Although Antony Starr rose to fame quickly on The Boys, not many people are aware that he had a very different but no less interesting character to play.
Banshee’s Lucas Hood and The Boys’ Homelander, both portrayed by Antony Starr, respectively, subvert social standards.
Both characters, as portrayed by Antony Starr, demonstrate his ability to capture both stifled compassion and terrible wrath.
For a unique portrayal of a hero who is just as captivating as his nemesis, fans of The Boys should see Banshee, starring Starr.
A puzzling pop cultural phenomena is The Boys. The show defies taste by ruthlessly dissecting genre conventions to ridicule society’s infatuation with superheroes. Comic book mythology’s heroic characters are transformed into dangerous fascists and deviants made possible by unbridled capitalism. Despite The Boys’ critique of the contemporary culture, audiences have flocked to the show. One major factor drawing viewers to such a thorny property is Antony Starr’s portrayal of Homelander. He is one of the best villains on television, turning a Superman stereotype into a terrifyingly angry and pitifully insecure character. Few people are aware, though, that Starr had given an equally outstanding performance in Banshee several years prior, albeit as a quite different character.
Banshee shared The Boys’ desire to push the boundaries to the limit of human endurance. The battle sequences were gory and bone-crushing, with gory details reminiscent of Mortal Kombat. A play this overtly corny needs a leading actor who could be fierce and fearless at the same time. It turned out Antony Starr was a wonderful fit. Lucas Hood is a mercurial anti-hero who follows his own set of rules. He was formerly incarcerated and is now posing as a small town sheriff. Starr was destined for this kind of role. In contrast to Homelander, Hood was a flawed but valiant character who revealed the actor’s abilities in a fresh way. Homelander is Lucas Hood’s complete antithesis in many respects, but there are still numerous similarities between the two parts, which makes portraying both difficult.
What Distinctions Exist Between Lucas Hood and Homelander?
Lucas Hood is the primary protagonist in Banshee, even if Homelander is the major adversary in The Boys.
Lucas Hood questions the status quo, while Homelander works to maintain The Boys’ way of life.
While Starr exudes confidence in his role as Hood, in The Boys he portrays a deeply insecure Homelander.
The fact that Antony Starr plays two quite different roles in The Boys and Banshee is one of the pleasures of watching both films. Homelander is a monster of a man who enjoys torturing the defenceless. Homelander is an insecure, unstable, and desperate man who is trying to make his mark. Conversely, Lucas Hood is an action hero with morality straight out of a dime novel. Hood is an unquestionably imperfect yet confident individualist who adheres assiduously to his moral principles. Throughout Banshee’s tenure, he has consistently put people’ lives in danger out of unwavering loyalty. Given the paradoxical ways in which Homelander and Hood serve their storylines, one could argue that Homelander is basically Hood’s opposite.
Heroes are created to uphold the current quo, and Homelander by The Boys reveals the fascism that lies beneath these characters. Starr’s persona as the head of The Seven represents America at its ugliest. His political capital is closely linked to capitalism’s consumerist essence, making him the embodiment of alt-right nationalism. Homelander has become a strong figure because to society’s ardent veneration of caped heroes, which has led to a significant god complex. Starr’s portrayal demonstrates how the villain defines his strength by taking malevolent pleasure in mistreating others. He won’t let the world around him change because of this. Antony Starr has a completely different role in Banshee, where he plays Lucas Hood, a change agent.
Banshee is all about living for the excitement of the moment, and Lucas Hood is the ideal representation of that way of thinking. Playing the part of a force of nature, Antony Starr embraces the unpredictable aspect of his character wholeheartedly. Hood is more of a badge-wearing vigilante than a lawman; he is erratic and mysterious. Starr’s character discovers right away that the area is run by vicious crime bosses when he first gets there. Many people are terrified of these violent thugs, but Hood makes it plain that he won’t follow their guidelines. Bloody results follow, nevertheless, from his choice to confront risky individuals like Kai Proctor and Chayton Littleston. Hood deliberately challenges people in authority, even if it results in excruciating chaos, in contrast to Homelander, which upholds a nightmarish state of affairs.
Why Are the Roles of Homelander and Lucas Hood So Difficult?
While acting is an illusion perpetuated by art, playing Lucas Hood and Homelander necessitates performance of performance. Both of them are making an effort to uphold a façade that belies who they really are. Hood’s public character as the sheriff forces him to control his aggressive tendencies in order to conceal his illegal background. Despite his corrupt nature, Homelander, the face of Vought, has to project an image of a morally pure messiah. For the most part of their storyarc, both individuals attempt to be someone different, yet none of them is successful in doing so. Homelander’s attempt at a heroic character comes out as hilariously manufactured, while Hood’s fellow deputies quickly realize that he’s not your average police officer.
Antony Starr is an ideal choice for both parts since he skillfully captures the difficulties each character faces in keeping up their respective masks. Hood has to act professionally in his role as sheriff, but he can only hold out for so long before turning to headbutting in order to get answers. Similar to Homelander, he hardly keeps up his heroic façade and is unwilling to admit his cruel nature. Starr shows how difficult it is for Hood and Homelander to keep up their fictitious identities while still giving them a convincing sense. It is evident from his work on Banshee and The Boys that Starr is a talented performer. It’s no easy feat to play two characters that are defined by their incapacity to be real, yet Starr pulls it off with such grace.