When I was your age, I didn't have many friends either.
RBRyan Butcher
Mom says being lonely makes you know yourself better.
Well... that's not wrong, I suppose. Can I tell you a secret? Man-to-man, you know? [chuckles] My dad and I... we never played catch in the yard with a World Series ball. The truth is… I never had a dad. Or a mom.
See, sometimes it's hard, Ryan, being... [sighs] superior to every single other person on the planet. It's–It's... isolating. And gods... should not have to feel that kind of pain. Because that is what we are, Ryan. You and me… we're gods. Son, we can do anything we want. And no one can stop us. Now, that... that's a good feeling. A really good feeling. And now, you... and me... can share it together.
I… I–I should probably go to bed now, you know?
[Homelander gets up from Ryans' bed and turns off the lights. He turns around before leaving.]
I love you, son. [pause; Ryan just stares at him] You know, you can say it back.
[Homelander leaves Ryan's bedroom and closes the door. He sees Becca standing close by.]
BBBecca Butcher
You need to leave.
BeccaYou need to get the fuck out of my house.
[beat] What happens one day when Ryan asks to go to a baseball game, swim in the ocean, or eat at a Burger King? How do you think he's gonna feel when he finds out that you've lied to him his whole life? You think he's gonna be happy that you kept him in this pretty prison? Or... do you think he'll fucking despise you? Hmm? Let's go ask him.
Becca
Don't.
You were right. I'm not gonna get bored and move on. I'm not going anywhere. So feel free to tell Dr. Park to go fuck himself.
[Homelander and Ryan are standing on the roof of Becca's house]
Your mom ever bring you up here?
Nah, of course not. You see, that is why a boy needs his father. Hey, I think it's time. [brief pause] Yeah. You ready?
[pause; nervously looks down at the ground] Wait, you can't be serious. I'm not gonna jump.
Ryan, you're my son. You can fly just like me.
You take a big deep breath, you step off, and your body will just do the rest. It'll just take over.
But I–I can't fly. I'll just fall right off of here and get–
Hey, buddy. You're gonna love it. I promise.
I'm nothing like you. I–I can't fly.
You can. You can. I promise you can.
Dad, please. Please, don't make me jump.
Aw, buddy. You called me Dad. [chuckles]
[Homelander pushes Ryan off the roof. Instead of flying, Ryan falls with a thud on the ground. Becca overhears and runs outside.]
Becca
Ryan...? Oh, God, Ryan! Hey! [to Homelander] Hey, what did you do?!
It's fine. It's a twenty-foot drop. Relax.
Becca
You inhuman fucking monster! [to Ryan] Come here.
Don't help him up. Let him do it himself.
Becca
Come here. Baby, hey. Hey, Ryan, I need you to wake up. Baby, can you hear me? I'm right here. [pause; Ryan is still unconscious] I don't think he's breathing.
Becca
I don't think he's breathing! I don't think he's–
[wakes up with a gasp] Mom?
Becca
Hi, hi.
Becca
Hi, sweetie. Are you hurt? [kisses Ryan on the forehead] Does anything feel broken?
Oh, for God's sake. Broken?
Becca
Let me see.
Come on, look at him. There's not a scratch on him. You know why? 'Cause he's my son. And you–you… [scoffs] You're raising him to be a pussy.
Becca
You don't get to tell me how to raise my son.
Becca
You don't get to say that after what you did!
What I did to you [grabs Becca's wrist]... was give you a son that you are raising like a little girl.
Becca
Let go of me.
Get your hands off of her!
[Ryan pushes Homelander away from Becca. His eyes are glowing and he starts breathing heavily.]
[pause; sits up] Good boy. See, I told you.
[quietly; his eyes return to normal] What?
You're just like me, Ryan.
No, I'm not like you! I'm nothing like you! I FUCKING HATE YOU! LEAVE US ALONE!
You're late. Where's the kid? Babe, we gotta get in the truck or we'll miss our chance.
Becca
I'm–I'm not leaving.
What are you talkin' about? Of course you are. Grab the kid and let's go.
Becca
You don't really want Ryan to come with us.
Of course I do. I said I'd take him, didn't I?
Becca
And I wanted to believe you.
Then, believe me. Now, come on. We've gotta get a shift on.
Becca
Listen, if the three of us leave, you're gonna find a way to get rid of him. I know it. It–It won't be in an obvious way. And it won't be right away, but you will.
Becca
Billy, I know you. I know you better than anybody, and I saw it in your face last night. I see it now.
He's a billion-dollar piece of Vought property. They are not gonna let him go. You and me, Becca. You and me, we've got a chance. Babe, it's Ryan they care about, not us.
Becca
Yeah, and then what? And then Vought raises him without a mother, right? Then, we have Homelander all over again. Then, there's two fucking assholes in this world.
We could disappear, alright? Just start again, start a new family.
Becca
I have a son!
He's a fuckin' Supe freak! [pause; sighs] Fuck. I'm… Listen, I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. Becca… Becca, please come with me.
Becca
You were wrong about me. Do you know that? You put me on this pedestal, and the truth is, I never knew how to save you. You were always one bad day away from pounding someone to death in a parking lot.
Becca
Billy… He raped me, and when I found out I was pregnant, I went to Vought. I didn't come to you. I didn't come to you because I was scared. 'Cause I knew that you'd chase after him and you would seek revenge and it wouldn't be good for anybody!
Becca
[starts crying] I love you. But the hate that you carry and the warpath that you're on, it started so long before me. I can't.
[Becca hugs and kisses Butcher, then walks back to her car]
Becs, I'm not leavin' without you!
Becca
You have to go, please. [holds up a tracker] Every guard in this goddamn place is gonna be here in sixty seconds. You have to go. Please. I'm sorry. [sobbing] I'm so sorry.
So, are you into anything that kids are into?
Like, uh, NBA 2K? PewDiePie?
Uh, what about one of your dad's movies?
[to Homelander] You're in a movie?
[chuckles] I'm in a bunch of movies, man. Let's see, there's Homelander: Origins, Homelander: Rise of a Hero, Homelander: Darkest Day, Homelander: Brightest Night…
Oh, your dad is so good in Homelander: Brightest Night.
Becca
When you're old enough, we can talk about it, okay?
Ah, they're PG. He can see them now. You're old enough.
You're absolutely old enough.
For sleepovers and baseball games and visits to Vought Land.
Yeah. Did you know that your dad has his own rollercoaster?
Becca
We can talk about it.
Becca
[to Homelander] I need to speak with you.
We're having a good time here, right?
Becca
Outside. Now.
[pause] That's a great idea. [to Ryan and Stormfront] You two… stay here. Get to know each other better.
[Homelander walks outside with Becca]
Becca
I know what you're doing.
Becca
Yes, I do. I–I can see…
No, you do not. You could not possibly understand. [pause] I was raised the same way as him. That kid doesn't know anything about anything. When he sees the outside world, he's going to panic. Now, that's gonna fuck him up. I do not want my son to have to go through what I went through. His life… is different.
Becca
[sighs] He has a mother. And I know that that means something to you–I do–and if you take him away from me, this… this whole world will feel so confusing and frightening.
Yes. But Rebecca, you… are lying to him.
Becca
Because I love him. And I know a part of you loves him, too, and that you want what's best for him. But what's best for him is to be here with me–his mother. Look, we have this opportunity to give him a childhood you never had. We can do that if he's here with me. Please. I'm begging you, please.
Becca
You remember the range at Fort Bragg? I was a better shot than you.
Well, you had a bloody good teacher, didn't ya?
Becca
I like your friends. Especially Hughie. He's, uh… [chuckles] He's good for you.
Look, Becca... you ain't comin' with us.
Becca
Bullshit. Ryan doesn't know you, he'll never come to you.
It's too dangerous, and I ain't gonna lose you again.
Becca
He's my son, and I'm coming. [beat] I need you to promise me something. I need you to promise me that you will save him no matter what and you will get him back to me.
Becca
You realize this isn't just about me, right? Like, he can't grow up like Homelander. You have to think of all of the people out there that he would… Swear to me, then. You swear to me on your brother's soul.
I swear to you. I swear to you on Lenny's soul.
[Butcher wheels in a cart full of chemistry equipment into the warehouse lab where Sameer is tied to a pole]
Well, looky here. Christmas came early, Sameer.
Nicked it off a French bloke. Should be enough to get you started.
Do what you want to me, but I can't–I can’t do this for you.
Listen. One dose strong enough to top Homelander. And then, you can go back to what’s-her-name, and you don’t gotta see me no more. But this first.
You don’t understand. I can’t. It’s what we realized in the lab. To make the virus strong enough to kill Homelander would evolve it into something unstable.
What d'you mean, unstable?
Airborne, highly contagious, super lethal. No one with Compound V in their bloodstream would be safe.
A global fucking pandemic.
We’re not just talking about killing Homelander. We’re talking about killing every Supe on Earth.
Becca
[appearing behind Butcher] That’s Annie, Kimiko…
Vicky, Zoe. [shakes his head] I’m sorry. But when they say shit’s fallen into the wrong hands… they mean your hands.
This is beyond our wildest dreams, man. Dude just gave us the silver bullet. We can wipe them all out.
Becca
Billy, you cannot go along with this.
Listen, mate. No one ever said nothing about genocide.
Becca
He’s insane.
Who was it that said, “They all gotta go? Every fucking last one of ’em?”
Becca
He’s talking about murder, Billy. Of thousands.
Think how much better the world would be.
Becca
And a lot of them are innocent, okay? I know you–
Shut your fucking cake hole, bitch!
[pause] Wait a minute… [stammers] You can see her?
[Kessler is revealed to be a figment of Butcher's imagination, just like Becca. Sameer watches Butcher talking to himself.]
…What the fuck’s that supposed to mean? You’re me?
I mean, out of all the fucking people that your festering fucked-up brain could’ve conjured up, you picked me. The real Joe Kessler? He’s dead in the Panjshir Valley, motherfucker. You never dragged me out. You left me to die.
[Butcher thinks back to his earlier encounters with Kessler. He slowly puts it together in his head that Kessler was never there and he was talking to nobody the entire time. He also realizes that he actually murdered Ezekiel.]
No. No, I’d remember that. I’d fuckin' remember that.
Unless of course you’ve got a big old, fat, V’d-up brain tumor, you cunt. Which is why you're seeing me in the first place. [pause; Butcher looks at Becca] I killed Ezekiel for you. I am inside of you. I am you… which is why when I tell you you wanna do this, I am literally telling you that you fucking wanna do this. So don’t you worry, Billy, my boy. [smiles] Daddy’s home.
The Boys · 278 quotes
