The Awful Truth of Soldier Boy

The Boys' third season introduces a new Supe, Soldier Boy. He's an interesting look at Vought's time before Homelander. In this video, I try to break down his relationship with Homelander, Hughie and Butcher.

[benh]

Actually I think Soldier Boy sees a lot of Homelander in himself. Not the desperate neediness, but what struck me is that when Homelander tells Soldier Boy "I'm you" Soldier boy responds "I know, you're a disappointment".

[ajtaylor]

Jensen Ackles was a real gem this season as Soldier Boy. What's so great about his character is that, without being made obvious, his arrival back on the scene is the domino effect that leads to the final encounter between himself and Homelander. Just showing back up is what causes Homelander to make the choices he does in Season 3, and by the end you're left wanting more of Soldier Boy and the brilliant performance from Ackles.

[themediumcheese]

im glad soldier boy was an actual character in this show instead of a joke like in the comics.

[cevichelife]

The “tend to him or else he’ll lash out” kind of vibe given to Homelander is like treating a chaotic child, while the same vibe given to Soldier Boy is like avoiding an abusive father. The parental parallelism is pretty cool

[ziggygunz]

I don't think Soldier Boy says "You're a disappointment." "...like it's nothing.", quite the opposite actually. It's the most powerful and painful verbal blow he can land in his mind.

[justinriley]

I think casting Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy was brilliant. For 15 years, we had seen him as Dean Winchester, the tough but vulnerable anti-hero in Supernatural. This is what kind of helped sell us on Soldier Boy being somewhat sympathetic from the beginning.

[c.w.simpsonproductions]

Everyone thought that Soldier Boy would betray Butcher and team up with Homelander. No one even considered the opposite happening.

[jamesoverbuild]

Homelander, despite trying to hide it, is so starved for attention and approval that despite trying to kill Soldier Boy a couple episodes earier, as soon as he knew he was his father, he inmediately changed his mind and wanted to form a family that somehow would "just work" for some reason.
That's something that Soldier Boy understood inmediately, Blood doesn't matter, but actually rising the chilren by your own. This constrasts completely when we see Stan Edgar whose adoptive daugther is Victoria. There are is no blood conection whatsoever, and despite of being, as Stan himself said "More alike than he thought" Instead of sadness or dissapointment, he seems genuinely proud of her, of having become exactly what he wanted on a daughter.

[rykxr]

The biggest irony is that Soldier Boy talks about wanting a family. But he doesn't want a son to love and try to do better. He wants a son to prove he's better than his father. Being a parent to Soldier Boy is an act of competition, and it's that spiteful spirit that leads him to look at Homelander and continue his father's legacy of abuse.

[thefish]

I love how when Soldier Boy tells Homelander he's a disappointment, his lips are quivering, almost like he's sad that he's become something he said he would better than, a father like the one that raised him, acting is 12/10

[arthurbriand]

I found it interesting that the Ryan actor doesn't look like Homelander at all but is a ringer for his grandfather. Having had a loving mother, he won't turn into Homelander but he might turn into Soldier Boy.

[brohiddlesby]

I mean…yeah. Soldier Boy MADE this season, and I’m so happy Jensen Ackles was able to elevate the character. Actually, he really impressed me to the point where I’d be excited to hear his name mentioned in any project in the future. Here’s hoping we see him break into mainstream movies, if he isn’t already satisfied with the silver screen.

[VideoGameAutopsy]

If Jensen hadn’t have spent half his career on “Supernatural”, I think he would have made a fine Captain America.

[sammedina]

I love how human soldier boy is. Like he loved people even if he had horrible ways to show it, he values his word, he is clearly a terrible human being but he is a person, and I liked seeing him have doubts about Homelander, I liked seeing him say he didn’t want to hurt those people, he felt like a victim of himself and someone whose worst quality was his ego

[MrKidKnockout]

The three standout characters for this season for me were: Homelander, Soldier Boy and Black Noir. Firstly, Anthony Starr continues to show us why he’s one of best actors around. His ability to switch from calm to maniacal bully in an instant always left me feeling on edge whenever he came on screen. Jensen as SoldierBoy was another highlight. At first I thought he would be the “sympathetic villain” with bouts of PTSD, but in true Boys fashion we find out he’s just as twisted and heartless as his son. And finally Black Noir. I’m so glad they decided to go a different route with his character. The Homelander clone storyline fell flat to me. The new direction made me connect with the character a lot more. Seeing him go from ambitious hero to Vought’s efficient killer who sees animated talking animals was a diversion I greatly appreciate. Here’s hoping season 4 is just as good.

[RaMraM-zmel]

Imagine being so likable that I can't help liking him on screen despite being a villain. Friggin Jensen Ackles

[ItsTopazz]

8:17-8:21 Actually, I think it's quite the opposite. In their final confrontation, Soldier Boy became aware of the parallel between him and HL hence his final decision to fight HL. HL is the living embodiment of his insecurities. His natural response to these issues was to (violently) eliminate them, especially when on a 'mission'. The final confrontation was a twisted moment of self-awareness for him.

[gerbbabycare]

I totally agree, but the one thing I'm not on board with is that Soldier Boy doesn't care. I think he actually does, which is why he presents his Marlboro man persona. It's a way of posthumously proving to his father that he is a real man, it's why he sabotages Noir so he can stay in the spotlight, at least that way people focus on and are proud of him. Seeing Homelander is a wake up call for him drenched in self-loathing. He finds that he became everything his father said he was, and he should've raised his son to avoid repeating his mistakes

[Colossal]

My father once told me I was a disappointment when he was blackout drunk. I never once forgave him lol still hold it in the back of my head.

[benwasserman]

Soldier Boy, Homelander and Butcher all represent an endless cycle of men learning toxic beliefs from their dads. Then passing that junk along to their kids, making Ryan’s fate all the more unnerving.