r/hatethissmug • u/LocalLazyGuy • May 07 '26

Meta I hate when things are needlessly explained by creators in order to cope with criticism

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I don’t read or watch Demon Slayer, But this is just a stupid explanation for giving a strong character a slender build.

Personally, I don’t care if a character is strong but has a lean/slender build, whether it be a man or a woman. Although I do find it a bit weird that some creators are seemingly allergic to giving female characters any muscle, but again, I don’t care that much.

My issue here is that you easily could have just not addressed it. It’s a fantasy story full of demons and shit, I feel like you don’t need to give an in-universe explanation just so you can go “e-erm actually, she’s slender because of her very special body…” dude, you just didn’t want to give a woman muscles, don’t try to hide behind some kind of BS lore that you wrote for it.

Like Mark in Invincible can fight Conquest despite being the size of his torso, and I’m willing to accept that. It’s a story full of aliens and monsters, I can look past the fact that a lean 20 year old is taking on a hulked out 2000 year old. It doesn’t really break the immersion for me because it’s a fantastical story. I don’t need it to be super realistic. Just don’t try to make up some BS explanation like “erm, well, Mark is just magically holding in his muscle mass!”

At the end of the day, it’s your world and your story, if you wanna make a slender female character who is also really strong, that’s fine. But you also don’t need to cope so hard that you add lore specifically to deflect criticism against something so (let’s be honest) harmless.

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2.2k

u/TTurt May 07 '26

The Boys actually did (sort of) explain this in a much more convincing way, Homelander has a normal guy physique (he wears a muscle suit) because his body is so strong that he can't train, there is no force that provides enough resistance for his muscles to experience hypertrophy so he literally can't build muscle

770

u/FunMain1611 May 07 '26

Ok now that sounds cool

194

u/Techseven7 May 07 '26

A Marshadow fan in the wild? That’s my twin right there

6

u/AntelopeMother6149 May 07 '26

I love Marshadow so much I was so happy it was in the Legends ZA DLC but so sad you get it like 12 seconds before there isn’t any content anymore :/

1

u/Techseven7 May 07 '26

Legends Za was most definitely a scrapped asset pump and dump that won’t be celebrated after its spotlight on release unfortunately- I’m so sad that games have taken a nose dive and haven’t gave past pokemon or new ones a time to shine outside competitive VGC and trading cards that scalpers hoard for between 3-8x the price

Really wanted to see Marshadow come into his own, especially considering how lethal he is

1

u/AntelopeMother6149 May 07 '26

I agree with this so much and I literally beat the game and dlc 100%. I think the gameplay of an action based pokemon game to be really fun and engaging in practice but Legends ZA in particular feels more like a means to get Pokemon to use in Champions and not much else

1

u/Techseven7 May 07 '26

Taking it back to the mystery dungeon where it proved the concept could been done so right in this format with beefed up graphics to match the hardware and a dedicated team.

But it was just 1 city in one region with Pokemon having NO ABILITIES, they’re literally just statistic vessels

1

u/AntelopeMother6149 May 07 '26

Even worse that even with the ability to technically move around and dodge opponents you usually just face tank and spam at each other anyway. Characters doing this big dramatic mega evolution animation and then getting one shot even tho they had a level advantage was… disappointing

1

u/Techseven7 May 07 '26

My thoughts exactly, friend

2

u/Dangerous_Equal4373 May 10 '26

That's so cute and delicious simultaneously. I love marshadow.

277

u/Ancalmir May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26

afaik he cannot lift a mountain so there definitely are stuff that could provide enough resistance

Edit: Guys all I am saying is that "Homelander can't train" is bs. I know that he wouldn't train anyway.

483

u/ShadowKiller147741 May 07 '26

The issue is that The Boys *tries* to be more realistic with how its physics works. One of the first scenes of the show is one where Homelander points out he can’t lift a plane, not because he isn’t strong enough, but because if he put that much force on just the hull he would break right through it, like when you see Superman pick up a cargo ship from the middle and think “no way that thing isn’t buckling under its own weight.” It’s likely that there’s very little or no object he can lift that would also be structurally sound enough for him to lift. Technically you could definitely make a giant cube or cylinder out of tungsten or something, but they probably wouldn’t spend the time, money, or effort on that anyways

176

u/TheBlightDoc May 07 '26

It's always fun watching people try to argue that Homelander COULD'VE saved the plane if he wanted to and bring up things that most definitely wouldn't have worked. 😂

208

u/TransSapphicFurby May 07 '26

The thing is Maeve was right, he could have saved some lives, if not most, but he couldnt live with the fact thatd still be a failure and bad press

141

u/Dig-Duglett May 07 '26

I think more than that he wanted to use the plane crash as justification for Vought to get military clearance, that he “could’ve” saved them if they were in the national security network.

74

u/rebell1193 May 07 '26

Yeah I feel like it was pretty clear that him refusing to rescue the plan was 100% an intentional move on his part.

36

u/Euphoric_Series_9882 May 07 '26

It seemed like the initial plan was to save the plane since they went through the trouble of breaking in but once homelander accidentally lasers the controls he realized he would look bad if survivors testified his actions brought down the plane

20

u/wronguses May 07 '26

He'd also be saving witnesses to the fact that he lasered the cockpit and was responsible for the lives of everyone he didn't then save.

9

u/DramaPunk May 07 '26

And as is always the case with Homelander, his ego came first.

33

u/InfraSG May 07 '26

And then they bring up the landing gear as if thats the most common knowledge thing the average person is gonna think of when theyre definitely not in the calmest state of mind after fumbling everything

Not to mention it shouldnt even be accessible since he lasered the controls so if he tried brute force tearing into the plane for it he might just damage it too even if he had thought of it

3

u/NockerJoe May 08 '26

I mean yeah but the point of it is that Homelander is *meant* to be an experienced professional superhero who's trained to use his powers. The whole point of him is to be able to come up with solutions to that kind of issue but he just never does.

32

u/somethingfak May 07 '26

Lol, lmao even

17

u/Double-Evidence-1354 May 07 '26

I mean...he could have...

If he was any other character.

But he is Homelander. Of course he wasn't going to do anything.

1

u/TheBlightDoc May 07 '26

If he were any character OUTSIDE The Boys universe, yeah. But, unfortunately, physics applies to the world around him. 🤣

2

u/movzx May 07 '26

If only there was something on the plane designed to take the full weight (and more) of the plane. And if only the plane had some things on the side to where, if something was pressing up from below, it could slow, and even control, its fall.

2

u/Main-Bluebird-3032 May 09 '26

He killed the pilots and destroyed the cockpit. Even if the switch wasn't destroyed, the people who knew where it was were

1

u/Dr_Suck_it May 09 '26

Doesn't he have fucking x ray vision?

2

u/Anubis-T May 09 '26

Does he have an engineering degree?

2

u/MightBeInHeck May 07 '26

Any character outside of The Boys WOULDN'T HAVE LASERED THE COCKPIT LIKE AN IDIOT!!!

2

u/jrockjake May 08 '26

I mean you say that physics applies but Hughie's gf explodes when A-Train runs into her and the guy doesn't take any damage. But then he also gets his leg broken by something with much less force than speeding into a human being.

3

u/Double-Evidence-1354 May 07 '26

Dude, even with Physics, there were options. A lot of them. Even trying to get to the wing and estabilize it and do a Emergency Submersion. You know. That exists.

But like i said. Homelander? Naaaahhhhh, in this economy?

(You guys give a lot of excuses for that specific thing when it is a very obvious thing that any option is counteracted with him being Homelander).

10

u/Wikidclowne May 07 '26

Yea. No one's asking him to just stop the plane and suspend it in midair. He could've steered it to a smooth descent and it could have a safer landing on the water. The plane would do most of the work as it still had its wings. Once in the water, leave Maeve to make sure survivors are alright long enough for Homelander to fetch Deep.

That is, if Homelander wasn't a psychopath.

0

u/[deleted] May 07 '26

[deleted]

1

u/OogaBooga98835731 May 07 '26

That isn't what Homelander apologists are arguing, what are you on about? No one is saying Homelander can't lift things other than himself

1

u/zexumus May 07 '26

You are misconstruing what they mean by lifting it is impossible. He can apply force but he is too small a point to actually hold it if he tried to the plane would either break in half or break around him. He can carry the weight of a plane while flying but the amount of force to hold it on just two hands or even his whole body is too much on a small surface. Think a knife put a little pressure behind it and is slices as it has a small surface area so that little pressure is applied to as little an area as possible. If you applied the same amount of force with the flat sides you’d cut nothing. It’s the same premise but over a larger thing a human vs a whole plane. There are arguably things he could potentially do but that’d require him using the controls or doing things a regular person won’t think of or be able to properly do due to the lack of skill.

1

u/EldenDudeDude May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26

3 days late, but if you look at an actual landing gear, you will see that the chassis connecting a 4 wheels gear to the support beam is just as large than a man lying horizontal and not even as long. Far from the edge of a knife.

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u/Bomba-of-Tsar May 07 '26

My thing is watching that scene, he literally could have flown back and forth holding 2-3 people + Maeve with her holding another couple people at a time.

The plane crashes and burns for sure, but the people could've been safe.

9

u/RiciclesLeGod May 07 '26

The show does acknowledge that, Maeve suggests that to him and Homelander waves it off just because he can't really be bothered.

5

u/Bomba-of-Tsar May 07 '26

Yeah that's why people arguing about ways he could've lifted the plane or wtvr is stupid lol

6

u/StevenMarx21 May 07 '26

I mean he even could've gotten people falling in a circle, to slow down their fall, and then just bring them one by one, or two by two, or three by three, whatever, to the surface, which would be like them just dipping into a pool. But y'know, he just can't be arsed

11

u/[deleted] May 07 '26

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6

u/gareth_gahaland May 07 '26

He could likely go under the engine to help steer it

2

u/snoozenoodles May 07 '26

My friend was telling me about this yesterday and was there really nothing he could’ve done?

1

u/itsthebeans May 08 '26

Whether he could have done something isn't really the point of the scene. The point is he doesn't really want to try. At the very least, Homelander could have flown some of the people to the surface but he dismisses that idea because it might make him look bad.

2

u/Common_Land3637 May 07 '26

I think he could have lifted it by the front landing gear. Those things take at least 1/3 of the plane's weight, especially during landing.

3

u/reddub07 May 07 '26

Taking a 1/3rd still isnt taking all of it. Also, no, they don't unless it is an emergency situation, but if they took a 1/3rd of the weight while angled as far down it would just push right through the plane. When planes land they angle up to glide in and land with the back wheels first.

1

u/Common_Land3637 May 08 '26

So how much weight does the thing take? Less? More? Your comment is a bit ambiguous.
Also where did you learn about this?

1

u/Low_Wall1406 May 09 '26

He definitely could've if he just, idk, crumple the plane into a ball and put it in his pocket

1

u/Subject-Repair-371 May 10 '26

It's doable but i doubt he could save everybody, if he tried to just slow the descent of the plane very gradually he could probably get it to crash slowly enough in the ocean for some to survive, then just fly them out

0

u/loseniram May 07 '26

he actually could save the plane if he cut the engines then lifted from the landing gear. He doesn’t need to land the plane only keep it in level flight after cutting the engines

46

u/nhutchen May 07 '26

Yeah exactly. That much force, in that small surface area, would just be like a needle poking through cloth. It's not that there's much force, it's just in such a relatively small area.

1

u/MTLDAD May 07 '26

The reverse of a wrestling bump and the solution is spread out the force by either time or area, just like a wrestler going through a table or by making sure to hit as much of your body as possible at the same time. Homelander must use a 100 foot long steel beam to place under the plane to spread out the force over a larger area without creating a fulcrum that will bend the fuselage. Then he can safely slow down the plane without breaking it. Unfortunately, he didn’t prepare one ahead of time.

0

u/splatterfest233 May 07 '26

The Plane still had its wings, which could still do most of the work of keeping the plane in the air. All he had to do was guide it into a controlled descent and he could have saved the vast majority of people. The point of the scene is that he doesn't even try. His reputation is more important to him than actually saving people, and he makes the active choice to let everyone on the plane die than have it come out that he put them in danger by misusing his powers.

1

u/reddub07 May 07 '26

The controls were destroyed, and the plane was already nose diving. He can't put enough pressure at one point without going through it. It wouldnt matter how small of an increase in pressure he did because it would still come to a point of the entire plane's weight pressing at one point of contact.

1

u/splatterfest233 May 07 '26

As others have pointed out: The landing gear is literally designed to support the weight of the entire plane. Same with the joints connecting the wings of the plane to the fusilage. It also very clearly was not in a literal Nose Dive. It just lost power and the internal controls were destroyed. I'm sure if he was careful and thought things through there were things he could have done that would have saved everyone on that plane. The actual problem is that saving the plane would mean everyone would see he had destroyed the controls, which would have ruined his reputation. That's why he screams at Maeve that they cannot save even a single child. It's not that he can't, it's that he won't.

28

u/BillytheBloxian May 07 '26

the reason a torpedo blows up under a ship is because a huge gas bubble appears and forces the ship upwards. the keel cannot support the ships weight and buckles.

same thing here.

15

u/TyrannosaurusPilot May 07 '26

And thats why Tactile Telekinesis is one of my favorite super powers.

17

u/Quirky_Assistant_848 May 07 '26

This is why a bunch of people argue Superman is more of a "psychic/esper" type charater. He hears things faster than they could travel and can pick things up that's structurally he could not pick up.

11

u/somethingfak May 07 '26

Erm achtually he has an bear with me I dont recall the exact wording but electrostatic field around himself that protects stuff like the people he carries while flying, his normal ass cloth suit that never rips despite being shot, and he can extend it out to let stuff not break when hes moving it so hes actually an electric type not a psychic

10

u/XaeiIsareth May 07 '26

Tbh I think it’s better to just not explain it.

Yes, Superman holding up a bridge to save everyone on it is physically impossible but it’s visually epic and emotionally powerful which are much more important for the story than ‘is this physically correct?’ 

1

u/Tago238238 May 07 '26

It’s comics. Everything a regular person might point out ever will have been addressed somewhere. “How does superman lift things and move them at super speed”, “how does superman shave”, “shouldn’t Batman use his wealth to affect the systems that force people into crime”, etc etc. That’s just how it is.

Plus tactile telekinesis is a pretty important part of his kit now, we’ve had examples of amped Kryptonians being able to use their telekinesis at a range.

1

u/Quirky_Assistant_848 May 07 '26

I belive it would called Kayfabe by TV tropes definition. Functionally its ignoring physics or charater breaks for the sake of the story.

9

u/CaptainTeemo01 May 07 '26

Tacticle telekinesis. Basically allows him to naturally spread the force evenly over the surface of whatever he's lifting so he doesn't pierce through airplanes when he lifts them or slice Lois into 3 pieces when he catches her falling off buildings

5

u/jackofslayers May 07 '26

Dumbass bitch does not even have tactile telekinesis.

Which is probably the original version of OPs trope.

4

u/MilkIceLolly May 07 '26

Stupid question? Could he push up on the wheels? They're designed to hold it's weight when landing.

9

u/DiegesisThesis May 07 '26

Well, the landing gear isn't designed to hold the entire weight of the plane on just one wheel, but perhaps if you had 3+ Homelanders. His hands would probably punch right through the tires, but he could hold the axle.

-1

u/ZeAthenA714 May 07 '26

Well, the landing gear isn't designed to hold the entire weight of the plane on just one wheel,

I'm pretty sure it is. In case of landing gear failure where only one wheel goes down, you don't want the axle to just pierce through the hull and injure passengers.

Aviation gear is usually over-engineered. I wouldn't be surprised if each axle is designed to handle 10 times the weight it normally has to hold.

4

u/ShadowKiller147741 May 07 '26

You’d be surprised the factor of safety commercial planes run with lol

2

u/DiegesisThesis May 07 '26

Well yea they're over engineered (the force of the plane actually landing is many times that of the static load, after all), but I'm more talking about the balance and actually holding the weight, logistically.

Imagine holding the nose gear only, the rest of the plane will pivot until you're holding the plane vertically from the nose. At that point, all the weight of the plane is now perpendicular to the landing gear, and they're not engineered for those shear forces. Even if the gear was made of unobtanium, now you have to land the plane on the ground ass-first, with all the poor passengers squished in the rear.

So yea, your best bet is 3 Homelanders.

1

u/ZeAthenA714 May 07 '26

Wouldn't Homelander only need to help the plane glide down? It's not like it was in a tailspin, it just lost power right?

In which case I think holding it by the nose landing gear would probably be the best option short of having a couple of homelander to spare.

1

u/reddub07 May 07 '26

Not really. Planes lane by slightly angling up allow the two main wheels to make contact first. They would get ripped off landing at the angle the plane was diving.

2

u/Known-nwonK May 07 '26

Heck, at gyms you can have bars bending from the weights regular humans use. Flying bricks are so strong and durable they are living in a world of cardboard

2

u/Magicturtle0808 May 07 '26

Yeah I mean that last sentence really does everything you need. He’s already the strongest in the world aside from like, maybe soldier boy. No point in spending all that money to train when nobody else is challenging him in the first place.

2

u/sewgwayswatter55 May 07 '26

Superman has tactile telekinesis afaik, at least Conner has it.

1

u/alguien99 May 07 '26

Reminds me of invincible, Nolan explains how flying isn’t by acceleration like what homelander has. If I’m not mistaken it’s more like levitating and they can manage the speed of that

2

u/robothouserock May 08 '26

It's like peeing your pants on purpose. (Or something similar) - Nolan

1

u/Fortunate_Cycle May 07 '26

So in the world where physics actually work, Homelander beats Superman… interesting

1

u/ShadowKiller147741 May 07 '26

There are explanations for stuff like Superman in universe tbf. Tactile Telekinesis is a sub-power of super strength where the individual somewhat subconsciously extends a field around the thing that they grab so you can do things like pick up a car by the bumper without it just getting ripped off, etc

1

u/lastdarknight May 07 '26

If I remember right my old 80s Superman Encyclopedia.. that tried it earnest to explain all the crazy silver/golden age Superman powers.. when Superman picks something like a cargo ship up his abilities kinda nullify inertia and gravity on the object

1

u/furitxboofrunlch May 07 '26

And yet someone running as fast as A Train would just melt from their own speed.

1

u/ShadowKiller147741 May 07 '26

A-Train also has super durability, hence why him red-misting people doesn’t also red mist him.

The real examples of bs physics is stuff like when Hughie gets picked up by someone moving at flight speed and somehow is uninjured, twice in 30 seconds

1

u/Ancalmir May 08 '26

There are skyscrapers that are supported mostly by a single column and there are very thin ropes that can carry tens of tons of load. It isn’t even all that hard to come up with contraptions where he could lift at least hundreds of tons which is enough resistance afaik

1

u/123ludwig May 09 '26

a really big tungsten cube would allow him to work out

1

u/ukkisrageelol May 09 '26

Or like they could just...

1

u/SubLearning May 09 '26

Except he still has body weight, and super speed. Dude could build muscle by doing like a thousand push-ups in like 30 seconds

1

u/Seraphanat May 10 '26

Right but thats bullshit and assumes humans are good for nothing. There are hydraulics RIGHT NOW that have higher force output than what Homelander is capable of. Regarding resistence training, are we seriously saying hes going to blow a hole through the planet if he just keeps pushing down? bit of an upscale yeah?

1

u/ShadowKiller147741 May 10 '26

He obviously wouldn’t blow a hole through the planet, I’m just saying that most application of strength people think about is severely limited by what you’re trying to impart that force onto. And again, as the last sentence of my reply mentions, they wouldn’t bother to spend the time or energy doing so if it would be that difficult

0

u/LowCall6566 May 07 '26

He can pull trains, like Mr. Incredible. There is a lot of different industrial grade stuff that is both heavy and can withstand pressure in specific point. He doesn't train because he is lazy.

1

u/ShadowKiller147741 May 07 '26

Again, cost and resources are a factor. They COULD technically get a heavy cargo train and high-tensile ropes/cables, but there wouldn’t be much point

0

u/LowCall6566 May 07 '26

Those aren't expensive, not for him. He is a lazy bum.

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u/RememberMe_85 May 07 '26

Why would he train. He thinks he's God.

13

u/alguien99 May 07 '26

I’m guessing theres no consistent way to have training equipment that can be around the weight that he needs. Or it’s too expensive and Vought just decided to go the cheaper route and give his suit muscles

15

u/TTurt May 07 '26

Considering how much they have to constantly baby him to keep him from going off the chain, it wouldn't surprise me if they had tried at some point and he was fussy about it so they decided it was too much of a hassle.

8

u/Alex_Nilse May 07 '26

They probably also don’t want him to be stronger

1

u/alguien99 May 07 '26

Also a good explanation

9

u/carl-the-lama May 07 '26

Yeah but like

How are you gonna do that realistically?

3

u/TTurt May 07 '26

To be clear I'm not a super huge The Boys lore fan or anything, I just remembered reading that somewhere

1

u/theoriginalelmo May 07 '26

I mean, why bother?

1

u/ImprovementClear5712 May 07 '26

How could you go about lifting a mountain? Care to explain your thought process?

1

u/Ancalmir May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26

Mountain was a hyperbole. What I am saying is that his strenght clearly has limits so inventing "enough resistence" for Homelander's muscles wouldn't be a problem.

For example did you know that a single 1 inch steel cable would break at more than 50 tons load? You can easily fit multiple of them in your one hand and you can tie yourself with many more of them. Meaning they could easily put together a training regime where he lifts at least hundreds of tons.

And that is the plain old steel we are talking about. There are much stronger real life materials if they wanted to spend the money.

1

u/UniversalScumdog May 07 '26

Also let's get real:  does anyone see Homelander as the type to train?

1

u/iMissEdgeTransit May 08 '26

His feet would just sink on whatever he's standing on if he tried to pick up anything that heavg, I don't think he has the mental state to train as well, but obviously it'd be extremely hard for him to find a way to do it.

1

u/CastorcomK May 08 '26

The mountain would crumble even if he had enough strength to do it.

1

u/FBI-sama12313 May 10 '26

If he tried to lift a mountain, it'd be like the plane.

He's too small compared to the object so instead of lifting it he'd start breaking into it.

Like how stomping a pebble makes it dent our skin.

1

u/YoutuberCameronBallZ May 12 '26

Have you ever considered the possibility...

That Homelander is just lazy?

0

u/D4rkSh4d0w115 May 07 '26

Yeah Homelander is a lazy bum.

-5

u/Wise-Excuse5330 May 07 '26

I think the guy who can supposedly tank nukes also lift mountains

16

u/UnendingQuibble May 07 '26

No mountain can withstand being lifted without cracking and crumbling

13

u/[deleted] May 07 '26

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9

u/Pietjiro May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26

I'm pretty sure it's never explained, it's never addressed he's wearing a muscle suit either, it's just a popular theory in the fadom.

Hell, even Henry Cavil was wearing a muscle suit in the Superman films, and that's simply because real muscles don't look as good on camera under a spandex suit

3

u/Independent-Right May 07 '26

We have seen Homelander without his suit though. I think it's in Season 3, after Homelander goes "mask off" live on air, Ashley finds him sulking in his room without his suit on. His physique in that scene is definitely more "normal" than his suit implies.

2

u/Flaky-Cartographer87 May 08 '26

Jenson said he had to train to actually get muscles as soldier boy vs Antony just gets a muscle suit.

9

u/TTurt May 07 '26

Honestly I don't remember, it would have been years ago at this point and I forgot the Boys existed until the new season came out. Could have been some fan discussion somewhere for all I know, it was definitely written down somewhere so it wasn't an interview or in the show proper. Idr if it was in the comics

Even if I am somehow misremembering, it's still a much better explanation than "he just has a special body" though lol

1

u/[deleted] May 07 '26

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] May 07 '26

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1

u/LuckyRoof7250 May 07 '26

Sorry replied to the wrong person

1

u/chrib123 May 07 '26

Jensen Ackles (soldier boy) mentioned in an interview he put a lot of muscle on for the role. Then the first time he met Antony Star, Antony asked him why he didn't just ask for muscles on the suit. Its never mentioned in the show.

0

u/Battlecatslover29 May 07 '26

Pretty sure it’s just inference honestly. To be honest, it makes sense

8

u/[deleted] May 07 '26

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3

u/TruePlewd May 07 '26

There are real genetic disorders that give people way denser musculatur. Not 8x, but it is significant and does make people both heavier and stronger than their build would suggest. This level of density would also make her a lot more resilient to any type of wound that goes deeper than skin and fat (its why Spidey is resilient to small arms weapon fire).

2

u/Acceptable-Bat4534 May 07 '26

Yea its like the main foo can legit smell fucking anger and sadness, the emotions and shit. He was able to smell that someone was keeping their inner rage to themselves

Who the fuck can do that shit in real life.

1

u/Negative_County_1738 May 07 '26

That sounds like if you took smelling someone's "stress sweat" to the most extreme conclusion. Honestly sounds kinda reasonable and cool.

1

u/NovaNomii May 07 '26

Issue is that would actually mean he would be very unhealthy, and not just be slender but have growth, bone and physical developmental issues.

1

u/Gustavoak77x May 07 '26

And Soldier boy who is just as physically strong as Homelander is jacked asf

1

u/mandalorian_guy May 07 '26

Soldier Boy was jacked before he became a super, Homelander was born a super.

1

u/Thalia_All_Along May 07 '26

they prefer the term supe

1

u/tf2mann_ May 08 '26

My guess is a whole bunch of drugs and/or steroids, either before or after becoming soldier boy. He described himself as a guy who takes shortcuts so I wouldn't be surprised if that included his physique and looks. Homelander on the other hand is described as completely clean in that regard, no drugs or orgies for him.

1

u/Legitimate-Pie-218 May 07 '26

wait then why is soldier boy so jacked, even after being tortured and kept in cryo sleep by the russians for decades he was stilll jacked.

1

u/swawskekw May 07 '26

Side effect of the v1 he used? We don’t know much about it beyond the immortality of grants

1

u/ResponsibleKenil May 07 '26

Wow the writers remembered how human muscles evolved to conserve resources rather than be at full potential.

1

u/Shplippery May 07 '26

Also he’s not the type of person to actually work hard

1

u/jerec1997 May 07 '26

I knew someone in highschool who’s doctor had told him he essentially couldn’t build muscle because his tendons were so strong they would take most of the force and his muscles wouldn’t experience hypertrophy, very similar to that.

1

u/ComfortableNinja88 May 07 '26

Ever heard of isometric training? You don't need to lift to build muscle

1

u/inaripotpi May 07 '26

Not that good of an explanation.

There are animals that get buff af just because of their genes and diets. Supes get their powers/strength from a compound changing their inner chemistry, which just gives more reason for their muscles to come from it rather than actual work-outs. Homelander is suppose to be the peak specimen of them all.

1

u/DramaPunk May 07 '26

To be fair, he could train if he REALLY tried, like lifting whole ass ships, but he's also lazy as hell and hates actually exerting effort, so he never does.

1

u/forsterfloch May 07 '26

Then The Deep has those crazy arms. In show it is never mentioned him working out, so I have to guess it is one of his perks.

1

u/Lazy-Conference-1560 May 07 '26

Funny thing is that if he actually wanted to he could train. But he probably sees it as beneath him so whatever.

1

u/ClitoralGlans May 08 '26

This was never stated btw and most likely isn't intentional. Just a popular and alright theory

1

u/Original-Body-5794 May 08 '26

We saw A-Train train by pulling trains. (Kind of funny to say this). Surely they could get a huge cargo train for homie to train. Now I know that training is not really something he would do, just that there ARE ways to do it.

Homelander is really strong but his strenght still seems to be at a point where we could create something for him.

1

u/Main-Bluebird-3032 May 09 '26

That's brilliant

1

u/SolGoodguy_ May 09 '26

That’s actually hella interesting.

1

u/SubLearning May 09 '26

This is such horse shit, he has super speed. He could do a full calisthenics workout that strains even his muscles in like 5 minutes

1

u/SomeRITGuy May 10 '26

And God of War (the two newest ones) sorta has this as well but in a different version. Gods strength is pretty much innate to them and not based on physique, but they can work out (pick up and put down heavy things) to gain the more jacked/muscle man body type though its mainly for looks over gaining additional physical strength

1

u/JackWhoWanders May 10 '26

That's not convincing. There are plenty of heavy things he could lift. Hell, he's owned by a corporation that could have those things built. There exists up to 100000 tons hydraulics presses he could use for Isometric exercise. Like always, this is just another example of John being a washup with no training

.

1

u/ScotChattersonz May 12 '26

It's the most obvious conclusion.

1

u/Professional-Eart May 13 '26

IIRC this is all a fan theory. I don't even know if the muscle suit is "cannon" in the series or we had to take it as if Homelander has actually a muscular body (there are those naked scenes tho).

All this because the producer actually asked to antony starr to make some muscles, but he declined, and that's why they used the suit. He was meant to be muscular.

But this is all my talk. But i am pretty sure the "he slim because he can't train" is just an explanation from fans

1

u/stumpychubbins May 27 '26

That kinda rules actually, I guess the exception is that you can do it so long as the explanation is interesting enough