If there’s one show that viewers can expect not to pull its punches, it’sAmazon Prime’sThe Boys. But it seems that even this bloody gore-fest of a superhero show can be coy when it wants to. Well, at least one of its actors can as seen with this recent reveal of Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy outfit.
Ackles, perhaps best known as Dean Winchester in theCW’s recently concluded horror fantasy seriesSupernatural, decided to tease fans with a glimpse at his costume for his upcoming role in season 3 ofThe Boysjust before the full outfit was revealed. Tweeting out a close-up of the shield carried by his character Soldier Boy, he accompanied it with a cheeky caption expressing some in-character boasting.
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Luckily, fans didn’t have to stay hungry for too long, as a full shot of Ackles' outfit was unveiled the following day. Pretty clearly inspired byMarvel’s Captain America (the Steve Rogers version), Soldier Boy carries a bronze-looking shield carved with a stoic image of an eagle, while his dark green outfit has a tactical look that wouldn’t be out of place next to a row of standard-issue military body armor.
Soldier Boy himself is the original “celebrity” superhero in the universe ofThe Boys(a trend that’s even spilled into the real world with a recentlimited pop-up restaurant based onThe Boys). Given his superhuman abilities by the Vought Corporation’s “Compound V” serum in the 1940s, his origin also mirrors that of the first Captain America, albeit with a decidedly less wholesome personality. Leading his own superhero team known as Payback, he still always wanted to join The Seven, which to this day is the most powerful and famous group of celebrity supes. He’s basically the predecessor to Homelander, the deranged current leader of The Seven. But he also looks up to the unhinged hero.
The Boyshas never been known to shy away from uncomfortable and disturbing themes. ThoughThe Boys' stars and creator are pretty openabout their condemnation of such things. So fans can expect plenty of more gruesome drama when Ackles joins the fold, but also lots of nuanced takes on the ideas. Showrunner Eric Kripke called Soldier Boy “bumbling and subservient to Homelander,” which is sure to introduce some interesting new dimensions to howThe Boysalready handles themes like toxic masculinity and self-confidence.
However season 3 turns out, Ackles really looks right at home in his Soldier Boy outfit (and that beard works for him perhaps way better than it should). So even ifThe Boysfalters in its upcoming season (unlikely, to be fair), it’ll at least still be a super bloody spectacle to behold.
