Homelander (portrayed by Antony Starr) is the main antagonist in both the comic book series and the Amazon show called The Boys. He is the leader of The Seven — the strongest Supe in the world — and the archenemy of Billy Butcher.
He has a complex backstory, which involves his upbringing in a Vought lab, where he missed out on maternal love. Homelander’s trauma was seen in his kink for br**st milk and in a deep-seated desire for a dominant mother figure.
It seems weird at first without a proper context, but the actor who portrayed this character gave a clear explanation of his fixation.
Antony Starr Gave a Perfect Explanation for Homelander’s Br**st Milk Obsession
Homelander’s strange milk fetish was shown in Season 1 of The Boys, where he is quivering with pleasure as he samples some of Vought executive Madelyn Stillwell’s br**t milk.
This moment shows his weird s*xual relationship with Stillwell (involves elements of mommy play), which clears the psychological basis of his obsession with milk. But there is a story behind this strange obsession, which is explained by Antony Starr (the actor who portrayed Homelander in the series) at Comic-Con International in 2020:
“This guy is desperately, painfully lonely, and desperate for connection. And, of course, a big part of that was the lovely Elisabeth Shue-slash-Stillwell. But she wasn’t willing to let Homelander expand in Season 1 and fulfill what he believed he was capable of — his ‘mission,’ so to speak. So he dealt with his oedipal complex at the end of Season 1 … I guess there’s nothing more internal than milk as a way to connect dots between Season 1 and 2 and bring Stillwell back into his world a little bit. He finds traces of Stillwell and reconnects that way. And that is a moment of pure connection between Homelander and Stillwell.”
Homelander’s character is deeply lonely and craves connection. That’s why he is especially attached to Stillwell, even though Homelander is not her son. Besides his deep-rooted childhood trauma and craving for maternal love, his mental instability is also a reason why he constantly craves it.
Antony Starr Said Homelander’s Milk Obsession Stems From His Emotional Ineptitude
As Starr said, Homelander’s constant milk fixation on The Boys symbolizes his emotional instability. Despite being the world’s most powerful man, he is still emotionally repressed. The Cobweb star continued (via Comic-Con International):
“That’s the duality of the character. These guys have really done a great job playing both sides of that. The strongest man on the show … is the weakest, emotionally, on the show, in my opinion.”
Every member of The Seven possesses some sort of physical and psychological weakness. Homelander’s weakness grew from his need for approval and his absence of parental figures. This also explains his strong attachment to Stillwell.
