Does Homelander Die in ‘The Boys’ Comic? What Happens in the Series?

If you’ve been following the TV adaptation of The Boys, you’re familiar with Homelander as the invincible, milk-loving, egotistical menace of Vought International. However, if you turn to the original comic series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson for insights into his fate, the answer is clear.

Indeed, Homelander meets his demise in the comics, and his end is far more brutal and ironic than one might anticipate.

Homelander’s death occurs in Issue #65 of the comic series. Surprisingly, he is not killed by Billy Butcher, Hughie, or any of “The Boys.” Instead, he falls to Black Noir.

In the comics, Black Noir is not merely a silent ninja with a nut allergy; he is actually a clone of Homelander created by Vought as a contingency plan. His sole existence is to eliminate Homelander if the “Supe” ever goes completely rogue.

Throughout much of the comic’s narrative, Homelander is tormented by images of himself engaging in horrific acts—cannibalism and necrophilia—that he cannot recall committing. This leads him to believe he is losing his sanity, ultimately resulting in a complete psychological breakdown and his decision to incite a Supe uprising against the U.S. government.

However, the climactic encounter in the Oval Office unveils a chilling truth: Black Noir reveals his identity, showing a face identical to Homelander’s. Noir admits that he was responsible for those heinous acts and had sent the incriminating photos to Homelander.

Noir was created to eliminate Homelander, but as Homelander hadn’t “gone bad” quickly enough, Noir began committing atrocious acts in disguise to frame Homelander and provoke a confrontation. Noir was literally losing his mind while waiting for his “purpose” to be realized.

The clash between the two is short yet devastating. While they are equally matched in power, Black Noir possesses the advantage of being “fresh” and singularly focused on the kill.

When the chaos settles on the White House lawn, Noir disembowels Homelander, effectively ending the reign of the world’s most powerful Supe. Homelander is left as a mere pile of remains, with only his upper torso and head somewhat intact.

A gravely injured Black Noir is then finished off by Billy Butcher, who uses a crowbar to smash open Noir’s skull and retrieve his brain, eliminating the Vought fail-safe once and for all.

It’s crucial to note that the Amazon Prime series has taken a significantly different direction. In the show, Black Noir’s identity has already been revealed as a different character (Earving), and he was subsequently killed by Homelander at the conclusion of Season 3. Although a “New Noir” appears later, the series has leaned more into the father-son dynamic between Homelander and Ryan, rather than the “Evil Clone” trope.

While the TV show may devise an alternate method to bring down the Man of Gold, the comics offer him a death steeped in poetic (and gruesome) irony: he was vanquished by the very shadow he was unaware of.

As Season 5 approaches its conclusion, how do you think Homelander’s fate will unfold in the TV series? Share your thoughts in the comments below.