I also think this is very, very likely on the mark. Kripke very definitely resents Starr for elevating the role and bringing actual charisma to it. The actor doesn't deserve what is being done and I hope people very quickly separate the two and put the blame on Kripke where it belongs.
Not surprised to hear Starr added those elements, even even beyond the writing his sheer mastery of facial expressions and all of Homelander's twitches and clear hesitation and depression and angst at times always to me made him sympathetic.
Yes, yes, he's my favorite character and I'm a simp for him and Starr, so I'm biased, but it really doesn't make logical sense to me that Kripke & co were so set on the worst shittiest pathetic ending ever for him (I haven't watched it yet... I actually don't want to bc I know I'll cringe and just feel grim. I will, but god I'll need a stiff drink) as a nose thumb to any fans who liked HL best (& as the clear reason most ppl watched the show and its success), but bc of their Trump derangement syndrome, they seem to have cognitive dissonance that... of all the characters, don't they fucking realise they consistently gave him flashbacks or scenes detailing his horrific backstory more than
anyone else?
But we're not meant to have any empathy for that bc lol #TrumpBad? And we're apparently idiots for having any empathy? Well then why did you have endless scenes about that, then!
Yes he's a monster and I always knew they'd write he deserved to die, and he did, I can go with that, but the humiliation torture I'm just not satisfied by at all when other characters did fucking horrendous shit too and got away with it.
I'm glad Starr changed things where he could, but the Trump/Leftie good guy stuff soured the show for me when it's so clearly biased. "It's a just moral universe in the show", erm, no it fucking isn't. It's just when the writers wanted it to be that it was.