A new deepfake video sees Henry Cavill replace Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys and the result is odd but perfect. Played by the New Zealand actor on Amazon Prime Video’s superhero satire, Homelander essentially serves as a psychopathic version of Superman. Based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis, The Boys frequently subverts superhero tropes, and Homelander is directly inspired by DC’s Kryptonian superhero, with a bit of Marvel’s Captain America thrown into the mix as well.
In 2013, British actor Henry Cavill took on the mantle of Superman in the DC Extended Universe, making his debut in Man of Steel and reprising the role for 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017’s Justice League. He also suited back up for the director’s cut on HBO Max, Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Though it appears Cavill’s days as Superman are behind him, he remains enormously popular in the role, leading to rumors he may return in the coming years.
Now, a new fan edit is seeing Cavill take on a Superman-adjacent role: Homelander. Shared by @Lucifer_Shill on Twitter, the 20-second deepfake video imagines the DCEU’s Superman actor as his evil counterpart on The Boys. Check out the video below:
Henry Cavill as Homelander…
He doesn’t look bad at all ☠️ pic.twitter.com/2SeDLWLnGg
— cheezyvIRL (@Lucifer_Shill) July 12, 2022
Initially, it is a bit odd to see someone else take on the role that Starr has inhabited on The Boys for three seasons now, though the result is undeniably perfect. Cavill possesses all the physical characteristics and natural gravitas necessary to play Superman, so it’s no surprise he absolutely looks the part of his evil counterpart on The Boys. What’s truly striking is how this deepfake produces a result that is nearly indistinguishable from Prime Video’s actual show.
Star is set to return as Homelander in The Boys season 4, which was renewed just one week after the season 3 premiere. The future of Cavill’s Superman, on the other hand, is much less clear. There are currently no plans for his return, as Cavill focuses on his popular Netflix roles as Geralt of Rivia on The Witcher, Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes, and potentially a new Apple TV+ film franchise in Argylle. Superman will continue without Cavill as multiple live-action projects are in development, including a feature film from J.J. Abrams and Ta-Nehisi Coates and an HBO Max series from Michael B. Jordan. While fans wait for these projects to come to fruition, The Boys will continue parodying the popular Kryptonian superhero with Homelander.