When The Character Writing Is Genius

Season 4 is kind of mid, but still, it had me hooked just because of what happens with Homelander and A-Train. In my opinion, while this is definitely the weakest season so far, the development of these two characters in particular and their effect on the story, as well as others around them, was seriously, seriously entertaining. The fear, tension, and feeling that at any point everything could go completely wrong was so present every time A-Train or Homelander popped up on screen. Those are the feelings that got me watching the boys in the first place. The fact that you as the audience have to accept that at any point, everything can go to shit. And while the majority of season 4 failed to deliver these emotions, I want to talk about how Homelander and A-Train made up for it. For the vast majority of cases, I can safely say that in order to create a good villain who the audience likes and wants to follow, you need to not just make them terrifying, but also understand why they do what they do. If you simply understand them but they pose no threat, then it's not tense or climactic. And this is why both A-Train's redemption and Homelander losing his mind works so well in season 4. First, let's start with Homelander. Because aside from all the credit that needs to be given to Anthony Starr's insane performance for this character, the way Homelander is written allows him to exude fear and tension just by appearing on screen. But why? For me, the biggest part of what makes Homelander's character so terrifying is a perfect combination of sheer overwhelming power compared to everyone else around him, as well as not knowing what he might do next. Homelander has been shown to do many things on a whim, to act carelessly without thinking of the consequences of his actions. He forever leaves the audience wondering when he's going to snap and kill a room full of people, or simply smile and wave as he soaks in the social validation he so desperately desires. And that right there is what makes this season's development so crucial for his character. We now fully understand why he constantly has this inner battle between believing himself superior or godlike and saying all humans are like bugs to him, yet also remaining vulnerable to the opinions of those very same people. And always seeking love and affection. We find out in season 4 that this was actually specifically designed and in a way programmed into his psyche as he was raised in the lab, allowing Vought to control him. And this weakness is something he tries to purge in season 4, leading to some of the craziest revenge moments we've seen so far when it comes to Homelander. To him this emotional vulnerability is like a constant reminder that he's not a god, and not even a person, but instead simply an experiment. Or perhaps as Stan Edgar describes it, something even worse. And so while some may say this whole arc with Sister Sage and him trying to break free of his need of validation is useless because he inevitably reverts back to his man-child self again by the end of the season, I personally find it completely okay because in a way it's showing that no matter how hard Homelander tries, he can't break free of his conditioning. So to expand upon this dynamic of Homelander needing people for validation and also believing them inferior at the same time, this sets up a lot of the tension we see in the presence of Homelander. It's this internal battle of will he squash people like the bugs he believes they are, or is he going to succumb to his emotional cravings and desires. And this very conflict allows him to be unpredictable as the story progresses because the delicate balance between these two always shifts as things change in the story. Interestingly enough, it also allows for characters with no superhuman abilities to stand tall in the face of the most powerful being on earth. Meanwhile, those who attempt to fill the endless pit that is his need for love and affection are only useful and safe until he decides that they're no longer of value. In many ways he's very similar to the people who he despises. These aren't his teammates, they aren't his friends, they're simply products for him to use to make himself look good or feel good. And the moment they stop delivering, well they might as well be dead. Now as for A-Train, this is probably one of the most satisfying character arcs we've had so far in the boys. So let's talk about why that is. Well first of all, it also follows the rule of how a character needs to be understood, villain or otherwise. But I think that simply having these points by themselves might make it look like A-Train is leaving Vought because he's getting bullied when really there's a much deeper and more complex reason as to why his character behaves this way. And this is the part where I really like the fact they tie in a previously established concept with Homelander to introduce this redemption arc for A-Train. A superhero's greatest weakness, their emotions. And what do we see happen to A-Train in a time where he also craves that same love and affection? His family turns away from him after finding out he's a fraud. The very weakness used to keep Homelander in control happened to work in A-Train's favor, turning him to the right path as he finally finds a way to fill that pit of despair he's had his whole life. Aside from this, there are a couple other reasons why his redemption arc is so satisfying to watch. It's partially because he's a very powerful ally to have and we haven't gotten to see much of him using his abilities, the potential for him to completely change the tide of the fight for our main characters, and of course his complex relationship with both members of the boys and the seven. Whether it's the boys, Vought, or his family, A-Train's character is going to have interesting interactions. Interactions that are also unpredictable. And like we've previously established with Homelander, that uncertainty is part of what keeps things interesting. We don't know how this change of heart will affect his relationship with his family, especially now that they're all in danger. We don't know if he's powerful enough to face off other members of the seven, excluding Deep because he's kind of useless. And we don't know if one of the boys is gonna one day decide to screw up A-Train for revenge because of what he did in the past. So much uncertainty for a character who is now sort of likable. Ladies and gentlemen, there is an insane amount of potential here. Also, there's an insane amount of potential here with both Homelander and Ryan. And I want to quickly point out some of the interesting aspects of the dynamic between both of these characters. This maniac will literally steal the spotlight from Ryan because his ego can't handle letting people love someone else. And in this manner, we get a very nice comparison to Soldier Boy, as although he's of course also a very bad person, at least he would actually love his son. But back to Ryan, we actually get to see Homelander accidentally programming the same emotional weakness into Ryan, which I find very interesting. This vulnerability to emotions is almost like a disease, a virus among the Supes. What he's trying to do is make Ryan invulnerable to emotional manipulation, to remove him of Homelander's greatest weakness so Ryan can become the ultimate Supe. But without realizing it, he's actually causing the very same thing to happen because of his own insecurities. For example, take a look at this scene. Without realizing, he's literally showing by example how the only thing Ryan should care about are the ratings, the stats and how it was seen by the public, and how the opinions of normal people are the only part of them which is important. This need for love or affection is such an integral and core aspect of his personality, that it not only completely warps his perception of reality, but it's become his reality. And so as a result, he doesn't even realize what he's doing to Ryan.