Do the writers of “The Boys” have a crystal ball, or do they simply have uncanny timing when it comes to the show’s real-world parallels?
Fans of Prime Video’s superhero satire have long noticed its ability to reflect the state of America through its politically charged plot and morally bankrupt characters, most notably with its Donald Trump-like figure, Homelander (Antony Starr). As the main antagonist in “The Boys,” Homelander cements an authoritarian grip on a superhero-ruled America in the show’s fifth and final season, which premiered earlier this month.
While parts of Season 5 come off as exaggerated versions of life under the Trump administration, one storyline in this week’s episode feels as though it was pulled directly from recent headlines surrounding the president himself.
With full control of the U.S. government now, Homelander spirals further into unchecked power in Season 5. So much so that in Episode 3, he completely unravels when the late Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue) — Vought’s former Senior VP of Hero Management who had an oddly close relationship with Homelander, before he (spoiler alert) killed her in Season 1 — appears to him as an angel (against an American flag backdrop, no less) to tell him that his destiny as the leader of the free world is to not only become a god, but “the one true god.”
