What happened to Soldier Boy in The Boys?
Soldier Boy made a big entrance in The Boys season 3 – but what happened to him in that season's finale?
Hit adult superhero series The Boys is back for its fourth season on Prime Video, and as is the case each time the show returns, there's been a bit of a switch-up in the cast.
Not only have new stars such as Susan Heyward and Valorie Curry joined the series, as Sister Sage and Firecracker respectively, but a couple of major cast members have taken a step back, with neither Dominique McElligott's Queen Maeve or Jensen Ackles's Soldier Boy having made an appearance yet.
But what did happen to Soldier Boy in season 3, how was he introduced and where has he gone following the season 3 finale?
Read on for everything you need to know about what happened to Soldier Boy in The Boys and Gen V thus far.
What happened to Soldier Boy in The Boys season 3?
Soldier Boy, real name Benjamin, was first introduced in The Boys season 3. Considered to be America's first superhero, he was experimented on and given Compound V while he was in the US army during the Second World War.
He eventually became the leader of Payback, a team of supes which also included Crimson Countess, Gunpowder, Swatto, Mindstorm, Black Noir and the TNT Twins. He and the team hated one another, and Vought decided it was time to 'retire' Soldier Boy.
The team ambushed and attacked him, before handing him over to the Russians. However, they decided not to kill and, and instead to experiment on him and, eventually, put him in a regulated coma.
In the present day, The Boys found him while on a mission in Russia and woke him up. It became clear that following his experimentation he had developed new powers, generating explosive radiation when emotionally overwhelmed. He escaped The Boys and travelled to the US.
While there he went on a killing spree, getting vengeance against the other members of Payback for their betrayal. He and the Boys made a deal – they would give him information on the Payback team members and lead him to them, while he would kill Homelander.
Homelander confronted them while they were at Herogasm, and he, Soldier Boy and Butcher, who had taken Temp V, had a fight. All three survived the encounter, and later Soldier Boy found out that he was in fact Homelander's father, with the latter being a product of Dr Vogelbaum's experiments with Soldier Boy's sperm.
A confrontation ensued at Vought Tower, where Soldier Boy told Homelander he was a disappointment, and that he was disgusted by his newfound son’s "weakness".
As Soldier Boy tried to kill Homelander, Homelander's own son, Ryan, tried to stop him. To protect Ryan, Butcher reneged on the deal, and he and the rest of the Boys tried to stop Soldier Boy's rampage. Soldier Boy began to activate his nuclear ability, Queen Maeve, who had joined the Boys and had been fighting Homelander, tackled him and the two of them fell out of the window of Vought Tower. He exploded, and the two seemed to die together.
In actuality, both survived – Maeve lost her powers, as anyone exposed to Soldier Boy's radiation did, and went into hiding, presumed dead by all except the Boys. Meanwhile, Soldier Boy's unconscious body was recovered, and he was put back into a regulated coma and locked away.
What happened to Soldier Boy in Gen V season 1?
Following his starring role as Soldier Boy in The Boys season 3, Jensen Ackles also made a cameo in the first season of spin-off series Gen V, which was set in between seasons 3 and 4 of the main show.
However, this time Ackles wasn't actually playing the real version of Soldier, but instead a manifestation of the character in Cate Dunlap's subconscious, who met Marie, Andre and Jordan when they got pulled into it.
It is a suitable profane, depraved cameo, but didn't actually do anything to advance the Soldier Boy storyline.
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Will Soldier Boy be back in The Boys season 4?
The truth is, we don't yet know whether Soldier Boy will make an appearance in The Boys season 4. He hasn't appeared in the first three episodes of the season, which are all available to stream now, but could still come back at some point in the remaining five, or in the already-confirmed fifth and final season.
Certainly, showrunner Eric Kripke has suggested that Jensen Ackles's character will make a return at some point.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, he said of Soldier Boy's season 3 ending: "The old TV adage is like, never kill anyone unless you really, really have to. Never close a door, open a window. We'll all have to wait and see, but I can't imagine the series ending without Soldier Boy making another appearance."
The Boys season 4 will continue on Prime Video on Thursday 20th June. The Boys seasons 1-3 are available to watch now – try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days. Plus, read our guides to the best Amazon Prime series and the best movies on Amazon Prime.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
