Homelander and 5 characters from The Boys we love to hate

The Boys is a fantastic TV series any way you see it, but it wouldn't be the same without its many antagonists. The reason we want to see Billy Butcher, Hughie, and the rest of the team succeed so badly is so that we can see the bad guys fail. They deserve it, after all. They commit hundreds of despicable acts that have made us think time and time again: "I really hate this character".

But that's part of The Boys' charm. It wouldn't be so engaging to watch if it weren't for its wicked villains and all their doings. So today we're celebrating the worst of the worst and ranking six characters of the Prime Series that we love to hate. But before we begin, Be warned: There will be spoilers for all four seasons of The Boys released so far.

6. Todd

Let's kick things off with the most harmless character on the list. Unlike the super-powered individuals we'll discuss next, Todd hasn't killed or seriously harmed anyone. However, that's why it's so impressive that audiences hated him that much. Seriously, there wasn't a single person who didn't cheer when Mother's Milk finally hit him. It was a cathartic moment and the perfect way to start closing the third season of The Boys.

Todd acted as a blind follower and faithful supporter of Homelander. Everything the deranged "superhero" said, Todd believed without any question. This excessive fanatism is what made audiences dislike him that much. Besides, he was also at direct odds with Mother's Milk - one of The Boys' most beloved characters. So of course when it came to choosing sides, we all lined up with M.M. without hesitation.

But even if Todd wasn't someone anyone cheered for, his death was both wrong and unfair. He perished at the hands of Homelander, who ordered A-Train, Black Noir, and The Deep to kill him along with other devoted followers of The Seven. That sequence gave the phrase "never meet your heroes" a whole new (and twisted) meaning. At the end of the day, Mother's Milk said it best: "[Todd] wasn't my favorite person but... he was innocent". And that's right; Monique's new boyfriend was harmless by all means.

... But we still enjoyed the Season 3 punch. That was well deserved.

5. A-Train

At this point, you may be thinking: "Didn't season 4 of The Boys give A-Train a great redemption arc? Why is he on this list?" Well, it's true. A-Train can be considered one of the good guys now, and we're all in for it. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that he's the only reason why Hugie got involved in the great (but awesome) mess that has been the last four seasons of The Boys.

Hugie's greatest nightmare began when A-Train relentlessly ran over Robin while being drugged on Compound V. To make matters worse, he didn't care in the slightest about the people he killed before Season 4. It used to be all about his public image, and staying relevant in the media. To this date, we can't forget that awkward scene where a kid with cancer asked to meet Translucent but got A-Train instead. It was painfully obvious that Reggie wasn't there to make the kid feel better, but just to make himself look good in the eyes of the country (something that, fortunately, backfired).

A-Train was a horrible person and an even worse hero. So even if all of that has started to change recently, it won't make him escape from securing a spot on this list. And fans will no doubt continue to enjoy hating on the character for everything he had done up to that point.

4. Tek-Knight

One episode. Just one. That's how long it took Tek-Knight to become one of The Boys' most hated characters. So you know he did something truly repulsive to earn that title.

Tek-Knight is The Boys' twisted version of Batman; an extremely clever millionaire who has a secret cave filled with many "gadgets"... except he's racist in this tale. Audiences immediately hated him the moment he said to A-Train: "The Vernon family started out as slave catchers [...] I bet you would've given my great-great-granddaddy a run for his money, but we would've caught you".

To make matters worse, he also sexually assaulted Hughie when he was at his lowest after his father's passing. Tek-Knight was such a horrible person that the man who raised him decided to put an end to his life. That's how awful he was. So even if audiences spent little time with him throughout The Boys and Gen V, it was still more than enough.

3. The Deep

Oh, The Deep. Not only is he the least important character in The Seven, but also very insecure, and easy to order around. You may even start to feel bad for him sometimes, but that shouldn't be the case. He's also cruel, manipulative, and a great liar. Besides, we all know how he likes to do... unspeakable things with aquatic animals, which doesn't make him any more likable. It was thanks to him that Starlight had first figured out how ruthless the superhero world is. Besides, we can't forget how he just let his octopus pet/lover Ambrosius die.

Not even A-Train - another so-called superhero who did many horrible things - could stand The Deep by the time Season 4 of The Boys premiered. As Reggie Franklin would put it: "Deep, just FYI, I've always f**king hated your ass". Yeah, I guess that sums up the feelings of the entire audience. So that's why it was so gratifying when Starlight and A-Train fought him in the fourth season of The Boys.

But remember: if you really dislike any character in a movie or series, it's because the actor portraying it did a fantastic job. So props have to be given to Chace Crawford for playing the role to perfection and being so committed to it!

2. Stormfront

After the introduction of Homelander, many doubted The Boys could ever create a villain as maniacal as him ever again. Then season 2 of the series came by, and it proved us all wrong. Stormfront was such a ruthless, vile, and almost soulless character. Even if she may not appear to be so evil initially, when the curtain is pulled then it lets us see how horrendous of a person she is.

Actress Aya Cash even talked about how it was a complicated decision to play the character in an interview with Vulture:

"It was definitely a complicated decision. This is a superhero story, but the superheroes are, for the most part, really vile people. They are showing all types of disgusting humanity, and we live in a world where that exists."

There's a scene where Stormfront says to Ryan - who was just a small kid, mind you - that people were hunting her because of something called "white genocide". That comment even left Homelander... the Homelander, absolutely perplexed. So that gives you an idea of just how bad it was. But all of that build-up finally paid off when Ryan finally took her down with his laser vision. That moment wouldn't have been as satisfying if she wasn't such an evil character.

1. Homelander

Okay, so where do we begin? Homelander has forced people to jump out of buildings, ripped people in half, sexually assaulted Butcher's wife, and let a plane fall and crash (even when he could've saved it). Worse of all: everything we've mentioned is just the tip of the iceberg. Homelander spent a lot of time trying to teach his son Ryan that they're above every single human being. And throughout most of the series, he does exactly what he preaches.

The cherry on top of the cake is Antony Starr's acting. He does a terrific job of portraying Homelander's cruel and vulnerable sides. No other actor could've made the role as iconic as it is. Besides, our great dislike for the character is what has kept us engaged for four seasons so far. We all want to see him finally defeated once and for all.

They say a hero is only as good as its villain. And now that Homelander has control over the country, Butcher and the rest of The Boys will have to step up their game if they strive to take him down. The stage is set for Season five of the Amazon Prime series to be the best one so far, and we can't wait to see how it all concludes!