The Boys fans have explained away a Season 4 plot hole centering around Homelander and why he didn’t use a certain superpower in combat.
Homelander has been having quite a tough time during the first three episodes of The Boys Season 4 as he’s currently on trial for murder, causing his mental health to decline to the point of recreating an iconic scene from Twilight.
Because of his fragile state, some viewers have begun to question how competent he is as a leader to the new supes. Which has prompted one Reddit user to point out how he misused his powers during a critical moment in Episode 3.
“Is there an in-universe explanation for why he didn’t just use X-ray vision?” the fan posted with a still from Episode 3.
The fan is spotlighting an incredibly heated moment between Homelander, Victoria Neuman, and Hughie Campbell.
In Season 4 Episode 3, Homelander and Victoria, along with Sister Sage, have a private meeting to discuss getting rid of Starlight before turning on Victoria’s political rival Robert Singer.
In exchange, they demand Victoria disband her anti-Supe agency, which would have a trickle down effect in which supes would have supreme authority over all crime fighting orgainzations.
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Right before this meeting, Hughie managed to sneak into Vought Headquarters to plant a bug in the air vent system but was caught by Homelander due to a drop of Hughie’s sweat landing on the supe.
Many fans were confused about why Homelander wouldn’t immediately use his X-ray vision to sniff out Hughie’s vent hiding spot, but others had a pretty scientific explanation on deck.
“Most likely the vents were made of zinc. [Homelander] can’t see through them. I thought the same thing at first of why he doesn’t just use his power but remember the Zinc thing,” one Reddit user said.
Another fan wrote, “Apparently zinc is actually what is commonly used in ductwork to galvanize the steel in order to prevent rust and make maintenance cheaper. So the majority of HVAC ducts are actually coated in the one thing Homelander can’t see through.”
Many building air ducts are coated in zinc to prevent corrosion and rust, but the nutrient is also known to hinder one’s sense of taste and smell, so it’s likely Homelander, despite all his god-like powers, was stunted by a lowly Earth element.
New episodes of The Boys Season 4 drop on Wednesdays on Prime Video. Until then, check out The Boys Season 4 theories and read up on all the new Supes in The Boys.
