Homelander from ‘The Boys’ might be one of TV's best villains

Episode 4 of season 4 is possibly the show's most gruesome yet...

Fans of The Boys were deeply disturbed after the Amazon Prime series aired its most unpredictable episode ever, leaving them feeling extremely unsettled.

The superhero series returned with a powerful impact in the first three episodes of season four, shocking viewers with scenes featuring Tilda Swinton portraying an octopus engaging in intercourse with a human, a graphic reference to The Human Centipede in a sex scene, and a detailed close-up of a person's buttocks.

In the recent fourth episode, fans were drawn into the plot centered on Homelander returning to the lab where he grew up, bearing a Fugie the Whale ice cream cake for the lab technicians—sounds charming, doesn't it? However, things took a darker turn.

Throughout the episode, the superhero subjects the lab technicians who conducted experiments on him as a child to psychological torment.

He compels one worker to burn himself alive in an oven and subsequently uses his laser vision to create a hole in another, following a humiliating act where he forces the latter to engage in self-pleasure in front of his coworkers.

He proceeds to disembowel the remaining lab technicians and traps the sole survivor in a chamber with their mutilated bodies, seemingly condemning them to perish inside.

Drenched in blood and guts, Homelander steps into an elevator, smiling with satisfaction after taking revenge on those who raised him.

The episode also featured a duet between two of the primary superheroes and included sharp criticism regarding abortion confidentiality.

The episode was startling and filled with graphic scenes, yet fans praised it sincerely for the creators' ability to seamlessly blend serious themes with comedic brilliance and dark intensity.

Fans should savor the show while they can, as it was announced that The Boys will conclude after season five. This leaves roughly 12 new episodes to bring the series to a conclusion.