With the final season of The Boys on the way, conversations about who could and couldn’t defeat the main antagonist—overpowered, too—of the series, Homelander (Antony Starr), are heating up. Given his strength and ruthlessness, discussions are rampant about which heroes or villains from various superhero universes could overpower Homelander.
Hero vs. hero discussions are always enjoyable, but what’s even more exciting? Exploring which heroes could defeat a villain from another universe. In recent superhero content, few are as diabolical as The Boys‘ biggest baddie. What makes this debate so engaging is that while Homelander is immensely powerful, he has social and mental weaknesses that lead to intriguing matchups.
Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff)
Much like Superman, Homelander is more vulnerable to magic than physical attacks, meaning that the strongest sorceress in the Marvel Comics universe has ample opportunity to obliterate him. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe—shown in Avengers: Endgame—Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) nearly defeats Thanos (Josh Brolin) with relative ease.
What distinguishes her from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is that, similar to Homelander, Wanda Maximoff is ruthless. Although it took some time for her to reach this point in the MCU, she is cold-blooded and will not hesitate to do what must be done. She is also mentally fragile—like Homelander—which led to her wiping out all mutants on Earth by simply uttering the words, “No more mutants.” The villain from The Boys would not survive this encounter.
Deku (Izuku Midoriya)
To be fair, despite being stronger than Homelander, Deku (Daiki Yamashita and Justin Briner) would still face a tough fight. Like Deku’s greatest adversaries, Homelander is utterly ruthless and never holds back, which is not typical of the young hero. However, this does not mean he cannot contend with such opponents—he is actually quite skilled at it. With a vast array of powers at his disposal, the World’s Greatest Hero would likely prevail easily.
Deku would probably frustrate Homelander throughout the battle, which could actually benefit him. This young hero believes wholeheartedly in saving people regardless of their past actions—to him, redemption is always possible—and his discourse with Homelander would likely unsettle the villain greatly, making him vulnerable mid-fight.
Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd)
What non-comic book fans may not realize is that within the Marvel Comics universe, few are stronger than the iconic hero known as Silver Surfer. While his immense power has yet to be fully depicted on screen, comic book enthusiasts understand his incredible strength. He possesses what is known as the Power Cosmic: an infinite source of cosmic energy he can draw from without depletion. The Silver Surfer himself once stated, “To wield the Power Cosmic is to be in touch with every other living thing at once.”
Norrin Radd can also move at unimaginable speeds on his shiny surfboard. He once traveled half a million light years in mere seconds. Homelander likely wouldn’t even be able to blink, let alone keep track of Silver Surfer during this battle. If they adapted the comic version of Silver Surfer into films like Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the runtime would be significantly shorter.
Ben 10 (Ben Tennyson)
You might think initially that “Ben isn’t as ruthless as Homelander and would struggle,” but that’s a misconception. Interestingly enough, even as a child, Ben Tennyson (Tara Strong) did not adhere to a “no kill rule.” In fact, he kills multiple times in the original series. The modern version of Ben (Yuri Lowenthal) possesses a perfected Omnitrix containing DNA from over 1 million aliens.
This means he can transform into various aliens with unique powers. One alien even survived the destruction of an entire universe and recreated it effortlessly—Alien X (). That alien alone could erase Homelander from existence without hesitation—especially now that he has full control over it in Ben 10: Omniverse.. Additionally, Ben has many other aliens capable of defeating him too. Not to mention his unkillable nature due to a failsafe mechanism within the Omnitrix that prevents its user from dying by transforming them into whatever alien necessary for survival.
Sentry/Void (Robert Reynolds)
Sentry (Lewis Pullman) is often considered Marvel’s Superman for good reason. He possesses immense power and can become even stronger through his Void half.
Sentry’s strength surpasses that of Homelander. He has been described as having “the power of a million exploding suns,” depending on his emotional state. Even without comic book evidence, he demonstrated unparalleled strength in *Thunderbolts*, proving he exceeds all Avengers combined.
Hulk (Bruce Banner)
The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) possesses near-unlimited strength that increases with his rage. As long as he remains angry—ideally growing angrier by the second—he becomes incredibly powerful. The Hulk would undoubtedly defeat Homelander easily.
The Hulk has faced multiple gods and triumphed against legendary foes like Fenrir. In comics, he has held up massive mountains for extended periods. His healing factor rivals those of Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Even if Homelander attempted to kill Banner, the Hulk would emerge and continue fighting.
Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)
Akin to Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider (Nicolas Cage) stands out as one of Marvel’s most powerful heroes. His Penance Stare ability allows him to punish victims for their sins—a perfect counter against a villain like Homelander.
This ability inflicts pain equal to what they have caused others. His only weakness lies in holy weapons while he can manipulate Hellfire—capable of scorching souls and enhancing his motorcycle.
Thor Odinson
A literal god, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) stands unmatched against Homelander. He is arguably the strongest Avenger in the MCU despite any claims made by Hulk.
This version of Thor endured an entire star’s blast in *Avengers: Infinity War*, emerging unharmed thanks to his weaponry. His weapons crafted from Uru metal cannot be broken by anyone lacking godly power.
Superman (Clark Kent)
If a character frequently debated against Goku (<bMasako Nozawa &<bSean Schemmel), they are undeniably one of fiction’s most powerful characters—none other than Superman.
Sustained by Earth’s yellow sun power, Superman exhibits immense strength with magic and kryptonite being his only significant vulnerabilities—neither accessible to Homelander.
Omni-Man (Nolan Grayson)
Siding with good alongside Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen), Omni-Man (<bJ.K. Simmons), often appears in discussions about who could defeat Homelander.
This Viltrumite possesses incredible speed and strength surpassing that of Homelander while being more stable mentally—a true embodiment of everything Homelander wishes to be.
