It would be easy to completely dismiss Homelander as an over-the-top take on American masculinity and nationalism, but the series has been careful not to make him completely one-dimensional. Like all of the characters, he exists in a morally ambiguous area, where a great deal of what he does is clearly evil, but there is sometimes good in him, too.

His arc in season 2 seemed to show him moving towards being a less hateful Homelander, bonding with both his new love and his son, and it seemed for a moment like he could find his version of happiness. All Homelander ever wanted was a family, because he was raised by Vought scientists and executives, trained to be a puppet for their propaganda and nothing else. His moments of softness, especially with his son Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) showed us that even this fascist egomaniac was capable of compassion.

Starr’s performance is nuanced, showing worlds of expression behind cold eyes and a set jaw, and as such, the character transcended what could easily be a simply parody and became something much more real. Many of us have known men who were victims of the patriarchy as much as they promoted it themselves, raised by abusive fathers and living in a world that reinforced their worst tendencies, and Homelander has become a perfect representation with all of these disillusioned, angry men. Thankfully, as much as the series shows him being handsome and powerful, it also shows him at his weakest: a sniveling loser who just wants someone, anyone, to actually love him.