Summary
Soldier Boy is one of the most compelling characters in Prime Video’sThe Boys, and his origin is worth brushing up on before his new spinoff prequel series. The San Diego Comic-Con 2024 panel for the dark superhero series saw aprequel series titledVought Risingannounced, which would see Soldier Boy and Stormfront in the early days of Vought during the 1950s. WithThe Boystaking place in the present-day 2020s, the prequel will see Soldier Boy at an earlier stage. The parent show has already provided some details on his origin, but it will surely expand on them.
Excitedly, Soldier Boy is also set to return as a series regular forThe Boysseason 5. He wasintroduced in the show’s third season as a potential foil for Homelander, though Billy Butcher eventually turned on him in the climactic battle, concerned that he would become a greater threat in and of himself. He’s since become a fan-favorite for the franchise, withSupernaturalalum Jensen Ackles bringing his marquee charisma to the character, balancing out the awful sides of his personality.
Soldier Boys Origin In The Boys: How Vought Created Him
Soldier Boy Was Used As An Experiment For Compound V In WWII
Soldier Boy is, in many ways,The Boys’spoof on Captain America, with an origin story set in the early 20th century. Like many supes on the show, Vought has spun some propaganda around his origins, and both are worth breaking down. In reality, he was a wealthy boy born in 1919 to an abusive industry magnate father, shaping aspects of his personality. Named Ben at birth, Soldier Boyenlisted in the US Army during WWII and volunteered for Dr. Frederick Vought’s Compound V experiment, turning him into one of the first supes.
Soldier Boy himself claims that he went overseas and fought in battles, though it’s questionable.
After becoming one of the most powerful beings in the world, Soldier Boy wasused by Vought for American propaganda films, making him a sex symbol and publicity superhero. In Vought’s story, he was a poor boy who grew up on the streets, learning American values of tenacity and bravery, which led to him being a leader of the US military overseas. It’s unlikely that he actually fought in the war, as Vought wouldn’t risk sacrificing one of their greatest assets. Soldier Boy himself claims that he went overseas and fought in battles, though it’s questionable.
Soldier Boy’s Backstory: Payback & His Time In Russia
Soldier Boy was Betrayed By The Superhero Group, Payback
In the 1970s, Soldier Boy was the leader of a superhero team named Payback, which also included Crimson Countess and Black Noir. He was known during this period as a public figure, though behind the scenes, he was known for his violent outbursts, including an instance of killing Marvin Milk’s grandfather. In the 1980s,Soldier Boy and Paycheck were sent on a mission in Nicaragua, which is depicted inThe Boysseason 3, but the mission backfired, and he was betrayed by his team, allowing the Soviet Union to capture and imprison him.
Vought decided that it was time to move on from Soldier Boy, and the rest of Paycheck was happy to oblige, given their personal hatred for him. The incident led to the deaths of 116 people, and Soldier Boy was neutralized and captured. Hebecame a lab rat for Russian scientists in the decades to come, experimenting on himwhile Homelander became the most popular supe and Vought’s poster boy in America. Soldier Boy was eventually placed in a tube until he was awoken inThe Boysseason 3, decades later.
All 23 Supes In The Boys: Gen V Ranked By Power
Gen V follows the students of Godolkin University, and it introduces many new Supes whose powers range from almost useless to super strong.
Soldier Boy’s Powers Explained & How Strong He Really Is
Soldier Boy Has Superstrength And Can Blast Radiation
At the time he originally took Compound V, Soldier Boy was one of the most powerful supes alive, and he remained that way for most of his life. V has different effects on different humans, and he was lucky enough to receivesuper strength and durability. It doesn’t seem like he’s quite on Homelander’s level in either, but it was enough for him to contend with Billy’s Temp-V help inThe Boysseason 3. He’s also been trained well in hand-to-hand combat, giving him some skill superiority to balance out his lesser strength.
Soldier Boy’s most unique power inThe Boysare his blasts of radiation, which seem to be a result of his years of Russian experiments. The energy blasts are highly destructive and capable of destroying buildings and dozens of people, but they also pose a threat to other supes.Soldier Boy’s radiation can somehow take away the power of other supes, hence why the Boys wanted to use it against Homelander in season 3. In the case of Crimson Countess, a less powerful supe, the blast instantly killed her, making Soldier Boy incredibly dangerous.
How Soldier Boy Is Homelander’s Father
Soldier Boy’s DNA Was Used To Create Homelander
Soldier Boy isn’t Homelander’s father in the sense that he raised him as a child, but he is biologically responsible for creating the modern-day villain ofThe Boys. In 1980,Jonah Vogelbaum had Soldier Boy leave his sperm in a cup to be studied in a lab. However, that sperm was used to create a baby, with popularThe Boystheories suggesting Stormfront was the mother. By creating a child from DNA, the hope was to develop Homelander as a product that could be controlled, but he ended up becoming too powerful to be fully contained.
Soldier Boy’s Future In The Boys Season 5
Soldier Boy Can Have An Impact On Homelander’s Story In The Final Season
As previously mentioned, Soldier Boy is set to return forThe Boysseason 5 in a critical role. He appeared inThe Boysseason 4 finale’s mid-credits scene, where Homelander visits him, still kept in his chamber. Season 5 will be the final run for Prime Video’s hit superhero series, meaning Soldier Boy will be able to have a serious impact on how the saga concludes. This will likely tie into the final plot to kill Homelander, who still has a complicated fixation on Soldier Boy as his father.
Alternatively, Soldier Boy finds Homelander entirely pathetic, bringing back a fun dynamic for the series' climax. Given that Soldier Boy is able to take away Homelander’s powers, that seems like the ideal end for the character.The Boysending with Homelander losing his powers and being forced to become a normal person seems like the most satisfying possible outcome, and it would only leave Soldier Boy to be killed off. IfVought Risingseason 1 releases first, it could be a perfect segue into the final season.
The Boys
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
