The month of June is packed with devilish surprises for fans of The Boys. Following the highly anticipated three-episode premiere of the Prime Video Original series’ fourth season, Eric Kripke’s satirical superhero creation has gone further to establish the show’s apparent fictional reality in contemporary realism. Pulling off its biggest and craziest PR stunt yet, The Boys’ latest marketing bit featured Antony Starr’s uncontrollable, egotistical incarnation as Homelander on the cover of Time magazine, declaring him “Superhero of the Year.”
The unconventional stunts didn’t end there; it also included an interview with the anti-Seven leader. Although The Boys’ Superman immediately appears as a copy of already existing characters like DC’s Superman and others, the reflection of modern reality and contemporary divisive politics in him cannot be denied either. So, even though having a real superhero in the 21st century still seems far-fetched, it is not impossible to establish someone with an arrogant and egotistical personality like Homelander in our world.
So, The Boys’ marketing team went ahead and did just that! With the star’s violently unpredictable character, who fans love to hate (or not), at the center of a murder trial, the plot’s complex nuances paired Homelander’s super-powered star qualities with a ridiculously controversial backdrop. Blurring the lines between fiction and reality, Kripke’s Prime Video series launched an online “Ask Me Anything” panel on Reddit on Friday, June 14, with Homelander taking charge of the narrative.
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Homelander takes over Reddit for his first “Ask Me Anything” session
In a Reddit “AMA” session titled “I’m Homelander. Ask me anything,” the author’s voice of The Boys’ antagonist laid out the agenda:
“Now that my “trial” is finally over, Ashley has managed to squeeze an hour out of my calendar to answer some fan questions. The answers you’ll find here will come straight from me, not Vought PR. No scripts, no filters, no corrupt media twisting my words. I have nothing to hide. So go ahead… ask me anything. I’ll start answering on Friday, June 14th at 3pm ET.
Edit: Thanks for your time Reddit. I would say you are a real hero, but I really don’t like being lied to.”
Fans jumped at the opportunity. Like the show’s cast and crew, The Boys truthers ran with the setup.
Many questions arose on the official The Boys Reddit channel, with fans gathering information on several aspects of Homelander’s life.
From matters pertaining to The Seven – the famous group of superheroes owned and managed by Vought International – to Homelander’s possible OnlyFans debut, rumours floating around about his ties to Epstein Island and the truth about the origins of his son Ryan, the Reddit session discussed everything.
“The writers are doing God’s work here,” fans couldn’t help but smile seeing the “amazing” attention and commitment to the plot and their marketing bits.
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Some of the Q&A answers revealed during the Reddit AMA PR stunt
Reddit User: “Homelander do you really need seven, why don’t you go alone?”
Homelander: “The Seven isn’t just a team, it’s a family. And I may sit at the head of the table, but … look, Jesus had disciples, too.”
Reddit User: “Starlight is trafficking children into our beautiful country. Are you afraid your son Ryan will be caught in the crossfire?”
Homelander: “All I’ll say is that the apple doesn’t fall very far from a very big tree. I’d like to see Starlight try.”
Reddit User: “Hello Homelander! I’ve always wondered who Ryan’s mom is?”
Homelander: “I know I told you to ask me anything. But there are some things that are just so heartbreaking. I hope to be able to share the whole story someday, but for Ryan’s sake, I want to keep it private for now. All I can say is that it was a love story that will always be remembered.”
Reddit User: “Homelander Only Fans when?”
Homelander: “Look, I don’t want to be responsible for breaking the entire internet. But if it ever happens, it will be on SuperPorn Platinum (use discount code HOMELANDER for 15% off your first month).”
Reddit User: “Hello Mr. Homelander, are you ever planning on retiring from The Seven? If you ever do, what do you think you’ll do with all that free time, other than spend time with your son?”
Homelander: “Retire… to do what? Drink coconut wine? Travel? I can fly wherever I want. I can do whatever I want. What difference would that make other than letting the world descend into chaos? So being captain of The Seven isn’t a job — it’s my purpose. You can’t retire from that. Did Gandhi retire? Did Dr. King? I hope someday Ryan will take my place, and together we can fight the barbarians who try to sexually exploit our great nation.”
Reddit User: “Homelander, you’re a wonderful father to Ryan! What tips do you have for raising a successful child as a single father?”
Homelander: “I want Ryan to have a very normal childhood, just like I had. You know, flying to baseball games. Enjoying creamy milkshakes together. Taking him to the set of one of my movies, taking him overseas to destroy terrorist camps — normal dad stuff. But America needs him to be strong, too — a true hero carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, he can’t be some innocent, needy kid. Oh, and we always end the day with a round of the Vought Tournament of Heroes. Available now on VS5!”
Reddit User: “Can you comment on the rumours that Epstein is on the island?”
Homelander: “Those flight manifests were obviously tampered with – why would I take a private plane when I can fly? Whatever the case, Jeffrey was a dear friend and a major shareholder in Vought. I will miss his cabana parties – he made the best homemade focaccia.”
Reddit User: “Hi Homelander, I’m a big fan of your work. My family was on a plane that crashed on May 28th, 2019. I was wondering if you could maybe look and find out what happened to them? Thanks.”
Homelander: “The tragic loss of Flight 37 still haunts me. This is why we need superheroes in the chain of command — if I had known about the hijacking a few minutes earlier, your loved ones wouldn’t be at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean right now. Call your congressman.”
Reddit User: “I want to thank you for helping the Guardians of Godolkin against those horrible killers a while back! But my question is, why weren’t brave souls like Kat and Sam chosen to be among the seven?”
Homelander: “The Guardians of Godolkin are true American heroes. They are wonderful kids, and have helped me tremendously during these turbulent times. But are they ready for The Seven? I would say America needs them right where they are – at the best educational institution in the world and on the set of an upcoming Vought Studios project that I can’t tell you about yet. Stay in school, kids!””
Reddit User: “What does Homelander do in his spare time?”
Homelander: “I guess somebody isn’t following the news. If you read my cover story in this week’s issue of Time magazine, you’ll know I already answered that question.
See more “out of pocket” discussions like this here.
