Homelander
Corporate ultranationalist
Fascism in a flag-cape, manufactured by a brand.
Traditional FascistOne of 729 ideologies · enter the Fascist hall →- Role
- Superhero-tyrant (fiction)
- From
- The Boys
- Region
- United States
- Social band
- Traditional
- Placement
- +70 · +92 · −55
§ Where Homelander stands
3 axesHomelander is a creature of corporate capitalism. Vought International owns the Seven, licenses its heroes to American cities, sells their films and merchandise and, in the first season, lobbies to place them in the US military while secretly creating superheroes with Compound V. His patriotism is a product, monetised as spectacle, which places him well right of centre.
Homelander craves absolute personal authority and treats law as an obstacle. In the first season he lets a hijacked airliner crash rather than risk a failed rescue, and he increasingly defies his corporate handlers. In the third season's finale he kills a protester at a rally with his heat vision and his supporters cheer, a scene the show uses to dramatise impunity as a source of popularity.
Homelander's appeal rests on nationalism, grievance and a cult of strength. In the second season he takes up with Stormfront, a social-media-savvy superhero revealed as a Nazi who has survived since the Second World War, and he increasingly courts followers who see him as the true embodiment of the nation. The show presents his flag-waving as a manipulation of traditional patriotism rather than faith in it.
How close are you to Homelander?
Three statements, one per axis. Answer them and we’ll drop you on the compass next to them.
§ The story
FictionHomelander is the leader of the Seven, the world's most celebrated superhero team, in The Boys, the comic series created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson in 2006 and adapted for Amazon Prime Video from 2019, where he is played by Antony Starr. Draped in a stars-and-stripes cape and gifted with flight, invulnerability and heat vision, he is a corporate product owned and marketed by Vought International, and behind his public smile he is a narcissist capable of casual mass murder.
Homelander satirises the merging of superhero mythology with nationalism, celebrity and corporate power. In the television series he moves from brand ambassador to demagogue, courting a devoted fan base with grievance-laden speeches and allying with a superhero revealed to be a Nazi. He has become one of the most discussed television villains of his era, read by critics as commentary on populism, militarism and the cult of strength in modern America.
Notable for
- 01Antagonist of 'The Boys'
- 02Corporate-manufactured icon
- 03Authoritarian demagogue arc
Key works & moments
- 2006Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson launch The Boys comic, with Homelander as its central villain.
- 2019Amazon's television adaptation premieres, with Antony Starr as Homelander.
- Season 1He lets a hijacked airliner crash rather than risk a failed rescue.
- Season 2He allies with Stormfront, a superhero revealed to be a surviving Nazi.
- Season 3He kills a protester at a rally with his heat vision as the crowd cheers.
§ Minds closest to Homelander
All minds →
§ Also in the Fascist hall
Enter the hall →§ Common questions
4 answersWhat is Homelander's political ideology?
Homelander is a corporate-made authoritarian nationalist: on the 99ideologies three-axis compass, a Traditional Fascist. Economically he sits well right of centre (+70) as the star product of a profit-driven corporation that monetises patriotism. On governance he is near the authoritarian extreme (+92), demanding unchecked personal power and treating law as optional, and socially he is traditionalist (−55), wielding flag-waving nationalism and a cult of strength while caring little for the values he invokes.
Is Homelander left-wing or right-wing?
Right-wing, in the authoritarian nationalist sense the show satirises. Homelander's politics are personal rather than programmatic, but he rallies supporters with patriotic spectacle and grievance, allies with a Nazi in the second season and is backed by a corporation seeking military contracts and political influence. The series uses him to satirise the meeting of American nationalism, celebrity culture and corporate power, which places him on the authoritarian right rather than the left.
Is Homelander a fascist?
Many viewers and critics read him that way, and the show invites it. Homelander combines a leader cult, ultranationalist imagery, contempt for law, violence against critics and, in the second season, an alliance with Stormfront, an actual Nazi. He lacks a doctrine of his own, wanting adoration and power rather than a programme, but the series uses his rise to show how authoritarian politics can be packaged and sold through celebrity, social media and corporate branding.
Which minds are closest to Homelander?
On the 99ideologies three-axis compass, the minds closest to Homelander are Giovanni Gentile (99% alike), Oswald Mosley (96% alike) and Engelbert Dollfuss (95% alike). The furthest is Emma Goldman (0% alike).