they sent your heroes to the guillotine

Like, consider:

I think it's a little cheap to say every single person CAN get the blast by being exposed to radioactivity. That plot hole wouldn't exist if it was Ryan because it can be handwaved away by Soldier Boy's genes. That way, the chest blast would still feel like a somewhat unique ability.

Generally, he simply has more connection to Homelander than Kimiko does. Homelander barely was a part of her story. He was just the background force that was the reason she became a supe, so while I can appreciate the irony of her being the reason he isn't, it still feels like their plots are too disconnected for her to have SUCH a big role in his downfall. Again, you can close that plot hole by it being Ryan.

Tragic scene of Homelander having to choose between essentially killing his kid or being depowered. It would give the fight more weight, kind of, if he had to actually grapple with that decision. As much as he claims "everyone dies, starting with you," I really can't see a world in which he'd kill his son. Perhaps... not even if he's a nanosecond away from being blasted to kingdom come.

Gives Cameron Crovetti more screentime. They sidelined my boy hard this season, and it feels unfair because he is hugely talented and can carry a scene on his own and has GREAT chemistry with Ant, so I really just wanted to see more of him on my screen.

Kind of coming back to Point 2, but if the story is always about Becca haunting the narrative, then Ryan and Butcher are the only people who should have stepped into that Oval Office. It's a family affair. Family should end it. (In a perfect world where I get to write this show, I would have even included Soldier Boy to fight on Homelander's side and have Soldier Boy get depowered as well. M.M. can finish him then, which would ALSO give a good story of "M.M. is a real veteran and can fight, whereas Soldier Boy is a pretender who only had his strength from the V". Kind of what they did with Butcher and Homelander in the fistfight, but, well, with the other two. It would have been interesting to watch. Anway. More personal revenge storylines.