Jensen Ackles and The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke both discussed the Soldier Boy twist in episode seven.
The Boys season three is heading into its finale after it was revealed that Soldier Boy is the father of Homelander. Soldier Boy actor Jensen Ackles shared his reaction to Variety when he found out about The Boys‘ episode seven twist:
“As a fan of the show, I didn’t see that coming. I just kind of assumed that the only connection was the fact that they were contextualized in the same way, that Soldier Boy was the original Homelander and got in the way and they replaced him with a shinier, newer version of the same thing. But in no way, shape or form did I think that there was an actual bloodline connection. So it kind of threw me for a loop.”
The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke went on to discuss how the themes of the season led to Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy becoming Homelader’s father, which is something that doesn’t happen in the comics:
“There’s the obvious [reason], which is Soldier Boy was like the first Homelander. So there’s a certain logic that he is the father of the current Homelander. But it was more about really slowing down and paying attention to the themes of the season as they were evolving. And really, in so many ways, this season is about fathers and sons. It’s about how fathers can pass their trauma, generationally, to their children, especially this toxic masculinity of policing that their boys have to be society’s version of masculine. There’s all of these themes that are all floating around and it all kind of lands in these father-to-son stories. We talk about Hughie and his dad, Butcher and his dad, Butcher and his son, Homelander and his son. It wasn’t the very first plan from the beginning, but as we were just talking through the mythology of the season, someone pitched it and said, ‘Crazy pitch, but what if…?’ And I jumped all over it. I’m like, of course, because many of our main characters are dealing with issues of their parents and parenting — Mother’s Milk, also — Homelander should have to deal with his dad. So it all fell together.”
Why Did Herogasm Differ From the Comics?
Another major change in Amazon’s The Boys compared to the comic book was Soldier Boy and Homelander not having sex during Herogasm. The Boys showrunner explained that them being related is why they diverted from the source material:
“Everyone kept asking, ‘Why aren’t they having sex?’ And I said, ‘Just watch. You’ll understand why. It’s an important difference to what we’re doing with our characters. And they’re just like, ‘They’re afraid to do it!’ I mean, listen, we weren’t afraid to do it. Like, if you’re asking, can we put Antony and Jensen in a love scene together? Both are down and I’m down to shoot it! No one had any problem with it. It was the pesky story point that they’re father and son, which is why we didn’t do it.”
With one episode remaining in The Boys season three, Jensen Ackles teased how Soldier Boy and Homelander’s new dynamic will play out:
“The awkwardness of that realization gets played out more in Episode 8. We see that struggle that, not just Soldier Boy, but Homelander is having with that bomb-drop of information. Basically, Soldier Boy has some hard choices to figure out. He’s promised Butcher that he would help him and the tables are turned.”
Here is the synopsis for Jensen Ackles’ The Boys season three:
It’s been a year of calm. Homelander’s subdued. Butcher works for the government, supervised by Hughie of all people. But both men itch to turn this peace and quiet into blood and bone. So when The Boys learn of a mysterious Anti-Supe weapon, it sends them crashing into the Seven, starting a war, and chasing the legend of the first Superhero: Soldier Boy.
The Boys stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Jensen Ackles, and Paul Reiser.
Season 3 is now streaming on Amazon, with new episodes released every Friday. Stay tuned for the latest news surrounding The Boys, Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy, and subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: Variety
