Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Boys season 2 finale.
Homelander is undoubtedly one of the greatest monsters on The Boys (and TV in general), but the season 2 finale proved he could also be a genuinely good father. Played by Antony Starr, the show brought Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's graphic novel creation to life in a terrifying fashion. Across both seasons, Homelander has been responsible for some of The Boys' greatest atrocities - including letting an entire plane full of people die. However, showrunner Eric Kripke demonstrated a commitment to go deeper into the characters than the source material. When coupled with Starr's performance, viewers have been given more of an insight into Homelander's interiority. While that doesn't excuse his actions, it does allow an understanding of what makes him tick and led to him becoming the person that he did.
Though the character's superiority complex would compel him to deny it, the writing and performance blessed Homelander with some additional layers of humanity. Homelander has simultaneously set himself apart from people and wants to be embraced by them. Even as the "world's greatest superhero" he is driven by a need for love. The Boys season 2 appeared to finally give him what he craved. Firstly, he formed a relationship with Stormfront, who viewed him through an almost messianic lens and accepted him exactly how he was. An added bonus of that relationship was Stormfront increased the level of devotion he received from the general public. Secondly, he'd discovered that he had a son, Ryan. In both of them, Homelander had found equals from which he could finally gain the unconditional love he had spent his life craving.
Homelander's early interactions with Ryan were admittedly forced, as he tried to aggressively tried to mold the child in his own image. A large portion of that could be attributed to his own upbringing. He was merely passing on the only kind of parenting that he had known. He'd been raised in the belief that his powers were the only worthwhile thing, and he had since used them to distance and armor himself against the world and his internal pain. Believing Ryan was being raised too weak for the world, he sought to impart those same hilarious bad techniques in a misguided attempt to protect him. However, for all the errors in judgment, even Becca noted that it came from a part of Homelander that genuinely cared about Ryan. That fact was proven true and made all the clearer by The Boys season 2 finale.
In an attempt to introduce Ryan to the world, he was taken to Planet Vought. At first in awe, Ryan eventually succumbed to fear and panic at the sheer number of people. As Homelander and Stormfront indulged fans with selfies, Ryan began rocking back and forth with his hands clamped over his ears. Tearfully calling for his mother, Homelander was eventually able to notice. In an unprecedented move from the deranged superhero, he didn't try to toughen Ryan up with more tough love. Nor did he allow any input from Stormfront - who, it could be argued, was abusing his desperation for love to steer him towards some harsher methods. Recognizing the distress, he merely swept Ryan into his arms and flew him away to safety.
Once back at the cabin, Homelander also offered some actually helpful wisdom. In the process, he finally succeeded at connecting with Ryan on a meaningful level, making Homelander's declaration of love and the subsequent hug feel genuinely affecting and earned this time. Homelander would later try to coach Ryan with his powers again. This time, however, he adopted a more comforting approach. It may have taken time, but Homelander had finally started to learn and see his childhood reflected through Ryan. As such, he started to tap into what little empathy he could muster and actually sought to prevent Ryan from experiencing similar trauma in more caring ways. As such, it added a surprising, additional layer of tragedy when things went awry and further proved that nobody in The Boys is entirely black or white.