Jensen Ackles has some thoughts about the parallels between his character Solider Boy and Antony Starr's Homelander in The Boys.

"He is the analog version of Homelander," Ackles explained in an interview with SFX Magazine. "He was the original guy. There was no template for him. He created the template. You will probably see some of those similarities between Soldier Boy and Homelander, or even a multitude of the Seven."

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In the original Dynamite Entertainment comic series, Soldier Boy is a chickenhearted parody of Marvel's Captain America, who led the superteam known as Payback (a caricature of the Avengers). Unlike the corrupted heroes of the Seven, Soldier Boy's patriotism was no act, as he maintained a naive approach to his role, not recognizing the immorality around him. However, the character held no qualms about hurting others or abusing his powers.

Like Captain America, Soldier Boy received an ability-enhancing drug to fight the Nazis during WWII, making him the world's first known "supe." Ackles went on to explain, "This was the trial-and-error guy. He did a lot of things great, and he did a lot of things greatly wrong. It's interesting being the new guy on set, but playing the character who has been there the longest."

Promotional material for Season 3 has leaned heavily on the Captain America comparisons, showing that the series will take a more serious approach to Soldier Boy than the source material, which famously depicts the hero wetting his pants. Ackles stated the character should be "Soldier Grandpa," given the war hero's sour, grumpy outlook on life. "That gave me some real texture, some fun notes," Ackles said. "It's that older generation mentality. It's an analog guy trapped in a very high-tech digital world. He certainly doesn't belong." The most recent trailer for the series revealed that Soldier Boy would be exhibiting explosive energy powers, much to the shock of Billy Butcher.

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Prime Video's adaptation does not closely follow Ennis and Robertson's original comics series, making it difficult to guess the direction Season 3 is heading. Ackles' character will be integral to the plot, as the upcoming season will explore Payback and shed light on Stormfront's history, with the title of the premiere revealed to be "Payback." In November 2021, Prime Video released an image of Crimson Countess, another member of Payback.

The first three episodes of The Boys Season 3 will air on Prime Video on June 6.

Source: SFX