Supernatural star Jensen Ackles joins The Boys season 3 as Soldier Boy, the original Superhero. Ackles has spent fifteen seasons on Supernatural as Dean Winchester, one half of the demon-hunting duo found at the center of the series. Before that, however, Ackles had roles on shows like Smallville, Dawson's Creek, and Days of Our Lives. Still, Supernatural is his best-known part, and fans have enjoyed watching him for years. Supernatural will end its run later this year after a delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and it looks like Ackles will then move onto another Eric Kripke-developed show.
The Boys premiered on Amazon Prime last summer and quickly became one of the biggest streaming hits of the year. Based on the comic book series by Garth Ennis, The Boys follows a group of vigilantes who seek to take down corrupted superhero team the Seven, who are backed by the powerful corporation Vought. The Boys season 2 will premiere next month, but the subversive superhero show has already been renewed for a third season. Details on that are still slim, but now fans have been granted a pretty exciting casting announcement.
Today, Amazon Prime announced Ackles will join The Boys season 3 as Soldier Boy. Billed as the original Superhero, Soldier Boy rose to fame while fighting in World War II and quickly became the first real celebrity hero before going on to be a mainstay of American culture for years after. Ackles shared the news on social media with an amusing video you can see down below.
Additionally, Kripke shared this statement about Ackles' casting:
“When I was a child, I had a crazy, impossible dream — to provide Jensen Ackles with gainful employment. I’m happy to say that dream has come true. Jensen is an amazing actor, an even better person, smells like warm chocolate chip cookies, and I consider him a brother. As Soldier Boy, the very first Superhero, he’ll bring so much humor, pathos, and danger to the role. I can’t wait to be on set with him again, and bring a bit of Supernatural to The Boys.”
In the comics, Soldier Boy is the leader of the team Payback, though he longs to join the Seven. This leads to some decidedly complicated interactions with Homelander, the sadistic head of the Seven. It remains to be seen exactly how close The Boys will stick to Soldier Boy's comic book story, but more information will likely emerge once season 2 comes to an end. Still, the introduction of the original Supe is an interesting prospect and could further deepen the world of The Boys by revealing some key history.
The Boys season 2 will pick up from the explosive cliffhanger found at the end of season 1, when Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) discovered his wife Becca (Shantel VanSanten) is still alive and raising Homelander's (Antony Starr) child. The revelation sends Billy on a solo trip for a while, leaving his fellow Boys to scramble for a new plan. Additionally, the season will see the arrival of new Supes like Stormfront (Aya Cash) and Lamplighter (Shawn Ashmore), who was previously a part of the Seven. The Boys has a lot of major developments on the way, so fans better hold on tight.
The Boys season 2 premieres on Amazon Prime on September 4.
Source: Amazon Prime, Jensen Ackles