No matter how close they get, Butcher, Hughie, Starlight, Frenchie, MM, and Kimiko continue to come up short in their quest to end Homelander's reign of terror, with many of their allies dying in the process. Most recently, A-Train met his demise in The Boys season 5, having defected from the Seven to help the central characters.
Clearly, taking on this formidable foe comes with its own risks, as The Boys have had several near-death experiences themselves, yet Ryan may have been their secret weapon all along. Although he's not a part of the main group, he seems to want the same thing as the protagonists after learning about what Homelander did to his mother, hence choosing to confront him.
After asking for the truth and being met with lies, Ryan took his rage out on Homelander by attacking him. At first, he shot the antagonist with a laser, but it didn't appear to be his full strength. From here, he proceeded to push, tackle, and eventually punch his father, leading to Homelander fighting back and brutally beating his son.
Despite things looking bleak, Ryan survived The Boys season 5, episode 3's ending, albeit just barely. However, their fight did quietly reveal that while he may not be as strong as Homelander, Ryan could actually kill him under the right circumstances, which completely changes the final season.
The Boys Season 5, Episode 3 Proves Ryan CAN Kill Homelander
Homelander's brutal beat down of Ryan may not have provided too much evidence that the latter could kill his father at first glance, but delving a little deeper, the signs are clearly there. Firstly, the punch that sets Homelander off in the first place is proof that Ryan can make the villain bleed, suggesting he could dish out a similar beating.
Until he took that breath when Butcher found him, many viewers would have been dreading that Ryan was dead, as no one even questioned Homelander's ability to pummel a powerful supe to death. However, if the roles were reversed, it seems like Ryan could inflict a similar level of damage, which may be part of what made Homelander act out.
Even more crucially, after taking Ryan's first laser that didn't leave too much of a mark other than a small burn, Homelander began desperately trying to avoid these attacks. The only explanation for this is that he was genuinely concerned that Ryan's lasers could potentially kill him.
We saw Ryan kill Stormfront with this very move back in season 2, yet Homelander was able to laser the villain without severely hurting her. This would indicate that both supes are able to control the strength and intensity of their lethal ability, meaning that Ryan may have simply been holding back with his initial beam.
Even if Homelander were to acquire V-One in The Boys season 5, it wouldn't make him any less vulnerable to his son, who clearly caught the Seven leader off guard with his power level. Therefore, despite suffering a brutal defeat, Ryan did prove he has the tools to kill his father, which could set up the antagonist's death.
If Anyone Should Kill Homelander In The Boys, It's Ryan
The Boys isn't short of candidates who deserve to kill Homelander, but Ryan is definitely at the top of the list. Sure, all The Boys members have their own gripe with the show's big bad, but Butcher is the only one whose hatred feels particularly personal, making most believe he'll eventually be the one to take Homelander down.
However, Ryan has arguably been hurt even more by this sinister supe. Everything Butcher hates Homelander for regarding Becca is also valid for Ryan, especially given the circumstances around his birth. He was also rushed into embracing his powers, creating all kinds of trauma that he probably hasn't fully dealt with.
This all culminated in the young supe accidentally killing his own mother, which has also prevented him from having a true relationship with his stepdad. Butcher has shown love to Ryan at times, but he's also pushed him away because of his obsession with Homelander, as well as still resenting Ryan deep down for unintentionally causing Becca's death.
While there have been occasions where Homelander has tried to be a good father to Ryan and give him a special life, it's only ended up making things worse, hence why Ryan was missing during The Boys season 5's opening episodes, opting to hide out in Russia due to the ongoing chaos back home.
Everything bad about his life can all be traced back to Homelander, and while it would be an extremely cruel fate for Ryan to kill both his parents, he deserves closure.
He's seen his father's true colors and made peace with the fact that he needs to die. Therefore, getting the satisfaction of being the one to take down this mass murderer would be a satisfying conclusion to Ryan's story in The Boys, and he's certainly worthy of receiving this huge moment.
Release Date
2019 - 2026-00-00
Showrunner
Eric Kripke
Writers
Eric Kripke
Franchise(s)
The Boys
English (US) ·