The Boys: Who is Soldier Boy, and is he more powerful than Homelander?

Season 3 of The Boys has introduced Soldier Boy, a hero-turned-villain who might just end up being a hero if Bill the Butcher gets his way. But this Soldier Boy is very different to his comic book incarnation. Just BEWARE OF THE BOYS SPOILERS AHEAD…

Soldier Boy appeared in a handful of issues of The Boys, the satirical superhero comic created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, which debuted in 2006.

A clear jab at Captain America, Soldier Boy also derives his strength and powers from a super-serum, wears a star on his chest, brandishes a shield, and became a war hero during WWII.

Having not aged since that era, he also supposedly possesses the power of longevity, although it’s ultimately revealed that Soldier Boy is a legacy title passed down from hero to hero.

In the comics, Soldier Boy also shares an intimate moment with Homelander during the infamous ‘Herogasm’ storyline. But we’ll get to that, as the show is also heading in a similar direction very soon.

Who is Solider Boy in the series?

In the TV version of The Boys, the character is also a WWII hero who possesses superhuman speed, strength and durability, again thanks to a special serum. His longevity appears to be real in the show however.

The TV version also alludes to the fact that he was an abusive monster behind closed doors. Meaning few who knew or worked with him mourned Soldier Boy’s death in 1984, when the character was killed while saving the world from a nuclear meltdown in Nicaragua.

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But all was not as it seems, as in Episode 4 of the show, The Boys broke into a top-secret facility in Russia in search of a weapon to kill Homelander, and found Soldier Boy very much alive and releasing trademark blasts of energy from his chest.

In Episode 5, we learn that the Russians have been experimenting on Soldier Boy while keeping him incarcerated him for the best part of 40 years.

He emerges as shell of his former self, looking bedraggled with a long, unkempt beard. But once he collects his uniform from The Legend, Soldier Boy is up to his old tricks again, blowing up a block of civilians with that chest beam. All of which is leading to Herogasm…

What is ‘Herogasm’?

A crossover event in comics and movies traditionally has disparate superheroes teaming up to fight some powerful foe. Not so in The Boys. As the crossover event in the comics revolved around an orgy.

On the page, Homelander tells the world that his team is heading into space to battle a deadly threat. But that’s a cover for the heroes travelling to a remote island for wild sex. Soldier Boy and Homelander even have a moment during said orgy.

Back in 2019 – just after The Boys debuted on Amazon Prime – the show’s creator Eric Kripke was asked on Reddit if that storyline would ever make it into the series.

“It’ll come in Season 3 maybe (if we get picked up for Season 3),” came his response. “I’ve really wanted to do it, but needed to figure out our twist on it, so it’s not just an hour of hardcore porn. But I think we got it!! Super excited about that.”

Judging by the above Tweet from Kripke, his prediction is coming true, with the Herogasm episode having been written, shot, and dropping during Season 3.

Jensen Ackles plays Soldier Boy

Jensen Ackles is the actor tasked with bringing Soldier Boy to life in The Boys. Born in Dallas, Texas, he first made his name in Days of Our Lives, appearing on the soap opera from 1997 to 2000.

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He then became a heartthrob in a pair of hugely successful teen dramas, playing CJ in Dawson’s Creek, and the villainous Jason Teague in Smallville.

But Ackles is best-known for starring in Supernatural for the best part of 15 years. That show ended in 2020, but after having finished work on Season 3 of The Boys, he’s since segued into Supernatural spin-off, The Winchesters.

Is Soldier Boy more powerful than Homelander?

Central to The Boys’ plot is them trying to stop the seemingly unstoppable Homelander. Nothing has worked thus far, with Homelander killing everything and everyone that crosses his path.

Bill the Butcher seems to think that Soldier Boy and his energy blasts are the answer. So-much-so that he gave up the Crimson Countess – whom Soldier Boy then proceeded to kill – in exchange for his help.

Will Soldier Boy remain true to his word? And does he have the powers to defeat Homelander? Viewers should find out by the end of this season. But before then, we’ve got Herogasm to look forward to just one week from now.

Episode 6 of The Boys hits Amazon Prime next Friday, June 24.