On Halloween evening in 2020, I arrived home from work feeling quite irritable. My day had not gone well, and I found myself thinking, “Forget everyone.” My wife’s sister was throwing a party that night, and I had two costume choices – Jesus or Homelander, the deranged superhero from the Amazon Prime show The Boys. Due to my mood, I opted for Homelander. I had already purchased the costume, complete with its stars and stripes cape.
We reside in Greenville, Ohio, and the party was a brief drive across town. My wife, Chelsey, was at the wheel, dressed as Starlight, another character from The Boys, while my kids were in the backseat in their Iron Man and dragon costumes. As Chelsey turned onto a road approaching her sister’s home, I noticed flames erupting from another house.
I said, “Honey, stop and call 911.” As I jumped out, Chelsey asked, “What are you doing?” The kids were both watching from the back seat. “Don’t worry,” I replied, “I’ll be right back,” and rushed toward the burning building.
There were people outside, including some large guys. I approached and asked, “Is anyone inside?” The largest one looked at me and replied, “I’m not certain.” I was stunned and exclaimed, “What? Why is everyone just standing around like they’re at a barbecue?” Pulling a screen door open, I yelled, “Is anyone in here?” I heard the type of noise someone makes when they get hit in the stomach and lose their breath – a wheezing sound.
“I’ll be right back,” I said again and plunged in, thinking, “This is going to be really hard.” As I did, my cape snagged on a bannister and for a moment, I was stuck. Then the Velcro gave way and the cape drifted back to the street, where a woman caught it. It actually looked pretty cool. I said, “Hold on to that – I’ll need it later.”
Inside, I was instantly engulfed in flames. The costume was made of polyester, which melts when gets overheated, so I knew I had to act fast. I found a stairwell at the end of a short hall, and at the top, I spotted the outline of what seemed like a person lying down. Rushing up, I discovered an unconscious man. I’m 5ft 9in and he was quite large next to me, but there was no time to try to rouse him – it was too hot and the smoke and flames were nearing. I just grabbed him by his shirt and belt loops and headed for the door, holding him like a 6ft baby.
Once outside, I brought him to the curb and performed sternum rubs on him. Eventually, he regained consciousness, but when he saw the police and fire department arriving, he sprang to his feet and ran away. The police apprehended and questioned him. The house wasn’t his – it was empty and up for sale. I gathered he had broken in and passed out. I have no idea how the fire started – there was no electricity, so perhaps he kindled a small fire that spiraled out of control. He left that night after refusing medical help, but apparently someone heard him say he owed me his life. I’ve not seen him since.
By that time, firefighters had secured the house and confirmed no one else was inside. Several people asked which superhero I was. I replied, “He’s actually more of a super jerk” – helping people is not typical of Homelander. I hadn’t intended to save anyone that night, but I don’t believe the costume influenced my actions – I’ve assisted people in car accidents before; it’s just something I believe is the right thing to do.
If anything, I felt somewhat of a fool – I would have felt far more at ease entering that house in jeans and a T-shirt. But I still took back my cape so we could proceed to the party. We were close enough to sit outside and watch the fire being extinguished.
Later, I received a Carnegie medal for heroism and was inducted into the Ohio Fire Service Hall of Fame. When I learned that Antony Starr, who portrays Homelander on the show, had shared my story on social media, I couldn’t believe it. He wrote: “I’ve never been a prouder parent.” As for my own children – five years later, they’re proud of me as well. One of them still tells classmates at school that his dad’s a superhero. Considering Homelander’s true character, I’ll just have to make sure he never watches the show.
As recounted to Chris Broughton
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