Invincibleis back! Based on the Image Comics comic book series of the same name, the animated show — revolving around the strained relationship between teenage superhero Mark Grayson and his father, Nolan Grayson, aka, Omni-Man — has been a mega hit and is bound to get even bigger. The first three episodes of Season 3 were made available on Prime Video on February 6, with the remaining four set to drop every Thursday until March 6.
Now is thus a perfect time for the ‘Evil Superman" debate. Who is stronger between Omni-Man andThe Boys’ Homelander? Both characters would be easily acquainted, given their lack of morals, but who can really beat the other if a fight ever ensues? We’d love for each of these bullies to pick on ‘people’ their size, which in this case would be each other. If that were to happen — a major possibility in a modern TV landscape that encourages crossovers — one of them would struggle.
Homelander Is an Impressive Superman Knock-off, But He Has a Few Weaknesses
Homelander borrows almost everything from Superman. He can fly, move fast, lift the heaviest things, survive deadly blows or blasts, hear sounds from miles away, and shoot lasers. However,Superman has X-ray vision, preventing him from seeing through lead, and Homelander has UV vision, preventing him from seeing through zinc (Sunscreen has zinc for this same reason).
InThe Boys, Jonah Vogelbaum and Stormfront bothdescribe Homelander as the strongest person in the world. He is reported to have broken a woman’s spine when he was a boy by hugging her. However, he appears to not be strong enough when flying. In Season 1’s “The Female of the Species,” he states that he cannot carry the hijacked plane to safety, implyinghe requires a solid surface to fully use his super strength ability.
And even though he has performed well in one-on-one fights, Season 3’s “Herogasm” provedhe can be overpowered if his enemies join forces.During the fight with Butcher and Soldier Boy, he held his own, but when Hughie arrived, the odds started tilting against him, forcing him to retreat.
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When it comes to durability, we’ve seen Homelander survive the destruction of a powerplant, and come out unscathed when the Stillwell residence was blown up. Stillwell herself confirmed that no weapon on Earth can damage the Supe. Still,someone can cause him harm if they try hard enough. His fight with Butcher and Soldier Boy leaves him with a bruise on his face. Queen Marve was also able to draw blood by jamming a metal rod into his ear drum.
Homelander’s other powers are fairly decent. Stillwell mentions that he isfaster than an F-16 fighter jet(top speeds of the F-16 jets are around 1,500 mph/Mach 2), and in Season 2’s “Proper Preparation and Planning,” we learn that hecould break the sound barrierwhen he was a child. Homelander can also survive without oxygen (he tells Stan Edgar that New York looks better from space), andhas an auditory awareness of nearly 200,000Hz, so much so that he could tell Hughie’s blood pressure was 150/90.
Omni-Man’s Viltrumite Physiology Makes Him Indestructible
Omni-Manpossesses most of Superman’s abilities, though he appears to be much stronger.In the final minutes of the series premiere, he massacres all the members of the Guardians of the Globe, even though they all have Viltrumite Physiology like him. Beyond that, Viltrumites are reportedlyable to crash through planets, something we doubt any Compound V user can do.
Regarding speed,Omini-Man is said to be faster than light, allowing him to move through interstellar regions in just a few days. Thanks to his speed, he created massive tailwinds that were strong enough to destroy entire cities. On top of that, he kept up with Red Rush, the fastest member of the Guardians of the Globe.
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Beyond that,Omni-Man’s cells do not wither. He has retained all his powers and youthful appearance despite having lived for several millennia. He once spent decades in the Flaxan Dimension, yet he emerged the same as when he entered. He doesn’t have any vision problems either. As for weakness, Omni-Man can get the Scourge Virus, just like any other Viltrumite, and can be weakened by high-frequency noise. Still,these are minor flawsand from what we’ve seen so far, we can concludehe is stronger.
Omni-Man Would Beat Homelander In a Direct Fight, But Strength Might Not Be the Key Factor
Omni-Man and Homelander’s special abilities provethey are each strong enough to do anything they please.However, in a proper duel to the death,strength wouldn’t be the deciding factor.Homelanderis emotionally and psychologically weak, confirmed by his constant need for affection. Small acts of defiance make him angry and intolerant. In addition to that, hehas low self-esteem, making him easy to manipulate.
Given the masculinity expectations he has of his own son,Omni-Man will easily see through The Seven leader’s high-mannered facade to the sensitive, vulnerable man beneath.Any major insult by Omni-Man during the fight would throw him off-balance. Additionally, Homelander’s superiority complex means he is likely to overestimate himself when fighting Omni-Man, allowing the character fromInvincibleto strike when he least expects it.
Most importantly,Homelander hasn’t faced any real challenges. He is a bully who takes alternates between sadistically lasering the weak and lounging in Vought’s offices. MostVultrinites are battle-hardened, whereasthe only real fight Homelander was between him, Butcher, and Soldier Boy. And even during this fight, he gave up and took off. It’s thus likely that when presented with a proper opponent like Omni-Man, he’ll flee again to protect himself or be beaten to death.
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Eventhe creators of both shows believe Omni-Man would come out on top.Robert Kirkman sat down forSkybound’s ‘Invincible vs. the World’ discussion where he claimed thatThe Boys’ executive producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, agreed with him that the Vultrinite would beat Homelander hands down.:
“I’ve actually talked to Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg about this, and they have conceded that Homelander is significantly less powerful than Omni-Man, and that Omni-Man would trash Homelander easily. But it is a question how Invincible would handle him. I mean, early seriesInvincible, he would definitely have a hard time fighting Homelander, just because while Homelander might have less strength, he’s got more of the Superman power set.”
The fight needs to happen. Nothing could be more delightful — and more genre-defining — than this bloody contest. It will be tough to watch (especially if you’re woozy about mutilation), but bounteous rewards await those with sturdy emotions. Butit’s complicated sinceThe Boysis about to end and there’s no guarantee Homelander will survive the final season.For The Boys to truly be victorious, Homelander needs to die. However,anInvinciblelive-action film is rumored to be in development. A few spinoffs of Billy Butcher’s show might also happen. The possibility of an intersection thus remains high.
