Here’s everything we know about Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy, who is expected to appear in the widely awaited season 3 Herogasm arc of The Boys. While the exact details of how this character will fit into the narrative with respect to the Seven and the Boys are still under wraps, Soldier Boy will most likely play a seminal role in the Amazon Prime show’s upcoming season. Also, as The Boys is known to depart significantly from the original comic series, especially in the portrayal of key characters like Billy Butcher, Soldier Boy’s story might very well evolve into something much more complex than expected.
In Garth Ennis’ comic, Soldier Boy is a parody of Marvel’s Captain America: a legacy hero sporting dated values of a bygone era ravaged by war. Being second in command of Payback, another superhero ensemble with supes like Eagle the Archer and Tek Night, Soldier Boy is portrayed as lacking the calculated shrewdness and cold brutality exhibited by most of the members of the Seven. However, his overwhelming naivete and desperation to be a member of the Seven paints Soldier Boy in a pretty poor light, as he is mostly weak-willed and easily manipulated throughout the comics.
Showrunner Erik Kripke talked about how Payback assumes central importance in terms of Soldier Boy’s presence within the narrative, describing the team as a bygone “Seven before the Seven.” As other current and former members of Payback, such as Aya Cash’s Stormfront and Eagle the Archer have already appeared in Season 2, it makes thematic sense for Soldier Boy to emerge, especially with regards to the Herogasm arc. It is also interesting to note that a statue of Soldier Boy with the engravings “1919-1982” and “True American” can be seen in Season 2, episode 7 of The Boys.
The Boys #53 revealed that another version of Soldier Boy existed during the World War II era, who was tasked with the responsibility of fighting in the war. The first Soldier Boy was introduced to a young Greg Mallory, who is lieutenant-colonel Grace Mallory in the show, and was a member of The Avenging Squad, which is essentially a parody of The Invaders. However, the first Soldier Boy displays astounding stupidity and an inability to expertly strategize, which gets countless of Mallory’s soldiers, along with the rest of the Avenging Squad, killed. While this is dark enough, The Boys season 3 will be expected to delve deeper into the history of Soldier Boy, and how his actions impacted other supes over the years. This also allows the show to shed more light on other team members, along with how supes have been perenially responsible for perpetrating systematic racism, violence, and cold-blooded politics, as seen in the case of Stormfront and her ability to sway the masses towards alt-right extremism.
Keeping this in mind, The Boys might choose to portray Soldier Boy in a much darker and sinister light, adding nuance to his outrightly spineless nature as shown in the comics. It is also important to note that Soldier Boy in the comics also had no qualms about hurting others or abusing his powers, although he maintained a somewhat “innocent” approach when it came to using foul language or participating in Herogasm orgies. This, in conjunction with his overtly patriotic dedication to his job, imbues him with a streak of dangerous unpredictability and covert menace. Considering the satirical and cynical nature of the show, Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy might be fleshed out as both laughable and terrifying at the same time, capable of atrocious acts fueled by a desperate need to belong and be hailed as a hero of a lost era. Moreover, as Soldier Boy’s nose is bitten off by Butcher in The Boys #32, and the former is tortured by the group for information, it will be interesting to witness how this possible storyline will be tackled, if at all.
Now that fans of the show have been granted an official glimpse into Ackles in full costume as Soldier Boy, a lot can be gleaned from the set photos themselves. Apart from sporting a massive beard, which might point towards the fact that he is possibly much older and retired, Soldier Boy’s brand new costume in The Boys season 3 makes a significant departure from the source material, whilst being strangely closer to an initial version of Soldier Boy. As Ackles’ latest costume reveal looks nothing like the one sported by the second Soldier Boy in the comics, it is extremely likely that The Boys could feature both versions of the legacy hero, with the one believed to have fought and died during World War II at loggerheads with the current, purportedly crueler version. This is an excellent opportunity for unfolding the entwined roots of Soldier Boy and Vought’s complex and murky past, potentially paving the way for startling revelations for the world to witness.
In terms of design, the brand new Soldier Boy costume sports a bluish-green color scheme, reminiscent of the original Soldier Boy costume with an emblazoned eagle on the chest. While the new costume lacks Soldier Boy’s signature mask and ridiculously tight red and blue outfit, it does feature a diamond-shaped shield with eagle-themed engravings, which bears resemblance to the one used by present-day Soldier Boy. Moreover, the combat pants and the black straps are in sync with standard military gear, although the costume has understandably undergone several updates in terms of state-of-the-art material/design. If this costume is indeed sported by the Soldier Boy of the past, it remains to be seen how significantly different the current Soldier Boy will look in terms of personality and appearance, and how the two could potentially be embroiled in a conflict fueled by Vought’s sinister machinations.
While it is still unclear as to how Soldier Boy’s character will react to the ongoing power tussle in The Boys, the possible presence of two Soldier Boys could present a clash of allegiances. The audience might also be treated to flashbacks to Soldier’s boy’s exploits during World War II, and his connection with Mallory, who he is killed by in the comics. This potentially presents the premise for an ongoing grudge, or conversely, a trajectory of self-awareness and redemption, stemming from an urge to right the wrongs of the past. Moreover, the present-day Soldier Boy is known to commit mass murder at the behest of Homelander, as the former has no qualms in committing atrocities as long as it grants him a place within the Seven. This inherent spinelessness might also lead to shifting allegiances, as Soldier Boy seems to only be committed to his own needs and dubious motivations.
Although Kripke’s reaction to the first Herogasm production meeting for The Boys hints that shocking moments of debauchery in the upcoming season, the controversial sex scene between Soldier Boy and Homelander will not be included. In the source material, Soldier Boy is coerced into having sex with Homelander, wherein the former interprets this as an audition of sorts for getting into the Seven. The decision to not take things in this direction makes sense within the context of the show, as it somehow does not fit the narratorial circumstances leading up to season 3.
With the Seven already in shambles, wherein Homelander is forced to accept his mistakes in public and a now-exposed Stormfront, along with Black Noir, remain incapacitated, Soldier Boy’s desperation to be a part of the Seven does not fit in with the unfolding storyline. Moreover, keeping Homelander’s despicable reaction to Queen Maeve’s bisexuality and his ultra-conservative American values, it is unlikely for him to venture into that route, even if the end goal is the abuse of power. Also, as Soldier Boy’s character is expected to be much darker than his comic counterpart, this particular scene feels unnecessary and out of place. Although the plot points of season 3 of The Boys are still scant, it makes more sense for Soldier Boy to be hostile towards Homelander, which might lead him to scheme against him as opposed to earning his favor.
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