 4, 2020)."'The Boys'Showrunner On If Homelander Can Be Killed ".Heroic Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on November 24, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 4,2020.
  28. ^"You Found Me"The BoysSeason 1×1(July 26, 2019)Kripke, Eric;Saunders, Anne Cofell; Sonnenshine, Rebecca.
  29. ^Ennis, Garth;McCrea, John;Keith Burns.Herogasm#1–2(May–June2009)Dynamite Entertainment.
  30. ^Tassi, Paul."This Is What Homelander, Starlight And Black Noir Bundles Look Like In 'Call Of Duty,' Plus Release Dates".Forbes.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-07-14.Retrieved2023-07-15.
  31. ^Onder, Cade (21 July 2023)."Mortal Kombat 1 Reveals Homelander, Peacemaker, and Omni-Man as DLC".Archivedfrom the original on 1 August 2023.Retrieved21 July2023.
  32. ^"Mortal Kombat 1 adds Omni-Man, Peacemaker, and Homelander to roster".24 July 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 10 August 2023.Retrieved8 August2023.
  33. ^Reeves, Brianna (June 11, 2024)."Mortal Kombat 1's Homelander voice actor isn't who fans expected".Dexerto.RetrievedJune 11,2024.
  34. ^"Antony Starr confirms he's not voicing Homelander inMortal Kombat 1".Dexerto.2023-11-12.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-11-13.Retrieved2023-11-14.
  35. ^Mortal Kombat 1– Homelander Story Ending Cutscene.Mortal Kombat 1.June 5, 2024.RetrievedJune 5,2024– viaYouTube.{{cite AV media}}:CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  36. ^Romano, Nick (2022-12-02)."Metro Boomin samples Homelander from 'The Boys' on new album".Entertainment Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-02-14.Retrieved2023-02-14.
  37. ^The Chalkeaters (June 8, 2024).ROLL OUT THE FALLOUT! – Original Animation ■ The Chalkeaters ft. Black Gryph0n & Benny Benack III.RetrievedJune 8,2024– viaYouTube.{{cite AV media}}:CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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