- For the Dynamite version of the character, see Black Noir's Son.
| “ | Don't be a cunt.
―Ryan[src]
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” |
Ryan Butcher Saunders is a major character in the Amazon series The Boys, serving as a minor character in Season 1, a supporting character in Seasons 2 and 3, and a major character in the upcoming Season 4.
He is the son of Homelander and Becca Butcher, Rachel Saunders' nephew and Billy Butcher's step-son.
The Boys Series[]
Background[]
| “ | I'm scared
―Ryan addressing Butcher before he lets Mallory take him away.[src]
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” |
Ryan is a sweet boy who loves his mother, Becca. He's the type of kid who enjoys simple things, he was raised to be a kind and diligent little boy, something he remained as late until the age of 8, unlike Homelander, who, according to Vogelbaum's confession was the same until the age of 5 although his father's demeanor changed when his caretaker forced him to become "the greatest man in the world", something Becca adamantly wanted to avoid. Ryan enjoys making short stop motion Lego animation's based on old movies that his mother shows him, he also enjoys staying on top of his education and whenever he can give himself "homework" (as Homelander put it) so he can exercise his mind.
Season One[]
Meeting his father[]
| “ | Mom! [...] Homelander!
―Ryan expressing surprise at seeing the famous Homelander.[src]
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Ryan is first seen in the show after the standoff of William Butcher and Homelander at Madelyn Stillwell's house. When John takes Butcher to his wife's front porch Ryan quickly comes out of the house to see what the commotion is outside and is surprised to see the famous superhero.
After Homelander proclaims he is his father, Ryan is overpowered by a rush of emotions causing his powers to manifest by the way of almost activating his heat vision, a trait clearly inherited from his father.
Season Two[]
Catching ball[]
| “ | Huh! I can't do that!
―Ryan's reaction to seeing Homelander launched a ball into space.[src]
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On a sunny day, Homelander wants to spend some quality time connecting with his son, so he tries to play baseball in the backyard of Becca's house, at first things seem to be going splendidly, with Ryan throwing his dad the ball, Homelander engaging in some small talk, but when Ryan starts messing up and missing the balls Homelander throws at him, the superhero just bluntly states that Ryan should start using his powers to make himself better at the game.
Ryan is bemused by his comment, citing that he can't do the things that Homelander can, but before the superhero can press the matter further, Becca, the kid's mother intervenes and sends Ryan away to do his homework.
Father and son[]
| “ | Mom says being lonely makes you know yourself better.
―Ryan after Homelander starts trying to connect with him.[src]
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Homelander visits Ryan again in an attempt to connect with his child, this time the supe gives his son a smartphone, something Ryan never had before and a thing that he doesn't quite know what do to with, since he doesn't have that many friends and his mother is almost always by his side. After an initial awkward exchange his father starts to open up to Ryan, stating that he didn't really have parents and he wants to be for him what he never had, both a mother and a father, although his superiority complex still seeps into the conversation making little Ryan uncomfortable. Homelander starts ranting about how they are both one side of the same coin, gods that are destined to enjoy the feeling of power, beings that can't be regulated by anyone and how he wants his son to share this feeling together with him.
Extremely weirded out by the monologue Ryan dismisses Homelander by telling him he wants to go to bed.
Breakfast with a twist[]
| “ | This is nice.
―Homelander enjoying breakfast with his son.[src]
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Homelander interrupts usual breakfast Monday morning for Becca and Ryan, although just his mere presence creates considerable tension.
Tired of the antics of both Becca and his child around the breakfast table, John rudely halts the meal, masking a demand that his son go with him to show him some real "fun" outside into a question instead of playing this little charade Becca calls breakfast, she tries to prevent the supe from taking her son but Ryan assures her it'll be ok, probably out of fear his father would throw a tantrum if they refused.
Flying lessons of Homelander[]
| “ | Are you ready?"
"Ready for what? ―Homelander asking Ryan if he's ready to jump into the proverbial frying pan.[src]
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Shortly past breakfast, the father's child takes him up to the roof of Becca's house for his first lesson in superhuman abilities: flight. At first starting slow, the supe starts to get the boy ready by asking him mundane questions among the likes of, "Has your mother ever taken you up here before?", but per his father's really low patience he starts pushing the boy to just let go, jump and propel himself away into flight, Ryan obviously doesn't want to do it, thinking he'll fall right off and injure himself but when the super pushes even harder, Ryan starts crying. It's not what he wants.
Feigning regret for pushing his son to partake in his lesson, Homelander starts comforting him before casually pushing his son off the roof in the hope that his instincts will kick in and he will fly.
Much to his father's disappointment, Ryan falls flat on his face. Becca then exits the house and rushes to their son's aid, frightened that that Homelander might have just killed him. The supe bluntly tells Becca that Ryan can't be hurt, assuming that Ryan inherited his father's invulnerability.
A short while later, Ryan recovers from his fall without a scratch, suggesting Homelander is correct. Then, when Homelander threatens his mother, Ryan apparently displays his powers again in a fit of rage, managing to shove Homelander to the ground. Ryan's eyes also glow red, albeit not shooting them into laser-like beams like Homelander does. This display, much to Becca's chagrin leaves Homelander with a weird satisfaction in knowing that his son is indeed a superhuman as well.
The power couple come a knockin'[]
| “ | All right, well, Ryan, I'd love you to meet my girlfriend, Stormfront"
"Wow, he looks just like you! ―Homelander introducing Ryan to his new lover Stormfront while she exclaims the child's perfect Aryan feature's.[src]
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When Ryan and his mom play with a Lego set in their backyard, John brings his new girlfriend Stormfront to see his progeny. Not wasting any time, Stormfront begins trying to poison the child's mind, immediately feeding him things like how he should know that he is a very special being, the first natural born supe and other things, Becca tries to intervene but to no avail. Homelander then declares that they will shift focus to Ryan and that both him and Stormfront will be spending a lot more time with Ryan, hoping that Ryan will begin to connect with Stormfront and get to know her better.
Little family get-together[]
| “ | Wow... That... That uh... That's really something Ryan"
"I've done the Blindside, Dances with Wolves, Terms of Endearment, all my mom's favorites! ―Ryan showing his father and Stormfront his stop motion lego movies.[src]
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Inside the house Homelander, Stormfront, Becca and Ryan gather around a tablet to watch the Lego movies little Ryan put together inspired by old movies his mother let him watch, all of them non violent, so as not to taint him. Displeased with this development Stormfront asks Ryan if he's into any "normal kid stuff" like video games or YouTubers like Pewdiepie, after Ryan doesn't even know what she talks about, Stormfront suggests the boy watch some of his dad's movies, much to the kid's surprise that his dad actually is a movie star on top of being a superhero, after which she promises to take Ryan to various kid attractions around the country to basically get him out of the shell Becca put him in. His mother, reaching the end of her patience watching the 2 supes trying to twist Ryan's way of life calls Homelander outside and tries to argue with him that what they're doing is not in his benefit. Homelander insists that if she keeps on going like this, Ryan will be shell shocked when he sees the real world and when he finds out that all his childhood he lived a protected, sheltered, designed life, much like himself. Meanwhile, Becca argues it's for Ryan's own good and he won't become Homelander since he has a mother.
The truth is hard to swallow[]
| “ | Alright! Dinner's ready! Hey bud, you ready for dinner? What's wrong?"
"You're a liar, you lied to me! He just flew me up and showed me! This house is fake, the neighbours are fake, YOU'RE FAKE? ―Ryan's revelation that his whole life was orchestrated when Homelander showed him the truth.[src]
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Later that evening, when Becca finished cooking some lasagna for dinner, she called upon her son to come to the dinner table, but to her surprise she found Ryan with Stormfront and Homelander, revealing the latter flew him up into the air and presented for him the lie that Vought created, a whole suburban neighborhood, designed to give him a perfect, non violent childhood, complete with fake neighbors, fake school, fake mother, just so he wouldn't turn out like his dad did. Becca immediately tries to damage control the situation, telling her son that they will talk about all this but he is having none of it, when Homelander and Stormfront tell Becca to back off and that he will be coming with them, she tries to take him under her wing and shield him with her body, but Ryan, angry at his mother, goes out from beside her right into Homelander's arms, the supe flies away with his son and his girlfriend, leaving Becca behind in dismay.
Adjustments[]
Ryan attempts to hold onto a few things from his time with Becca, quoting her stance on always learning. Homelander however, believes he doesn't need to think that way and encourages his son to have fun. That's when Homelander decides to take Ryan and Stormfront to his first restaurant. Everything seems to be going well until a bunch of fans begin to swarm Homelander and Stormfront, this makes Ryan begin to panic as he is not used to crowds of people. Homelander notices his son's anxiety and flies him away.
Ryan hides inside Homelander's cabin and tries to calm himself down by remembering Becca's guidance. Homelander enters and tries to connect with his son. Homelander then reassures Ryan by telling him his own first experience with crowds, and he also panicked just like Ryan. Homelander then offers to teach Ryan how to use his powers, saying he can be there like no one was for him. Ryan is then seen trying to use his heat vision on an action figure, Homelander and Stormfront encourage him. When Ryan fails, Homelander tries to help him by teaching him about "hating". Ryan argues that he has nothing to hate. That is when Stormfront intervenes and teaches him about "White Genocide", and that he needs to hate if he wants to protect those around him. Ryan tries again, but his lessons are interrupted by Stormfront when she sees a news article on her phone about her past.
Unlikely rescue[]
Becca is intent on finding Ryan so she goes to Butcher for help. With the guidance of Stan Edgar, Butcher and The Boys plan to get Ryan back. With Homelander distracted, Becca and Butcher retrieve Ryan from inside the cabin. When Mother's Milk attempts to drive away with Becca and Ryan, Stomfront arrives and prevents their escape by sending the car flying. After extracting Becca and Ryan from the ruined car, Butcher flees with them on foot. Stormfront is unable to pursue immediately as a combined attack from Kimiko, Starlight and Queen Maeve threatens to overwhelm her. Finally, Stormfront is able to flee by taking flight and quickly overtakes Butcher, Becca and Ryan.
Stormfront calls Ryan to her, insisting that he belongs with other Supes and not with his mother. Becca defiantly attacks Stormfront by stabbing her in the eye. Enraged, Stormfront pins Becca by the neck to a tree and begins to strangle her. As Butcher vainly attempts to stop Stormfront, Ryan pleads with her to stop hurting his mother, but to no avail. Ryan then uses his laser vision for the first time, reducing three of Stormfront's limbs to charred stumps and severely burning her face. Unfortunately, he mortally wounds Becca in the process, though it is unclear how Ryan could have accomplished this with his heat vision, as Becca began to bleed profusely from the neck and showed a curious lack of burns, which should have been the result of Ryan's heat vision. Becca then dies from blood loss, but not before extracting a promise from Butcher to keep Ryan safe. A tearful Ryan, overwhelmed by the enormity of his unwitting actions, repeatedly apologizes.
It is unclear what Butcher intends to do, despite his promise to Becca. After Becca dies, it first appears that he might intend to kill Ryan himself as revenge for his accidental killing of Becca. But Homelander arrives and sees Stormfront's charred body and delirious state of mind, and attempts to call Ryan to him. Ryan chooses instead to go to Butcher. Homelander then advances on Butcher, probably to kill him, but Queen Maeve arrives, and blackmails Homelander into allowing Butcher and Ryan to leave, and to further stop his vendetta against her, Elena and Starlight.
Butcher takes Ryan to Grace Mallory to put him in her care, where he will be safe and gifts Ryan his medallion.
Season Three[]
In Mallory's arms[]
Ryan has been living in a safe house with Grace Mallory for over a year. Butcher visits him regularly, at the promise of Becca before she died, and Ryan seems thrilled to have this new relationship with Butcher. They video chat often and Ryan even sends Butcher a short video he made with an audio voiceover from an old message from Becca.
However, when Butcher starts to search for Soldier Boy and take V24, he distances himself from Ryan in an effort to protect Ryan from the upcoming conflicts. After getting a lead to Soldier Boy's location from Grace, Butcher tells Ryan he is leaving with no intention to return. Ryan refuses, and pleads with Butcher to stay with him, but Butcher remarks he hasn't forgotten what he did to Becca. Distraught and heartbroken, Ryan removes Butcher's medallion and exclaims "I hate you" to Butcher and runs off in tears.
Reunited with Homelander[]
Sometime later, he is confronted by Homelander while practicing his superhuman throwing, having learned of his location from Victoria Neuman. His father, stating that he's not mad at Ryan for what happened a year ago, shares that he will always love him no matter what. Ryan responds with a hug, seemingly restoring their relationship, much to a scared Mallory. The former two presumably leave her behind and head to Vought Tower.
Homelander then presents Ryan to Soldier Boy, introducing him as his grandson, and that the two can finally be a family. Butcher, also present, is shocked to see Ryan there with Homelander, and becomes worried. However, Soldier Boy repeats his own father's words towards Homelander, calling him a disappointment and weak before restraining him with Butcher and Maeve. Ryan attempts to break the three Supes up to free his father, and manages to knock Soldier Boy to the side with his laser vision, to which his grandfather knocks him into a bookshelf and knocking him out, much to a distraught Homelander. After checking to make sure he's fine, Homelander engages with Maeve in battle, leaving Ryan defenseless before Soldier Boy begins to detonate. Butcher comes forward to shield Ryan with his body, but luckily, Maeve manages to throw Soldier Boy and herself out a window, directing the explosion outside in the air. With Soldier Boy gone, Homelander approaches Ryan, and he leaves with him, much to Butcher's agony.
During the next few days, Homelander begins to teach Ryan some of his powers, including flight, which he uses to descend with his father down to a group of Homelander and Stormfront supporters, introducing his son to them. Just then, a Starlight follower throws an object at Homelander, accidentally hitting Ryan in the head and on the chest. A furious Homelander, without thought, lasers the man right in the head, but the crowd cheers for him, much to his delight and Ryan's growing smile.
Appearance[]
In the words of Billy Butcher, Ryan is the spitting image of Homelander. He has blonde hair though by the time of season 3 which takes place a year after season 2 it has seemingly turned brown. He has blue eyes.
Personality[]
In the words of show writer Eric Kripke Ryan is half Homelander and half Becca. Ryan is a sweet, smart and pretty gentile boy. He loved his mother very much and is kind, quiet and polite to pretty much everyone when first meeting them. He is curious of the world like most kids his age. He really likes cookies as evidenced by the Lego animation he made. He is very smart as evidenced by him speaking a bit of Spanish with his mom on Monday breakfasts and him doing pretty good Lego animations which he enjoys doing. He is shown to like learning and staying on top of his education shown by him writing and reciting all fifty states as fast as he can in either alphabetical order or geographical order though he does dislike math and comments that his mother used to help him. He is never shown to get very angry except when he pushed his father, Homelander and screamed at him telling him he hated him and to leave him and his mother alone. Due to being raised in isolation he had enochlophobia, however, this changed later in season 3, where we see Ryan fly down towards a crowd of Homelander fans. After his mother got killed accidently by his heat vision he felt great guilt and sadness over her death and felt even more uneasy about his powers and after seeing his dad covered in blood he became scared of him and having nightmares of Homelander killing everything and everyone and Ryan himself. When Butcher rejected him and Homelander found him and he joined him they went to the rally. When Ryan saw Homelander kill the Starlight supporter for accidently hitting Ryan and the crowd started to cheer for it Ryan began to grow a smile signifying that the Homelander half of him is developing.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Superhuman Strength: Ryan possesses superhuman strength, which makes him stronger than humans and some Supes. He shoved Homelander to the ground, albeit done when angry, and he can launch a baseball at rapid speeds.
- Superhuman Durability: Ryan possesses superhuman durability, making him more durable than humans and some Supes. He survived a twenty-foot fall from his home's roof, emerging unharmed, as well as getting hurled into a bookcase by Soldier Boy.
- Heat Vision: Ryan is also capable of generating heat energy from his eyes, similar to Homelander. However, Ryan has little to no control over this power, as his eyes simply glow red when he is angry. He managed to gravely injure Stormfront, severing three limbs and severely burning her face, reducing her to a delirious state. His heat vision is also strong enough to send his grandfather, Soldier Boy, flying back into a wall, protecting his father in the process: it took both Butcher and Homelander hitting Soldier Boy with their heat vision to throw him back. Although Ryan did catch Soldier Boy off guard when he shot him, whereas Soldier Boy saw Butcher’s and Homelander’s attacks, and was ready for them. Ryan's heat vision is stated to be more powerful than his own father's.
- Superhuman Senses: All of Ryan's senses are enhanced to superhuman levels, allowing him to perceive the world in far greater detail than the average human.
- Superhuman Hearing: Ryan's sense of hearing is incredibly sensitive, like his father's, even acute enough to hear someone's heartbeat. However, this can be detrimental when he is surrounded by cacophony.
- Superhuman Smell: Ryan's sense of smell is superhumanly acute. After Billy Butcher had injected himself with Compound V24, Ryan remarked that his "blood smells funny."
- Flight: Ryan can fly just like his father, Homelander. In Season Two he was initially unable to do it but in the end of Season Three he proves to have learned to fly.
- Regenerative Healing Factor: Ryan possesses a powerful healing factor; Ryan did receive a cut on his head after being hardly hit by his grandfather Soldier Boy. However, when he was presented by Homelander to his fans the next day, the wound on his head had already disappeared.
Abilities[]
- Lego Animation: Ryan is very talented at creating Lego animations, having completed Lego animation versions of several of his mother's favorite movies.
- Bilingualism: Ryan is able to speak Spanish, though his level of proficiency is unknown. According to Becca, she and Ryan speak Spanish on Mondays during breakfast.
Weaknesses[]
- Enochlophobia: Being raised in isolation has caused Ryan to develop enochlophobia, or fear of crowds. While on an outing with his father, he was reduced to a panic when adoring fans surrounded Homelander and Stormfront. It does not appear that he has agoraphobia, however, as he has been seen in environments outside of his home without becoming anxious. He later appeared to have overcome this to a degree, as he showed no signs of panicking when visiting a Homelander rally with his father.
- Loud Noise: Due to his superhuman hearing, loud, sustained noises can cause him sufficient pain and distress as to render him helpless. Unlike his father, he has not yet learned to block out loud noises.
- Lack of Fine Control: As Ryan is still a prepubescent child, and also due to his lack of practice (due to his mother's refusal to address his superhuman powers) his control over his superhuman abilities is marginal at best. For example, he was only able to use his heat vision for the first time while in a panic over a threat to his mother. Also, while he succeeded in stopping Stormfront (and nearly killed her), he accidentally mortally wounded his mother in the process.
- Blunt Force: While Ryan was stunned from a 20 foot drop off of his roof caused by Homelander, and a car accident that was caused by Stormfront, it has been shown that he can possibly be harmed from a certain amount of force rather than being stunned.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Allies[]
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Enemies[]
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Trivia[]
- Ryan is likely a parody of DC's Superboy.
- Ryan is the first genetically born Supe in The Boys universe.
- It is implied through Ryan's behaviors, specifically his fear of crowds, tendency to experience sensory overload, intense focus on studying and his animation hobby, as well has his repetitive behaviors such as listing U.S states in particular orders that Ryan might be somewhere on the Autism spectrum. However, given that he has superhuman senses, is a biological anomaly being the first natural born Supe, as well as the fact that he was raised in an artificial environment with only his mother as company, this could account for at least some of these behaviors.
Gallery[]
Screencaps[]
.jpg "Ryan Butcher (season 1).jpg (87 KB)")
.jpg "Ryan Butcher (season 2).jpg (74 KB)")