Cody Rhodes wants to be Captain America.

He wants to come out to the ring wearing red, white, and blue, have every member in the arena sing his song,

and ultimately turn those admirers into consumers via his expansive collection of merchandise, available now on Shop.WWE.com.

And yet, deep down, everyone, even Rhodes himself knows that he was born to be a heel,

with his fashion choices, condescending delivery, and non-working man’s presentation looking a whole lot more like Homelander from Amazon’s The Boys than even the most conflicted Steve Rogers storyline.

So, when Rhodes shared to the world on social media his presence in a new commercial for the Seth Rogan-produced streamer, it got fans hyped as all get out, as not only was it a good way to get WWE fans into The Boys – and, in turn, The Boys fans into WWE – but it also gave fans a glimpse into an alternative universe where the “American Nightmare” embraced his inner dark side with, say, Paul Heyman in his corner, even if the show added some blazing read Homelander eyes to his presentation to really lean into their similarities.

Homelander, you just met your American Nightmare! Watch all new episodes of The Boys streaming now on Prime Video. #ad @TheBoysTV @PrimeVideo

What does Homelander want to talk about? Probably why Rhodes stole his entire gimmick, or at least why he won’t turn to the dark side to follow in his footsteps.

Why did WWE agree to this collaboration deal – besides the money, of course? Was it to get attention for the promotion ahead of Money in the Bank? Or maybe as a tongue-in-cheek way of tipping the hat to Rhodes heel truthers even if they aren’t willing to pull the trigger on the deal right now, a sort of John Cena joins the nWo during the Firefly Funhouse match at WrestleMania 36? Either way, if Rhodes wants to remain on top as a babyface, this probably isn’t the way to get it done.

Cody Rhodes weighs in on his pre-WrestleMania feud with The Rock.

Elsewhere on his pre-Money in the Bank media tour, this time in an interview with noted WWE fans Ryan Clark and company on The Pivot, Cody Rhodes commented on his relationship with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who he began the years on good terms with before everything went… violent.

While it’s unclear how Rhodes feels about The Rock personally at the moment, at the time he was excited to see him return, as he had nothing but respect for one of the greatest professionals to ever lace up a pair of boots.

“I grew up a huge fan of The Rock. I have a lot of respect for The Rock. Maybe more than anybody in any locker room. When I made eye contact with The Rock for the very first piece of business we ever did, I got an instant understanding of who he is,” Cody Rhodes told The Pivot via Fightful.

“He’s not a movie star. He’s not a potential Presidential nominee, which would be great at this point. He’s not a businessman with all these partnerships. When I looked at him in the eyes, I saw exactly what he is. He’s a pro wrestler. He’s a pro wrestler who understands the nature, ‘I like this crowd. I’m going to get them really excited. Then really upset. Then as excited as they’ve ever been. Then I’m going to get them to tell their friends to come back.’ At that moment, I had the utmost respect for him because in my heart, that’s how I feel. I could do a bazillion other things, but I’m a wrestler. To see that from the biggest movie star on the planet, it’s a lot of respect.”

Rhodes then went on to discuss the decision to push The Rock for a main event spot at WrestleMania 40, seemingly putting his “Story” on ice in favor of another tail. While Rhodes did go along with it and fans ultimately saw how things shook out in the end, he wasn’t exactly stoked on WWE’s initial decision, as he didn’t want to lose what he’d worked so hard to obtain.

“Where we would butt heads is in the idea that you could just come back in the midst of a story that was taking place and just because you’re The Rock, you can step into the starting lineup and take WrestleMania for yourself,” Rhodes noted.”A lot of people said, ‘He’s The Rock. He can do whatever he wants.’ I saw a podcast with two wrestling heads talking and they said, ‘I’m sure Cody is fine stepping aside for WrestleMania and doing it later in the year.’ In my mind, I’m thinking, ‘That’s insane.’ That’s the Super Bowl of what we do. The last day of WrestleMania, the last match, it’s our literal Super Bowl. The idea that somebody thought I would be cool with it. They don’t know me. That’s nonsense. I worked my whole life for this. Rock should know I wouldn’t be cool with it. Maybe that’s an understanding him and I have. He found out, I’m not cool with it. That’s a good thing. You know who wasn’t cool with The Rock? Steve Austin. They made magic together. They rubbed together so much it created diamonds. I do have a lot of respect for him.”

Did WWE do Rhodes wrong with their initial handling of The Rock’s return? Yes, while fans now appreciate how it all came together, it’s safe to say Paul “Triple H” Levesque and company were flying by the seat of their pants at the time and did genuinely hope to have The Rock headline Night 2 against Roman Reigns when they booked the duo’s shared segment. When The Rock’s long-awaited documentary on the subject ultimately comes out, hopefully this dynamic will be more fleshed out for curious fans to sink their teeth into.