Antony Starr teases darker Homelander after bloodbath scene in 'The Boys' season 4

Antony Starr promises an even darker Homelander, with the worse to yet come.

Antony Starr, who plays Homelander in "The Boys," has hinted at even darker developments for his character following the graphic "Bad Room" massacre in Episode 4 of Season 4. This episode, titled "Wisdom of the Ages," saw Homelander's brief visit to Vought Labs culminate in a bloody rampage, revealing glimpses of his repressed rage.

In an interview with Variety, Starr discussed the scene, emphasizing his desire to give Homelander's cathartic moment room to breathe. "When that episode script came out, I saw the sequence of scenes and I went to [showrunner Eric Kripke] and we retooled them a little bit just to give more freedom on the day," Starr explained.

Episode 4 primarily featured Homelander in a Vought Labs basement, limiting character movement and focusing on his psychological turmoil. Starr aimed to portray a conflicted character, stating, "I wanted those scenes to be very conflicted. On the one hand, there was some sense of nostalgia and a little melancholy and incredible trauma coming up, but also just a whole mix of different things."

Starr relished filming the intense Bad Room sequence, where Homelander forces Vought's researchers into the room where he was tortured as a child. Describing the scene, Starr said, "As dark and fucked up as that seems now, that was probably one of the most enjoyable sequences I've had on the show. I had a ball doing it." Showrunner Eric Kripke corroborated this, noting that Starr's unscripted moments added to the scene's impact.

Looking ahead, Starr teased further exploration of Homelander's dark side in upcoming episodes. "It can't get weird enough or dark enough for me and I love that. We get to do things on screen that we never get to do in real life so it was a huge amount of fun," he said. 

As "The Boys" approaches its final season, viewers can expect Homelander's character to continue unraveling, pushing the boundaries of his villainous persona.

"The Boys" is currently streaming on Prime Video.