The Boys' superhero marketing goes crazy with Homelander's first-ever Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’
Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys Season 4.
June is filled with diabolical surprises for The Boys' fans. Following the much-awaited three-episode premiere of the Prime Video Original series' fourth season, Eric Kripke's satirical superhero creation has reached over and beyond to continue positioning the show's palpable fictional reality in contemporary realism. Pushing forth its biggest and craziest PR stunt yet, The Boys' latest marketing bit featured Antony Starr's unhinged, egotistical avatar as Homelander on the cover of TIME Magazine, branding him as the “Superhero Of The Year.”
The unconventional stunt didn't culminate there; it also included an interview with the antagonistic leader of The Seven. Although The Boys' supes instantly appear as a pastiche of pre-existing characters like DC's Superman and others, one can't deny the reflection of modern reality and contemporary divisive politics in them either. So, even if having a real superhero in the 21st century may still appear to be a far-fetched vision, it isn't impossible to situate someone with as conceited and egomaniacal personality as Homelander's in our world.
Hence, The Boys' marketing team went right ahead and did that! With Starr's violently unpredictable character, who fans love to hate (or not), at the centre of a murder trial, the complex nuances of the plot interweaved Homelander's super-powered star qualities with a laughably controversial background. Blurring the lines between fiction and reality, Kripke's Prime Video series launched an online “Ask Me Anything” panel on Reddit on Friday, June 14, with Homelander taking charge of the narrative.
Homelander takes over Reddit for his first-ever “Ask Me Anything” session
Titled “I’m The Homelander. Ask me anything.” the Reddit “AMA” session introduced the agenda in the authorial voice of The Boys' antagonist:
"Now that my “trial” is finally over, Ashley managed to clear an hour in my calendar to respond to some fan questions. The answers you’ll get here are direct from me, not Vought PR. No script, no filter, no corrupt media twisting my words. I have nothing to hide. So go ahead… ask me anything. I’ll begin answering 3 pm ET on Friday, June 14.
EDIT: Thanks for your time Reddit. I'd say you're the real heroes, but I hate telling lies."
Fans evidently made the most of the opportunity. Akin to the show's cast and crew submitting to its make-believe reality, The Boys' truthers also went along with the setup.
A vast variety of questions ensued on the official The Boys Reddit channel, with fans digging up dirt on several aspects of Homelander's life.
From addressing matters related to The Seven—the legendary group of superheroes owned and managed by Vought International—to Homelander's potential OnlyFans debut, rumours swirling around his connections with Epstein's Island, and the truth about his son Ryan's origins, the Reddit session circled around everything and anything.
“The writers are doing God's work here,” fans couldn't help but beam at the “astounding” attention to detail and commitment to the storyline and their marketing bits.
Some Q&A responses that emerged during the Reddit AMA PR stunt
Reddit user: “Homelander do you really need the seven why don't you go solo?”
Homelander: “The Seven’s not just a team, it’s a family. And I may sit at the head of the table, but... look, even Jesus had disciples.”
Reddit user: “Starlight is trafficking kids across our beautiful nation. Are you scared your son Ryan will be caught in the crossfire?”
Homelander: “All I’ll say is that apple didn’t fall far from a pretty mighty tree. I’d like to see Starlight try.”
Reddit user: “Hello Homelander! I always wondered, who is Ryan's mother?”
Homelander: “I know I told you to ask me anything. But there are a few things that cut too close to the bone. Some day, I hope I’ll be able to share that whole story, but for Ryan’s sake, I want to keep it private for now. All I can say is that it was a love story for the ages.”
Reddit user: “Homelander only fans when?”
Homelander: “Look, I don’t want to be responsible for breaking the entire internet. But if it ever did happen, it would be on SupePorn Platinum (use discount code HOMELANDER for 15% off your first month).”
Reddit user: “Hello Mr Homelander, do you ever plan on retiring from The Seven someday? If you ever would retire, what do you think you would be doing with all that free time, apart for spending time with your son?”
Homelander: “Retire… to do what? Drink booze out of a coconut? Travel? I can fly anywhere I want. I can do anything I want. What would be the difference, besides letting the world descend into lawless chaos? That’s why being the captain of The Seven isn’t a job -- it’s my purpose. You can’t retire from that. Did Gandhi retire? Did Dr. King? Some day, I hope Ryan will take his place at my side, and together we can fight off the barbarians trying to sodomize our great nation.”
Reddit user: “Homelander, you are such an incredible father to Ryan! What tips do you have for raising a successful child as a single father?”
Homelander: “I want Ryan to have a totally normal childhood, like I had. You know, flying to a baseball game. Enjoying a creamy milkshake together. Bringing him to the set of one of my films, bringing him abroad to take down terrorist camps -- normal dad stuff. But America also needs him to be strong -- a true hero holds the weight of the world on his shoulders, he can’t be some simpering, needy baby. Oh, and we always close out the day with a round of Vought Tournament of Heroes. Out now on VS5!”
Reddit user: “Can you comment on the rumours of you being on Epstein’s Island?”
Homelander: “Those flight manifests were clearly doctored – why would I take a private plane when I can fly? For what it’s worth, Jeffrey was a dear friend and a major Vought shareholder. I’ll miss his cabana parties -- he made the best homemade focaccia.”
Reddit user: “Hi Homelander, I’m a big fan of your work. My family were on a plane on may 28 2019 that went down. I was wondering if you could maybe look and find what happened to them? Thank you.”
Homelander: “The tragic loss of Flight 37 still haunts me. This is why we need superheroes in the chain of command -- if I had just known about the hijacking a few minutes earlier, your loved ones wouldn’t be at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean right now. Call your congressman.”
Reddit user: “I want to thank you for helping the guardians of godolkin against those awful murderers a while back! But my question is, why aren't brave souls like Cate and Sam considered for the seven?”
Homelander: “The Guardians of Godolkin are true American heroes. They’re great kids, and they’ve been a huge help to me in these turbulent times. But are they ready for The Seven? I’d say America needs them right where they are – at the best academic institution in the world and on the set of an upcoming Vought Studios project I can’t tell you about quite yet. Stay in school, kids!”"
Reddit user: “What does homelander do in his free time?”
Homelander: “Sounds to me like someone’s not keeping up on the news. If you’d read my cover story in this week’s issue of Time Magazine, you’d know I already answered this question. https://t.co/f0sFDIoO5Q”
Check out more such “out of pocket” discussions here.
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