Why Soldier Boy returns in Gen V Episode 6

We held onto the hope that he would come back, and in Gen V Episode 6, one of The Boys’ best, newest characters returned: Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy – but why? Here’s what you need to know.

In our review of the sixth episode, we said “it may come with a scene-stealing, potty-mouthed cameo – but it’s also the show’s most ambitious and best installment yet.”

After Cate’s confession at the end of Episode 5, Marie, Andre, and Jordan try to come to terms with regaining their memories and their loss of trust for one of their closest friends, Emma sets off to find Sam. While she’s away, everyone else is sucked into Cate’s head, where they roam the unravelling trauma of her inner psyche.

Not only do they see the fallout of the moment she discovered her powers and how she met Dean Shetty, but they run into Soldier Boy, something that could be a bit baffling from the outset. Spoilers to follow…

Gen V Episode 6: Soldier Boy’s return explained

Soldier Boy appears in Gen V Episode 6 because it mostly takes place inside Cate’s head, and he’s been her imaginary friend (and boyfriend) for decades.

Not too long into the episode, a familiarly smooth emerges from the bushes: it’s Soldier Boy. “Hey, what are you breezy sack of f*ck-nuts doing in here?” he asks.

However, he’s not managed to penetrate Cate’s mind in some sort of bizarro, pre-Season 4 tease – he’s been in her head for decades. He takes great pride in having taught her to masturbate (“She came like a faucet,” he says), but tones down the jerking-off euphemisms when he catches sight of Andre.

“You’re Cate’s new f*ckboy… she really loves you,” he says, in a rare moment of concession, before returning to his burly arrogance. “Boys come and go, but she always comes back to a little pillow talk,” he says with a wicked smirk, at which point he’s branded a Russian agent. “I’m no godless, dickless commie,” he stresses, urging that his blood is “red, white, and blue red… not commie red.”

Lightning and thunder quake the skies above them. Soldier Boy explains that her brain is unraveling in real time, and they could all be stuck there if they don’t figure out a way to wake her up. Just as he’s about to give them some sage advice, he’s struck by lightning and killed (well, at least inside her head).

Soldier Boy was last seen in the finale of The Boys Season 3, fighting against Butcher, Homelander, and every other supe in Vought Tower, with Maeve tackling him out of a window as he was about to turn himself into a human-sized nuke. They both survived, but Grace Mallory locked him back in a capsule.

He’s not dead, and he’s expected to re-appear in Season 4 of The Boys. “There’s still a space for me over at The Boys. Trying to figure out where that is and what that looks like in the future is not something I’m privy to,” Ackles told DiscussingFilm.

Gen V Episodes 1-6 are on Prime Video now, which you can sign up for here. You can check out our other coverage below:

Gen V review | Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | When does Gen V take place in The Boys timeline? | Gen V cast and characters | The Boys cameos | Gen V runtimes explained | Tek Knight powers explained | What is the Virus? | Jordan Li powers explained

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