The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke recently explained how Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) shaped the major themes of the Prime Video superhero satire's third season.
Kripke discussed how Soldier Boy informed The Boys Season 3's commentary on both toxic masculinity and father/son relationships in an interview with Variety. “We had this character who took you through all these decades of thought [about what it means to be a man], and he was just what guys were really like [in the 1940s]," he said. "They weren’t necessarily the greatest generation. Once we knew that that was the theme, we knew that it was how that's getting passed down over the generations. It became a really relatable way to tell that story."
Ackles himself expressed similar sentiments in an interview prior to The Boys Season 3's debut in June 2022, noting that his portrayal of Soldier Boy was based on his own experiences growing up. "It was the generational mentality of, 'That's who we are. Suck it up. Men don’t cry.' For me, born and raised in North Texas, that was very normal to me," he said. Ackles added that his strict upbringing gave him an instinctive sense of how to approach the Soldier Boy role. "I remember not getting just whipped or spanked when I did something wrong, but I would get paddled in school... I felt I got a good idea of where to go with that type of character."
Will Soldier Boy Appear in The Boys Season 4?
The Boys Season 3 ends with Soldier Boy being put back into stasis, and it's currently unclear if he will appear in the show's fourth season. Ackles has publicly expressed interest in reprising the role, calling it his "Christmas wish" in December 2022. Kripke hinted that Ackles' wish will come true at some point in the future, stating that he hopes to see Soldier Boy return without specifying exactly when this may happen. It's worth noting that Ackles is not currently attached to The Boys Season 4 at this stage, though.
That said, the star is unofficially locked in for upcoming The Boys spinoff Gen V. Ackles seemingly confirmed his involvement in Gen V during a panel appearance at Louisiana's Creation New Orleans convention. "Soldier Boy pops up for a brief moment in this new spinoff of The Boys," Ackles said, before adding that several other members of the main show's cast will cameo in Gen V, as well.
The Boys Seasons 1-3 are currently streaming on Prime Video. Gen V is slated to premiere on the platform sometime in 2023.
Source: Variety