The next big, recognizable face headed to Mortal Kombat 1 is Superman spinoff and The Boys‘ central antagonist: Homelander. We got our first in-game view of the great American villain when NetherRealm Studios dropped his reveal trailer on Sunday.
The 45 second showcase primarily portrayed animation sequences as opposed to actual gameplay, but quickly reminded us of something we’d actually forgotten about Homelander: his very presence will take Mortal Kombat’s trademark shock/gross out content to new heights, albeit through more than just gore.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen anything new from The Boys as it’s been almost two years since season 3 came out in June of 2022, and so we had time to forget about some of the more off-putting aspects of Homelander’s design.
We’ll go ahead and stamp a spoiler warning for The Boys here. We won’t be going too in depth or revealing which amazing Billy Joel songs pop up in which episodes, but we will be discussing some jaw-dropping (and perhaps lunch-losing) reveals concerning Homelander’s deeper personality and backstory.
The Mortal Kombat trailer begins with the American “hero” sensually tonguing (this is the first time in 10 years I’ve written those words in that order on this site) a small bottle of milk. Weird if you haven’t read the comics or seen the show, but this is a reference to the character’s immense emotional underdevelopment.
Though he initially presents as a well put-together Superman imitation fit to protect, lead and inspire an entire nation, he’s actually the farthest thing from all that.
Created in a lab and brought up in an environment sterilized from any kind of parental love, Homelander naturally has major mommy and daddy issues. You may have guessed it by now, but that isn’t just any ordinary milk Homey is drinking… it’s breast milk.
We find out early in the first season that while Homelander is Superman by day, by night he’s got an repulsive Oedipal relationship with his corporate handler who also happens to be a new mother: Madelyn Stillwell.
Though only a human, Stillwell uses Homelander’s deep longing for maternal affection as a means of controlling him, something we see explored via some very uncomfortable sensual scenes wherein she plays the roles of mother and lover simultaneously.
As Homelander continues to evolve as a character, he eventually finds himself free of Madelyn (a gnarly scene that’s also directly referenced in the trailer) but still holds onto his Oedipal tendencies symbolically through his insatiable appetite for milk.
Preference is all but replaced by necessity as we sometimes secretly see Homelander attempting to find apt replacements, such as the sequence in season 2 where we encounter him in a cattle stall (we’ll let your imagination fill in what goes on there).
We don’t imagine NetherRealm will be implementing much breast milk-related callbacks into Homelander’s actual gameplay, though other aspects of his horrible personality will likely be coming through.
The trailer ends with what looks like a Fatality sequence involving the victim being hit up into the sky where they crash into a jumbo passenger plane, a reference to a stomach-churning scene wherein Homelander murders hundreds of innocent people for the simple sake of saving face.
The Boys constantly explores Superman vs. regular human interactions in a graphic manner that absolutely lines up with the kind of gore Mortal Kombat has long been known for, and we’re certain we’ll be seeing Homelander’s super speed, strength, and eye lasers used to their goriest and fullest extents.
Still, there’s a lot more to cringe at and be repulsed by when it comes to the character, so much so that he very well may be the most stomach-churning guest ever brought into Mortal Kombat. That’s a big statement when you consider the likes of Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Freddy Krueger, and maybe The Joker.
As bad as those baddies have proven to be, Homelander has arguably proven worse in a much shorter amount of time as he checks the boxes of being a mass murderer, horrifying manipulator, (more than once we’ve seen him force others to kill loved ones or themselves while he watches with gleeful satisfaction) an Oedipal nightmare, and guilty of the “R” word.
We’re not sure yet when exactly the final DLC character of Kombat Pack 1 will be joining the Mortal Kombat 1 roster, nor are we quite sure whether or not actor Anthony Starr will be lending his voice for this appearance, but we are sure that his inclusion will take the Mortal Kombat franchise to an all new level of brutality.
