>>151151760
This at least to me is excusable. Homelander is le psycho crazy; but moreso than that deep down I think he gets off on being challenged. He lets them live so he has something to think about, basically. Not like he gives a fuck if they kill anyone else, since HL doesn't really care about any other capes or people around him.

What they've been doing is also a great excuse for him to try and change the way they do things at Vaught in ways that benefit him; exerting more control, leaning into the 'supe supremacy' ideal, so on. The violence and deaths caused by 'the boys' manufacture consent for Homelander to push harder. He also lets them live so he has an excuse.

And if we really want to bullshit around, it's not that homelander 'likes' Butcher, but he is pretty much the only person in the world HL can be 'honest' with in any capacity. HL still thinks he can kill him whenever he wants, he doesn't think they're a serious threat to him at all, he likes fucking with him