Warning! Spoilers for The Boys ahead!When it comes to the Supes featured in The Boys, few are as strong or as powerful as Homelander. The Superman-like figure is the pinnacle of what Compound V can achieve. Homelander is strong enough to level buildings, can fly at incredible speeds, and devastate anything in his path with his laser vision.

But despite the Supe’s overwhelming power, there are a handful of people who have a shot at taking Homelander down. Whether they can match him in physical strength, or use their natural abilities in a clever way, these characters are strong enough to beat Homelander.

14

Billy Butcher & Greg Mallory Played The Long Game

Butcher’s Entire Goal Was To Kill Homelander

Billy Butcher and his mentor, Greg Mallory, are nowhere near as powerful as Homelander. Even with Butcher taking Compound V, he only wields a fraction of Homelander’s power. But both men knew that defeating someone like Homelander required long-term strategy, not a quick solution. The Boys were formed to curtail the Supes’ behavior, and they did a surprisingly good job.

In fact, Butcher picked up enough intel along the way that he was able to nearly genocide the Earth’s entire Supe population. Butcher’s ruthlessness and Mallory’s lessons on subterfuge were enough to become powerful rivals to a Supe like Homelander.

13

Black Noir’s Child Would’ve Grown Stronger Than Homelander

Each Generation Of Supe Is Usually Stronger Than The Last

Even moments after being born, the offspring of Black Noir and Becca Butcher demonstrated powerful heat vision abilities and the flight. It’s clear that the child inherited the same abilities as Black Noir, and considering just how much more powerful Black Noir is than Homelander, it’s not hard to imagine that this child would’ve also grown to be more powerful than Homelander.

Unfortunately, Butcher immediately beat the child to death. But if he had been willing to play the long game, it’s possible this child could’ve grown into someone capable of facing off against Homelander.

12

The Female Can’t Be Underestimated

Her Lust For Violence Would Make Her Dangerous

Of all the members of Billy Butcher’s crew, the Female has directly killed more Supes than any other member of the team. The Female was exposed to Compound V at a young age and was cursed with a bloodlust that drives her to kill.

While she doesn’t have powers other than enhanced strength and durability, she’s taken out entire squads that were fully armed and numerous Supes who were arguably more powerful than her. She’d be fighting above her weight class, for sure, but the Female’s skills and voracious appetite for carnage gives her decent odds at killing Homelander.

11

Stormfront Has Experience on His Side

Stormfront Was Homelander’s Father, And Had Similar Powers

Homelander may be powerful, but he owes everything he has to the original Supe, Stormfront. Stormfront was the first person to be enhanced with Compound V and he possessed every superpower Homelander did, as well as the ability to manipulate lightning.

While Homelander is the result of Stormfront’s DNA being cloned and altered to create a more resilient Supe, Stormfront was also Vought-American’s attack dog and was used to take care of any problem they required. With both his powers and decades of experience, it’s quite likely Stormfront has what it takes to beat Homelander.

10

Little Nina’s Plan Could’ve Worked On Homelander

Little Nina Had A Plan For Supes

Little Nina was a Russian mob boss, and she had a plan to ensure she’d always have work in Russia. She injected around 150 Supes with a dirty version of Compound V, intending to let them attack the Kremlin, at whcih point she would step in and kill all the Supes, earning the government’s favor. Little Nina devised a special frequency that would cause the dirty Compound V to detonate the heads’ of its carriers. While Homelander certainly doesn’t have the dirty Compound V in his body, it’s possible to get around that.

Butcher’s plan to kill all Supes on earth involved this very system that Little Nina had discovered. It’s unlikely every Supe remaining on Earth had the dirty Compound V in their system, meaning Butcher had a plan to make sure they were all affected, such as turning the Compound V into a gas or putting it in the water. This plan could’ve been used on Homelander, and it’s likely the only reason it wasn’t was because Butcher simply hadn’t thought of it yet.

9

Malchemical Has The Means, But Not The Mindset

Malchemical’s Powers Perfectly Counter Homelanders

Malchemical is one of the most despicable Supes in the entire series. But he’s also one of the few people who has a decent shot at defeating Homelander. Malchemical is an elemental-based hero who can transform his body into anything he needs it to. Not only can he shape-shift into other physical forms, he can turn into liquid or gaseous states if needed.

With just a thought, Malchemical could turn into a poisonous cloud and choke Homelander or even drown him. It would require effort and a lot of self-control (which Malchemical admittedly lacks), but it’s not outside the realm of possibility for him to kill Homelander.

8

Lamplighter Was Taken Out Before He Has His Shot

Lamplighter’s Flame Powers Could Be The Key

Lamplighter isn’t seen much in The Boys, but back when he was a member of the Seven, he was one of the most dangerous Supes around. Not only did he possess powerful pyrokinetic abilities, but Lamplighter was also dangerously unhinged, even willing to kill children.

Homelander shows a weakness to flame-based power when he fights Black Noir, suggesting that a powerful enough heat could do him damage. A Lamplighter in his prime could have seriously harmed Homelander with a hot enough flame, but his early demise leaves the true extent of his power unknown.

7

Crimson Countess Had a Power To Expose Homelander’s Weakness

Flame Powers Seem To Be Homelander’s Weak Point

Speaking of heat-based counters to Homelander’s power, one Supe who could potentially defeat him is the underrated member of Payback, Crimson Countess. While she’s not the original bearer of the title, she possesses the same abilities of heat generation by emitting microwave radiation from her hands.

Crimson Countess’ blasts are hot enough to melt steel, so potentially enough of them could melt through Homelander’s durable skin. Though she’s ultimately felled by Billy Butcher, there’s a chance Crimson Countess could have beaten Homelander in a fight.

6

Team Titanic Have Strength in Numbers

This Superhero Team Could Have What It Takes

The Seven aren’t the only Supe team featured in The Boys. A parody of the Teen Titans are introduced in The Boys #61, and feature a number of surprisingly powerful heroes. Their version of Starfire, a barely cognizant Supe named the Starlike, shoots beams of energy that are hot enough to sever limbs in an instant.

The team also has a hypnotist in their member Muzzeltov, who James Stillwell confirms can actually hypnotize people. A combination of the two could potentially be all the power needed to bring Homelander down for good.

5

Starlight Can’t Be Taken Out of The Equation

Starlight’s Powers Burn Hotter Than The Sun

It may not seem like it, but Starlight is packing serious firepower. The Boys #42 reveals that her bursts of light can go up to one million candlepower. One candlepower is roughly 12.7 lumens, putting Starlight’s bursts at 12.7 million lumens. For comparison, the sun is about 127,000 lumens at Earth’s orbit, meaning Starlight’s bursts are a hundred times more powerful.

It would be an uphill battle, but Annie’s powers were enough to blind A-Train, and she could almost certainly do the same to Homelander, giving Starlight a solid advantage.

4

James Stillwell is A One of A Kind Threat

The Only Human Willing To Stand Up To Homelander

While most people believe that Homelander is the main antagonist of The Boys, it would be more accurate to say that the overall antagonist was actually Vought. And Vought’s avatar throughout the story was none other than James Stillwell. Personal asistant to the CEO of Vought, James is seen several times throughout the story, as the only human, with no powers whatsoever, willing to not only stand up to Homelander, but directly insult him to his face.

Even after Homelander loses his mind and begins to slaughter everyone, he still doesn’t kill James. It’s likely with James’ power over Homelander, given enough time, he could’ve emotionally and mentally broken Homelander down. Since there’s certainly something to be said about how Homelander refused to kill him, despite really having no reason not to.

3

Queen Maeve Had A Shot (But Didn’t Take It)

Queen Maeve Was Known As One Of The Strongest Supes On Earth

Though Queen Maeve spends most of The Boys in an alcoholic state, she is said to be one of the most powerful Supes on the planet, rivaling Black Noir and Homelander. When backed into a corner by Homelander, she shows no fear about charging him head-on, striking at him with a sword.

Unfortunately, it’s just a prop, and it gives Homelander a chance to decapitate her. While Maeve in her later years stood no match against the Supe, she might have been able to defeat him before she dulled her fighting skills and reflexes with non-stop drinking.

2

The US Military Has The Tools Needed For This Threat

The Military Has A Secret Supe-Killing Weapon

While Homelander is definitely powerful, the U.S. Military demonstrates a surprising capability of taking down Supes. Thanks to Butcher’s advice, the U.S. Military uses missiles that are tuned to people with Compound V in their blood, making them nearly impossible to avoid.

In addition to this, the military stocks their guns with depleted uranium rounds, which easily pierce the Supes skin. These bullets and missiles were so effective they wiped out the majority of Supes that Homelander was leading. These depleted uranium bullets were also key in weakening Black Noir, a character stronger than Homelander, to the point Butcher can kill him.

1

Black Noir is Made To Beat Homelander, By Design

Black Noir Was Literally Designed To Kill Homelander

The one thing that Black Noir has on every other character on this list is that he’s the one character featured in The Boys who canonically beat Homelander in a fight. Black Noir is revealed to be a clone of Homelander in The Boys #65, and was created as a contingency to take out Homelander if needed. However, Homelander never needed to be handled, driving Black Noir insane since he was unable to fulfill his purpose. Though Homelander and Black Noir are theoretically evenly matched, Black Noir succeeded in killing Homelander, making him the one Supe to do the impossible.

As the number one Supe, it’s unlikely that anyone could defeat the Seven’s leader. But if anyone stands a chance at beating Homelander, it’s these characters from The Boys.