Gore, profanity, and whatever fucked up novelty that tickled your twisted fancy aside, a key highlight of Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys season 2 was the opportunity to get acquainted with its universe’s lore. Thankfully, based on what showrunner Eric Kripke has teased about The Boys season 3 thus far, the series will double down on this aspect – beyond the mere inclusion of “Homelander before Homelander”, Soldier Boy (portrayed by Jensen Ackles), diving deep into the nitty-gritty of Vought and its less-than-honourable origins.
“Season 3’s fun because it’s not just about Soldier Boy… it’s about the team he was a part of which is called Payback,” says Eric Kripke.
“And Laurie Holden plays Crimson Countess and there’s a bunch of other heroes who are amazing. So sort of seeing who was The Seven before The Seven.”
“And what was life like for Vought? In the history of Vought, what was it like in the 60s and 70s and 80s? To dig into the history of the world, not just the present has been a lot of fun.”
The biggest revelation regarding Vought last season involved the villainous Stormfront (portrayed by Aya Cash). Brought along by CEO Stan Edgar to replace Translucent in The Seven, during the last few episodes, audiences learned she was indeed the first superhero – or “supe” – ever manufactured: the wife of German scientist Fredrick Vought, who formulated the superpower elixir Compound V, ex-member of Payback (the team preceding The Seven), as well as being a former Nazi. Now, it would appear we’re about to meet additional figures from her specific cohort.
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Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy, of course, has been billed as yet another major component of The Boys season 3 (in addition to the exploration of Vought history). Inspired by Captain America, his character is a legacy mantle that has undergone three different iterations in the original graphic novels written by Garthe Ennis and illustrated by Darick Robertson.
The version which Ackles will portray in the upcoming instalment appears to be the first: among the earliest successful applications of Dr Vought’s Compound V, World War II veteran famed for killing German soldiers by the dozens, and the leader of Payback. Armed with a distinctive shield – not entirely unlike his Marvel counterpart – it has been hinted that Soldier Boy will be “much stronger, darker, and more menacing supe” than the one portrayed in the original source material.
“Every dent, every scratch, every mark tells a story,” the Supernatural star writes on Instagram.
“A story that ends with me winning.”
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As for the matter of The Boys season 3 and its long-awaited release date, that crucial detail is still largely unknown. A few months prior, immediately after production officially wrapped, series lead Karl Urban – who portrays the gruff-yet-loveable former SAS operator turned black-ops agent, William “Billy” Butcher – offered the following status update via Instagram.
“And that’s a wrap on The Boys season 3,” writes the New Zealand dramatic talent.
“Massive thanks to our brilliant cast and crew for all the blood, [sweat, and tears] – and also to everyone involved in the production at Amazon Prime Video and Sony Pictures TV for working so hard to keep us all COVID safe.”
“And of course massive thanks to [series creator Eric Kripke] for delivering a next-level bat shit crazy good season 3. I can’t wait for y’all to see it. Be safe y’all.”
Fellow cast members Jack Quaid (Hughie Campbell), Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko Miyashiro / The Female), and Erin Moriarty (Annie January / Starlight) celebrated the occasion in a similar fashion – taking to the latter’s Instagram.
“A labour of love, blood, sweat, tears, tequila, laughs, nose swabs, and so many ?s,” writes Erin Moriarty.
“There is no group I would rather go through it all with. WRAPPEDIGGITY on season 3 of The Boys.”
Considering how season 1 premiered in July 2019 and season 2 premiered in September 2020, based on the series’ production history, The Boys season 3 may very well be staring at the barrel of a December 2021 release date. To avoid getting your hopes up and hearts broken, however, it’d be best to widen those parameters to early 2022.
But like we’ve said before, only time and Amazon Prime Video will tell.
