Omni-Man is worse than Homelander. Invincible’s Omni-Man and The Boys’ Homelander are very similar characters — they are both sociopathic killers with tempers and incredibly dangerous powers. Both series explore what it means to have superhuman abilities and how, paired with ego, opportunity, and a penchant for violence and control, catastrophic and terrifying the consequences can be. To be sure, Omni-Man and Homelander come from very different backgrounds and their circumstances affect how they react to various situations, but the former is far more of a threatening character.

Omni-Man’s backstory comes to light in the pilot episode of Invincible, Amazon’s animated adaptation of the comic book series by Robert Kirkman and artist Cory Walker. Omni-Man (aka, Nolan Grayson) is an alien from the planet Viltrum with superhuman abilities, including invincibility, flight, healing, and an extended lifespan. He came to Earth in a bid to be its protector, assimilating into human society after meeting and marrying Debbie Grayson. Together, they have a son named Mark, who goes on to inherit Viltrumite abilities from his father. 

Related: The Boys Theory: Homelander Has A Second Son - Who He's Already Met

As a part of the Seven, a corporate-owned team of superhumans, Homelander starts out with a squeaky clean public persona that The Boys effectively squashes when it’s revealed how much of a monster he truly is. Raised in a lab and given the leadership position (and control) of the Seven, Homelander is a parody of Captain America and Superman, with entirely opposing qualities to boot. He’s pretty lethal, too, with powers including superhuman strength, heat vision he can emit from his eyes, and flight, among other things. Homelander is, on the surface, the much easier option when one thinks about blatantly evil villains. However, Omni-Man is more cold-blooded and dangerous than Homelander could ever be. 

Omni-Man Is More Sadistic & Dangerous Than Homelander

omni man flying in costume in invincible

Omni-Man played the role of doting father and husband for the majority of Invincible’s first episode; even his backstory about how he peacefully left Viltrum to live out his days protecting Earth and aiding its people sounded heartwarming. However, that version of Omni-Man was short-lived — he revealed how brutally violent he was when he heartlessly murdered every member of the Guardians of the Globe. While they weren’t his teammates, Omni-Man worked with the Guardians on several occasions since his arrival on Earth. Turning on them was perhaps the most shocking moment in Invincible’s pilot. Omni-Man’s crimes were calculated, vicious, and cold-blooded. He didn’t bat an eye as he ripped the team apart, limb from limb. He executed his plan methodically and the superhero team never saw it coming, proving just how dangerous and cruel Omni-Man can be.

He then had the audacity to play innocent afterward; he also didn’t pretend to care about the Guardians of the Globe’s loved ones during or after the funeral. That's disturbing on its own and it's made even worse following Omni-Man's murder spree. Not only did Omni-Man murder the Guardians of the Globe, but he stood by and watched while his own son was violently beaten up by a slew of supervillains at the behest of Machine Head, a local crime boss. Omni-Man could’ve helped. It would’ve taken him very little time and effort to take everyone down and save Mark, but he chose to let Invincible handle things on his own despite knowing the lethal henchmen he was up against. Mark was near death by the end of the battle and Omni-Man feigned surprise when he got the call about his son’s condition. It’s a prime example of Omni-Man’s sadism that he would allow Mark, the son he claims to love and care about, to take a beating without making a single attempt to rescue him. 

Homelander may also be a violent killer, but he has yet to dispatch any members of the Seven. He hasn’t even killed Billy Butcher or the rest of the Boys, though he’s had several opportunities to do so. Homelander will kill occasionally — like the plane full of people he left to die and Madelyn Stillwell — because he feels like it or to establish his power and dominance, but he’s essentially on Vought’s leash and can only go so far before he’s reined back in. Unlike Homelander, Omni-Man isn’t controlled by anyone and does as he pleases. If that means killing  acquaintances or watching idly as his son is nearly beaten to death to aid in his big-picture plans, then so be it. Plus, Omni-Man is arrogant with no signs of insecurity or remorse. His actions assert his cutthroat righteousness. Paired with his invincibility and lack of concern for humanity, Omni-Man makes for an incredibly terrifying threat.

Omni-Man Is More Manipulative Than Homelander

The Boys Homelander Season 2 Finale

Invincible does a good job revealing how Omni-Man’s been playing the long game, smartly cultivating an entire persona to evade suspicion and build relationships with crucial people (like Cecil Stedman, a government agent similar to Marvel’s Nick Fury). Who knows how many people Omni-Man has killed before the Guardians of the Globe? Additionally, plotting for a global takeover is a far more advanced and evil scheme, one that takes restraint, effort, and calculated plotting. Marrying Debbie and having Mark were likely part of his plan, and it’s a far more manipulative one than Homelander could ever dare to pull off, especially considering the amount of control Vought exercises over him. 

Whereas the people closest to Homelander knew his sociopathic nature, Omni-Man was able to successfully fool everyone into thinking he’s a good man with morals for two decades. He doesn’t need the help of a public relations and marketing team to sell that he’s a good guy, which makes him the perfect imperialistic infiltrator, as well as an unpredictable weapon as no one could see his betrayal coming. Omni-Man's actions are all part of some greater plan for conquering the planet on behalf of the Viltrumites, a plot he has yet to unveil to his family in Invincible. He could care less about anyone despite having built relationships; they're all a means to an end and it's never immediately clear what he will do next. This includes leaving his son for dead and accusing demon Detective Damien Darkblood of killing the Guardians of the Globe.

Not only is Omni-Man an aggressive person and a killer, he's also a cunning liar and that means anything is possible with regards to his actions, with no one knowing exactly what it is he'll do next. The Boys’ Homelander probably couldn’t muster a con as detailed and intelligent as Omni-Man’s and audiences have watched him be a pawn in Stormfront and Vought’s plans rather than taking control of things himself. Earning people’s trust is hard and the fact Omni-Man has managed to do that and maintain those very same relationships over the course of a few decades makes him far more sinister and surprising of a character. They may both be sociopathic murderers, superheroes who are not so super, but it’s Invincible’s Omni-Man whose sadistic actions, intelligence, and manipulations that make him far more of a disturbing danger to all.

Next: The Boys: Every VCU Movie Starring The Seven