Antony Starr’s Homelander is getting criticized by fans for one noticeable change in the character.

It’s been a good four-season run of The Boys and many fans enjoyed the show since it served as the antidote to the so-called “superhero fatigue.” However, some of the viewers have noticed a decline in the quality of the show, especially with Antony Starr’s Homelander.

Antony Starr in The Boys / Amazon Prime Video

The villain is one of the most popular and fan-favorite characters from the Prime Video series and it’s a shame that many of his fans are starting to feel that he’s no longer the antagonist they loved from Season 1.

The Boys Fans Aren’t Happy With Homelander’s Current Direction

A fan opened a discussion thread on Reddit about The Boys and the surprising twists they used to pull back in the earlier seasons. Antony Starr’s Homelander was put in the spotlight as the audience noticed quite a change in his character.

User OryxisDaddy_ claimed that whenever Homelander gets the chance to kill, it’s mostly done behind the camera, especially in the later seasons.

Doesn’t help that every time he goes on a massacre it’s off-screen now and they’re constantly reducing his powers to prevent him from killing the main characters. In S1-S2 they actively had to plan to avoid Homelander now they can be three rooms away from him and he won’t notice because ‘he wasn’t using his super senses’.

Indeed, for many viewers, Season 1 felt more cinematic and on a larger scale, perhaps because it’s the debut season and they have to bring out the big guns to attract fans. Another user QouthTheCorvus expressed their honest sentiment: “Homelander hasn’t done anything in a while that makes him feel like an apocalypse event waiting to happen.”

Another perspective from a fan reveals the later seasons haven’t been repeating the sequences that viewers loved from Season 1 which leaves the characters feel less threatening. As SplitTheParty enumerated: “Season 1 gems (Homelander doing flybys for translucent, Maeve and the armored car, etc) are missing from the current era of the show.

This change has become concerning for the spectators as The Boys is considered one of the most innovative and ambitious shows on television. For some, Homelander started as a menacing villain, but now, “they keep writing him as a joke.”

Antony Starr Responds To Fans Who Are Obsessed With Homelander

Antony Starr in The Boys / Amazon Prime Video

Antony Starr addressed people’s fascination with Homelander in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. He thinks those who idolize the character are not getting the point of the show.

There’s a very strange thing that’s happened with the character, though he is clearly not a good guy. A lot of people have glommed onto him. There’s a weird element out there that actually kind of idolize him. I’ve seen some s—t on Twitter and I’m like, ‘Wait, What? You are missing the point entirely!’

Regardless of fans’ opinions about Homelander, the character has definitely evolved ever since his debut appearance in the first season. Hopefully, Season 5 will have more thrilling surprises from him.

The Boys is now streaming on Prime Video.