An Ohio man who was dressed as Homelander from The Boys turned into a real-life hero by rescuing a man from his burning home on Halloween. The hit Amazon Prime show, which has been top of ratings for the streaming service since season 2 was launched earlier this year, is an adaptation of the anarchic comic book series of the same name written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Darick Robertson. The cast of the show includes Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Laz Alonso, and Antony Starr, who plays Homelander, the most powerful superhero in the world.
The malevolent character is considered a hero in the universe of The Boys as leader of The Seven, the most popular corporate superhero team on the planet, but in the show is actually revealed to be an insane, evil villain bent on doing whatever it takes to hold on to power and do whatever he wants with it. Starr is excellent in the role, portraying Homelander as both powerful and pathetic, and making him strangely sympathetic at various points throughout season 2 of the show. But one fan of the show chose to dress up as Homelander on Halloween despite that and became a real-life hero in the process.
WTHR reports that Greenville, Ohio, native Chris Taylor ran into a building to rescue a man while in costume as Homelander. In a story straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon, Taylor says he performed the heroic act while walking to a Halloween party with his family. Walking down an alley he usually doesn't take, Taylor and his family saw flames shooting out of the home. Calling out, Taylor realized someone was trapped inside and ran in to save him. Besides feeling the heat of the flames a little too close, Taylor and the unnamed man he saved emerged unscathed. You can read Taylor's description of the events below:
There’s a show on Amazon Prime called 'The Boys.' I love it. We took the alley. First time ever. And we pull up to the alley and I look back there’s flames coming out of the house and the whole upstairs was consumed, flames were just pouring out it was pretty gnarly. I yelled as loud as a I can is anybody in here real loud and I heard, if someone was to get hit in the sternum how you kind of sound like you’re losing your wind I heard a sound like that; kind of a moaning, wispy sound. There were flames around and just inches from me; my costume was getting hot I felt like I was melting; I couldn’t breathe the smoke was real, real heavy. I feel like I should keep the costume just so I can always remember like this is who you are. You’re somebody who’s going to help people if they need it.
Despite what choosing to dress up as Homelander may or may not say about Taylor's grasp on the dynamics in the show, he's achieved something the fictional Homelander hasn't—saving someone in distress. The incident is a fun coincidence, and gives fans of the show an alternative vision of Homelander, albeit one with fewer muscles and more morals. Perhaps showrunner Eric Kripke will reward Taylor with a small role in the upcoming The Boys season 3, maybe as a victim of Homelander, as a fun nod to the real-life incident.
The show is set to take its controversial content even further in season 3, with Kripke recently confirming that the comic book mini-series Herogasm, which follows a giant superhero orgy, will be adapted in the next batch of episodes. The Boys revels in not shying away from blood, guts, and sex, so it certainly seems like season 3 will be even more over-the-top than what's been seen already.
Source: WTHR