Will Soldier Boy turn into Soldier Boys in The Boys season 3? The original The Boys comic series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson introduces Soldier Boy during its infamous "Herogasm" side story. In the melee of delinquent superhero activity, Homelander has manipulated an aspiring Seven applicant into the bedroom, before predictably deciding his partner had failed the "test." His victim is Soldier Boy, who talks like a 1940s throwback and claims to have fought against the Nazis in World War II. As well as being tricked by Homelander, the timid Soldier Boy is disrespected by his fellow Payback members, and brutally beaten down by The Boys.
With "Herogasm" finally happening in The Boys season 3, Supernatural's Jensen Ackles was officially confirmed as playing Soldier Boy. Although the Homelander rape scene was immediately ruled out by The Boys' showrunner Eric Kripke, Ackles' arriving the same season as Herogasm seemed to imply he'd be portraying the "golly gee-whiz!" coward who shouts the names of U.S. states during battle. The recent reveal of Ackles' costume for The Boys season 3 suggests otherwise, as the outfit is clearly based on the original Soldier Boy, rather than the character introduced during Herogasm
As shown in later comic issues, Soldier Boy did fight during WWII - but it was a completely different incarnation, who died in disgrace on the battlefield. Since it's this version Ackles is dressed as, could The Boys season 3 secretly include a second Soldier Boy modeled after the present-day character? Ackles would be the Soldier Boy who fought during World War II, but at some point during his career, Vought replaced him with a younger, more marketable, newcomer, stealing away the "Soldier Boy" title and pretending it was their man who fought for Uncle Sam against Hitler. This would allow The Boys season 3 to remain faithful to the comics, with one Soldier Boy in the past, and one for the present. It's also exactly the kind of thing Vought would do, as viewers have already seen A-Train get ruthlessly replaced.
The big difference between the comic books and The Boys season 3 could be that the original Soldier Boy is still alive. Instead of dying during the war and his title being handed down to a string of successors, Ackles' first Soldier Boy is likely still kicking in the present day, bitter about getting fired, and angry that some upstart is taking credit for his wartime feats.
Featuring two Soldier Boys, The Boys season 3 can explore all facets of the character, from the more serious (but woefully incompetent) WWII soldier, to the ridiculously hapless Herogasm participant in the modern era. Having both coexist tees up an intriguing alliance, because if there's one thing Billy Butcher loves, it's supes with an axe to grind against their creators. Should Ackles' Soldier Boy still resent Vought for kicking him to the curb, the Boys are presented an easy in-road to get the veteran on their side. The uneasy partnership between Soldier Boy and Billy Butcher could be fascinating, and the inevitable battle between the two Soldier Boy variants would create a golden opportunity to parody the Captain America vs. Captain America fight in Avengers: Endgame.
It would also make sense if The Boys was keep its Soldier Boy deception under wraps in the build to season 3. Just as season 2's marketing hid the fact Stormfront was a Nazi, The Boys can create a false expectation of Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy, and gloriously subvert those misconceptions by introducing him as a haggard, down-and-out shadow of his former self.