Homelander’s god-complex will be “slowly driving him insane” in season 5, according to Eric Kripke, creator of The Boys, and this will have an effect on the plot. As the fourth season of The Boys concluded, martial law was imposed throughout the United States and Homelander (Antony Starr) was appointed to a new Supe-led task force by Speaker of the House-turned-President Steven Calhoun (David Andrews). The post-credits of the season finale show him choosing to awaken Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), indicating what will happen in the final season. This newfound position of power is the highest he has ever had.
According to Variety, Kripke discussed how Homelander will continue to struggle with his god-complex in season 5 of The Boys as a result of his trauma, which has now consumed him, during an FYC panel hosted by SAG-AFTRA. The antagonist will struggle with how “he wants to be a god, but he’s a man,” becoming more fixated on human needs like love and security while simultaneously desiring to give up those ideals in order to gain more power, according to the series creator. See below for Kripke’s comments regarding his upcoming development:
“He’s literally all trauma. I think what he plays so beautifully about it is he wants to be a god, but he’s a man. And it’s kind of slowly, or maybe not so slowly, driving him insane. So dealing with things like aging, dealing with insecurity, dealing with a need for love — all very normal human things, these are all things he finds detestable. He needs them, but he’s revolted by them all at once.”