Warning! Contains spoilers for The Boys season 4, episode 7.

The Boys season 4’s episode 7 presents a chilling scene that all but confirms Ryan is Homelander’s replacement. One of the most memorable scenes in The Boys is from season 3’s ending, where Homelander kills a man in broad daylight, and Ryan smiles instead of being concerned by his father’s actions. The scene is iconic because it not only proves that Homelander’s followers will love him regardless of what he does but also establishes that his influence is gradually rubbing on Ryan.

Following The Boys season 3’s ending, season 4 further builds on Ryan’s complex relationship with Butcher and growing attachment with Homelander. There are moments in The Boys season 4 that suggest Ryan has already begun embracing Homelander’s immoral ideologies. However, others contradict this, suggesting that there is still hope for the young supe. Unfortunately, one scene from The Boys season 4’s episode 7 almost confirms that Butcher’s biggest fear has come true: Ryan has become Homelander.

Ryan’s Vought Christmas Special Rant Parallels Homelander’s Birthday Speech From The Boys Season 3

Both Go Off-Script On Live Television & Defy Vought’s Orders

In The Boys season 3’s episode 2, Starlight prompts Homelander to apologize to everyone by calling him “human” and claiming that he, too, can make mistakes. Homelander does not take this well. He interrupts Starlight and says she is lying. With what follows, he starts ranting about how he is better, stronger, and smarter than everyone else. Although Ashley Barrett tries to cut him off by rolling commercials, Homelander listens to her with her superhearing and warns Vought’s executives not to interfere. Ryan does something similar in The Boys season 4’s episode 7.

Throughout The Boys season 4’s episode 7, Ryan is forced to sing an annoying song on television for a Vought Kids Christmas Special. While he initially resists raising his voice, he reaches the end of his wits when he is live on television. As a result, like Homelander in The Boys season 3, he gathers the courage to stand up for himself, asks Ashley and other Vought executives not to run commercials, and boldly opens up about how much he misses his mother. Just like Homelander, he dares to finally go off-script, revealing the dark truth about how he is changing.

Ryan’s Homelander Parallels Prove Butcher Is Wrong About Him

Ryan Is Starting To Walk On Homelander’s Footsteps

After watching Ryan defy Vought on live television, Butcher celebrates, believing he is finally drifting away from Homelander and will eventually leave him. Homelander, too, seems concerned when he sees Ryan talking about his mother. Butcher even confronts Kessler, claiming that this is why he still has “faith in the kid.” However, what Butcher fails to see is that Ryan is becoming more and more like Homelander. The clear parallels between Ryan’s Christmas Special rant and Homelander’s birthday speech establish that, like Homelander, Ryan is starting to realize the true scale of his powers.

He is gradually learning he has to answer to nobody — not even Vought — because he can leverage his invincibility to manipulate and control situations to his advantage. Butcher might see Ryan’s defiance and commitment to defend his mother as a sign of morality, which he feared Ryan would lose under Homelander’s influence. Unfortunately, Ryan’s season 4 rant only proves he is done being persecuted for his strength and is starting to believe he is better than everyone else.

Ryan’s Changing Morality Sets Up A Dark Future For Billy Butcher

Butcher Could Resort To Extreme Methods If Ryan Doesn’t Change

In The Boys season 4, the only thing that keeps Billy Butcher away from embracing Kessler’s extreme ideologies is his faith in Ryan. However, if Ryan, too, lets him down, Butcher might finally shake hands with his evil alter ego and walk down the dark path of triggering supe genocide. Since Ryan’s Christmas Special rant in The Boys season 4, episode 7 still maintains some ambiguity surrounding his shifting morality, Butcher might still have time to save him from Homelander before it is too late. However, with Ryan on the brink of becoming Homelander 2.0, Butcher must act quickly.

The Boys season 4, episode 8 will be released on Amazon Prime Video on July 18.