Kripke, who wrote the initial milk scene, is no stranger to exploring the weird fetishes of these otherworldly Supes, so Starr’s enthusiasm was all he needed to hear. “And he was like, ‘I’m way ahead of you, man,'” Starr said. “‘I’ve seen the dailies and you get ready to drink milk.'” Since then, milk has become an inseparable part of Homelander’s character: It’s a perfect, deranged metaphor for his longing for a genuine mother figure, a desire that is disturbingly wrapped-up in his desire for a lover. It’s also very funny.
“It just became this little motif,” Starr said. “And it’s really demented, which actually in a weird way opened a lot of doors into the character and into how weird we could go. And then we’ve really exploited that entirely in season 3. Season 3, it doesn’t not factor in.” Sure enough, the milk motif keeps growing: Soon he’s drinking it with the doppelganger Supe who’s pretending to be Stillwell, then he’s drinking it while hanging out with his son, then he’s milking a cow in season 3 … Homelander just loves his milk, and who are we to judge him for it?
This all, of course, raises the question of what season 4 will bring us. Just as The Deep’s octopus fetish escalated over the first few seasons, there’s no doubt that Homelander’s obsession with milk will reach new heights the next time around. In season 2, he’s chugging a small bottle of milk. In season 3, he’s chugging an entire pail. How much is he gonna drink in season 4? We’re not sure if we want to find out.
