Jensen Ackles' new look for The Boys season 3 might tell us something about Soldier Boy's role in the gloriously twisted Amazon series. Now serving as showrunner on The Boys, Supernatural creator, Eric Kripke, has already brought some old friends to Vought's superhero playground. Jim Beaver (Supernatural's Bobby Singer) plays... er... Bob Singer, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (otherwise known as John Winchester) has been promised a future part during Twitter exchanges with Kripke. After Supernatural wrapped up in late 2020, it became inevitable that more would make the journey and, sure enough, Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester himself) was cast for The Boys season 3 as Soldier Boy.
Precious little is currently known about Amazon's live-action Soldier Boy. The patriotic supe is one of Vought's oldest subjects, dating right back to World War II. Judging from the statue built in his honor, Soldier Boy is clearly a hero of some renown but, curiously, hasn't been approached for The Seven. Kripke has also revealed that Soldier Boy has some degree of history with Stormfront, and was previously involved in the Payback group. While Soldier Boy's role remains a closely guarded secret, photos from the set of The Boys season 3 show Jensen Ackles sporting a considerable beard. The actor's social media has been teasing this look for some time, but reaching the set without so much as glancing toward a razor suggests the facial hair is for Ackles' Soldier Boy gig, not just an ill-judged lockdown fashion choice.
Given Soldier Boy's status as a clean-cut, all-American hero in the mold of Captain America, the presence of a wild beard upon Jensen Ackles' chin comes as a surprise. Such heroes usually go the babyface route with their morning routine, and even the MCU's Steve Rogers only started growing a beard during his rogue nomad years. Vought's image-centric ethos makes a Soldier Boy with facial hair even more unlikely.
Soldier Boy's beard can perhaps be explained by a pre-existing theory regarding Ackles' role in The Boys season 3 - that he's a washed up has-been, and aligns with The Boys to oust Homelander from power. In the original The Boys comic story, Soldier Boy serves as leader of Payback, but longs to join The Seven, and will do anything to make that happen - something Homelander takes full advantage of. Kripke has described the live-action Payback as "The Seven before The Seven," but the group (and Soldier Boy himself) don't seem especially active in the present day.
Rather than desperately trying to please The Seven, Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy will more likely resent them. It's already strange that one of Vought's original heroes isn't included within their top team, and Homelander's position as Vought's premiere patriot pretty much renders Soldier Boy obsolete. As a consequence, The Boys season 3 might find Ackles' character living anonymously - out of shape, covered in facial hair and skulking around in a bar alone with his bitterness, while the public celebrate what Soldier Boy used to be.
Following the Nazi scandal of season 2, Homelander's reputation has taken a huge hit, giving Butcher and The Boys a golden opportunity to get rid of their nemesis once and for all. If they could offer the public an alternative in the nationalist supe role, Homelander's remaining influence would evaporate - and this is where Soldier Boy comes in. If Soldier Boy is as keen to join The Seven as he is in the comics, Ackles' character could cut a deal with Billy Butcher. The Boys will help Soldier Boy replace Homelander at the top of The Seven, but the veteran must do as he's told. This allows Soldier Boy to relive his former glories, while The Boys replace a dangerous villain with the lesser of two evils. Hopefully, they'll remember to shave him first.