The series would switch it up and introduce Homelander from the off as the one to force himself upon a new addition to the team, Starlight, in a full page panel standing over the girl, trousers already down and buttocks out, bloated and expectant.
In the background to all the action, this season sees a former PA promoted to Director of Vaught Industries, and yet she can only act as a Yes Man to Homelander, barely staying in control.
Looking past the red, white, and blue cape, the blond hair, and the perfect sound bites, Homelander is a murderer with the power to do anything he wants. The movies and advertisements that he takes place in are spoofing and parodying the reality of their comic book cousins, but the public wants to believe in the clean version. In the few moments of apparent weakness for the powerhouse, the only way he can be controlled is by blackmailing, one-upping, and shifty quid pro quos - before finding another switcheroo to change the tides in his favor.
One is the beloved public persona, with thumbs up and pats on the back while smiling and smarming to camera, and the other is a monstrous, scheming force who can melt people with lasers from his eyes. With both A-Train and The Deep vying for his approval, Homelander has risen to the top of his peers, with both of them vying to be his Number 2. Homelander is a fictionalized cape-wearing version of that equipped with the exact same amount of narcissism, and it could cause violent incidents, like the attempted insurrection of the Jan. 6th Capital riots, and subsequently get innocent people killed.
"All he ever wants is to be the most powerful person he can be, even though he's completely inadequate in his abilities to handle it," Eric Kripke said to Rolling Stone.
Finally losing it on live television, Homelander calls out the people who watch as being lesser than him, and is rewarded in the next scene by being deemed as honest and saying it as it is.
Inside The Seven's headquarters, despite being insulted and threatened by Homelander, those that aren't scheming to kill him are vying for what crumbs of affection they can get. He has risen to the top through dominating others and portraying a character that the general public can just eat up.
Homelander's character depicts the lies he will spin in order to detract from anything untoward he may do, and this third season tackles more of post- Trump politics and the concept of Fake News. The director of Vaught is trying to oust him in order to get rid of the super human. The issues reflect the man who was president of the United States. The villain humiliates her on live television in order to show that he holds the cards. Homelander doesn't just want to experience love, but he also wants to be loved by the public.
His fraught relationships with Queen Maeve and Stormfront are treated by news outlets like additions to the Who's Hot/Who's Not list. Homelander is realizing that he can show them who he really is and they will love him for it. She wanted to show that her partner is no longer safe.
The success of the American Dream can be traced back to Homelander, created in a laboratory by the Vaught company. Donald Trump could make up statistics to make himself look like the most powerful man in the world. He was born in the US and wears a star-spangled banner as a cape and dislikes migrants and people of color.
Laurie Holden is in the 'Chimps Don't Cry' music video.
The Superman analogy continues, with a constant adoration from the world.