Homelander is one of the strongest and most feared supervillains out there. With so many strengths and few weaknesses, most heroes in the Marvel Cinematics Universe (MCU) wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
However, there are a few who could at least give Homelander a scare, and Iron Man is one hero that comes to mind. With an off-the-charts intelligence quotient plus numerous high-tech suits, Iron Man could be capable of defeating Homelander.
Homelander is so powerful, Iron Man would have to turn one of the villain’s many strengths into a weakness. Superhuman hearing is one double-edged sword, and if Iron Man exploits it to find a way to subdue Homelander, he will win this duel.
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Who is Iron Man?
Tony Stark first became Iron Man when he was imprisoned in Afghanistan, fighting a terrorist organization called the Ten Rings. Captured when the Ten Rings attacked during the demonstration of his Jericho missile, Stark was wounded to the point he needed an electromagnet to survive.
Stark’s first Iron Man suit was bulky and clunky, since he was forced to build it from what he had available in the Ten Rings’ compound. He also built his first portable Arc Reactor with the help of Ho Yinsen, another prisoner.
Once he returned to the United States, Stark built the sleek, red and gold Iron Man suit we are accustomed to seeing him wear. He also built an improved Arc Reactor. Over time, he built dozens of Iron Man suits, each with more power and capabilities than previous incarnations.
As Iron Man, Stark became a leader in the Avengers, and he is often regarded as one of the strongest heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Who is Homelander?
Also called John, Homelander leads the Seven, and despite coming across as a courageous and caring hero, he is self-centered, narcissistic, and cares little for anything or anyone.
Born with superhuman abilities, Homelander didn’t have the best childhood and dealt with dangerous and painful experimentation. The scientists and doctors he grew up around forced such experiments because they wanted to test the limits of his abilities.
His awful upbringing played a key role in his personality. Homelander had little regard for human life and humanity as a whole. He led the Seven via intimidation tactics, and if anyone stood in his way, he killed them.
A true sociopath, Homelander enjoyed putting others in pain, and he loved playing mind games. When an airplane crash killed all the passengers on board, Homelander claimed terrorists were the guilty party, and he successfully coerced the public into believing the lie.
Iron Man’s Strengths
As one of the strongest avengers, Iron Man had several noteworthy abilities. Tony Stark was a genius, and he proved time after time that he could create more technologically-advanced Iron Man suits.
If he needed to face a tough opponent, Stark would create a suit that would match and perhaps even supersede his opponents’ strengths. For example, he created the Hulkbuster suit in Age of Ultron to subdue Hulk.
One of the most distinguishing powers of his advanced Iron Man suits was Stark’s ability to mold them on the fly. This extended to his weapons arsenal, and it wasn’t uncommon to see him quickly create a weapon for a given situation.
He was also a technocrat, and his suits let him break into any communication system he wanted. This allowed Stark to track even his most elusive opponents. Stark could also communicate directly with technology, and this extended to low-orbit satellites.
He could also hide from any enemy, since no radars could detect his presence. If he faced a stronger opponent, staying off the radar would help Stark launch a surprise attack and potentially gain the upper hand in a fight.
Finally, Stark was remarkable in hand-to-hand combat. So even if, for whatever reason, he had to ditch his Iron Man suit, or if it needed a recharge, Stark could still hold his own.
Homelander’s Abilities
Homelander’s superpowers come from a super serum called Chemical V. And while he wasn’t the only character injected with the serum, it still sets him apart as the most powerful character in The Boys.
One theory regarding Homelander’s ultra-powerful abilities is that he received the serum before he was born.
Few characters in the series come remotely close to Homelander in strength. Some of his notable abilities include x-ray vision, laser vision, superhuman strength, superhuman hearing, flight, and invulnerability.
His flight ability has reached speeds of 767 mph (1,234 kph). He is also so bulletproof that nothing can kill him–at least nothing on Earth. He can also use his x-ray vision to see through everything except for zinc.
Iron Man’s Weaknesses
Narcissism was one of Tony Stark’s weaknesses, and he was prone to letting his ego get in his way. If he felt an opponent could not match him in strength, Stark could underestimate them and wind up either coming close to or losing the battle.
While Stark was remarkable with hand-to-hand combat, he was nowhere near as powerful in it as he was with his suit–and Stark’s Iron Man suits depended on technology. If his suit needed to be recharged, he would be dramatically weaker.
This would require Stark to have an adequate power source nearby. He also needed to worry about electromagnetic energy, or EMPs.
While Stark would have considered the power of EMPs when creating each new Iron Man suit, there was still the risk that they could disable even his strongest suits. If an EMP powerful enough to disrupt an entire power grid were to hit Stark, he would be resorting to hand-to-hand combat.
Homelander’s Weaknesses
On the surface, Homelander has no identifiable weaknesses besides the inability to see through zinc with his x-ray vision. However, when you look deeper, you may see some obscure weaknesses.
One weakness that Homelander has is that some of his superhuman powers, like hearing, are so strong that they can overwhelm him. If an opponent keyed on Homelander’s hearing, then he would have a much tougher time focusing in a battle.
The best bet would be for an opponent to use a high-pitched frequency to overwhelm the sense. We have seen examples of characters in The Boys subduing Homelander by overwhelming his superhuman sense of hearing in this way.
This wouldn’t just hamper his focus, but likely send him to search for the noise’s origins. Once in position, an opponent could then find a weapon not of this Earth strong enough to further overwhelm and ultimately defeat the supervillain.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Hero | Iron Man | Homelander |
| Real Name | Tony Stark | John |
| Biggest Strength | Genius Intellect | Laser Vision |
| Biggest Weakness | Narcissism | Hearing |
Could Iron Man Defeat Homelander?
Iron Man could defeat Homelander, though you could expect to see Tony Stark struggle in the early going here. Homelander is so strong and fast that he will land his fair share of strikes on Stark, who will find himself on his back often.
However, Stark’s genius IQ will get to work and he will eventually figure out Homelander’s one major weakness. He would just need to bend a communication system to unleash a high frequency, sending Homelander into a panicked frenzy.
Ideally, this frequency would come from a location far from the battle. Since Stark is capable of breaking into places at a distance, he can easily unleash this frequency.
With Homelander looking for and seeking to destroy the sound’s source, Stark would only need to mold a weapon strong enough to subdue the villain.
This would take trial and error, considering the bulletproof Homelander’s ability to withstand even the strongest weapons.
But if Stark lands a few powerful blows, he can use his own brand of super strength to knock out and subdue Homelander. Either that, or he could create a weapon strong enough to defeat the villain.
Conclusion
Iron Man may be one of the strongest characters in the MCU, but he is not strong enough to face off with and defeat Homelander in a traditional head-to-head. Instead, Iron Man must use his creativity and wit to defeat an opponent as powerful as Homelander.
Exploiting Homelander’s superhuman hearing is the best way to gain the advantage. And while even geniuses like Tony Stark would have a tough time finding a weapon capable of subduing Homelander, he is smart enough to improvise.
Through this improvisation, he will find a way to ultimately defeat one of the most powerful villains in the MCU.
In a hypothetical fight, Homelander may serve as Iron Man’s toughest opponent, but that doesn’t mean he is completely invulnerable against one of the most popular Avengers.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.