Is Ryan Butcher better off staying near Homelander in The Boys? Karl Urban's Billy Butcher is a man possessed when The Boys begins. Once living blissfully with his wife Becca, the foul-mouthed Englishman unraveled when the world's most famous superhero raped his partner, causing Becca to disappear for good. The Boys season 1 ends with the shocking revelation that not only is Becca still alive, she's living safely in a Vought compound with her and Homelander's son.
Played by Cameron Crovetti, Ryan Butcher enjoys a far more significant role in The Boys season 2, as Homelander forces his way into Becca's home. After a tense period of co-parenting, Ryan is whisked away by Homelander and Stormfront, leaving Becca to team up with The Boys and steal her boy back. Ultimately, Becca is killed in the struggle, but Butcher manages to keep Ryan from Homelander's grasp with Queen Maeve's help. The Boys season 2 ends with Mallory taking the child into care, and the audience are left to assume he'll be safe. But, and bear with us on this, Ryan might've been better served staying with his father.
Homelander is a horrific person. There's no getting away from that, and no forgiving his crimes. However, there are three key reasons why Ryan (and the world) would benefit from the father and son staying together. Firstly, whoever ends up fostering Ryan has to teach him how to control those awesome superpowers. The Boys strongly implies that Ryan has the potential to eclipse Homelander, and learning to wield his abilities safely will be a challenge second only to hitting puberty. Ryan's errant laser vision has already killed Becca, and young Homelander at least had the safety of being raised within a Vought lab. Can Ryan really be let out into the big, wide world without proper guidance? Homelander is clearly best placed to show Ryan the superhero ropes, as the man himself struggled growing up without someone who understood the burden of greatness.
Secondly, Homelander did, for all his many faults, try to be a decent father. During their brief time together, Homelander showed a previously unseen compassion towards Ryan. They had a heart-to-heart where Homelander opened up emotionally for the first time, and the Vought hero abandoned a crowd of adoring fans when his son began to panic in the rush of rabid bodies. There's room for improvement, certainly - Homelander did push Ryan off a roof - but there's no question the youngster brought out the best version of Homelander glimpsed so far in The Boys. This is good news for the people of Earth. If being a father can temper Homelander's worst instincts, that means no more plane crashes, no more "collateral damage" and no more super-powered terrorists.
Finally, Becca's overriding hope was that Ryan would be raised in a loving home. This is the one major error Dr. Vogelbaum believes he made in Homelander's development. But while Becca thought this meant keeping Ryan away from Homelander, the superhero showed enough to suggest he is capable of loving his son, potentially offering Ryan a brighter future than he'd have in the care system. Given everything that transpired in The Boys season 2 finale, it wouldn't be surprising if Ryan grew up to resent Homelander for letting him go, and this could transform the youngster into a villain. Staying with Homelander, on the other land, might allow the father and son to repair their relationship, steering Ryan away from a dark path. The duo have an even better chance of working things out without Stormfront's meddling.
It's easy to see how Homelander raising a child in The Boys could go horribly. Under any other circumstances, a list of crimes an extensive as his would make Ryan better off with anyone else. However, Ryan's latent abilities and infinite potential put him in a unique position where Homelander might be the least-worst option.