The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke previews what lies ahead in season 3, including the introduction of the team Payback and an exploration of Vought's history. It's been over a year since Amazon released the second season of its satirical superhero show The Boys, and fans are eagerly awaiting news on season 3. Where things last left off, the titular Boys have seemingly gone their separate ways following the death of Becca Butcher (Shantel VanSanten) and Stormfront's (Aya Cash) defeat. Hughie (Jack Quaid) took a job with Congresswoman Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit), but as the final moments of The Boys season 2 revealed, Neuman is the supe responsible for several head explosions. In other words, Hughie might be in trouble by the time season 3 begins.
By all accounts, it looks like The Boys season 3 will be going bigger than ever. Not only will it feature the raunchy comics event Herogasm, it'll also take a deep dive into American history as it exists within the show's universe. Viewers will get to meet superheroes that were created well before the Seven, like the overly patriotic Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles). In the comics, Soldier Boy is a member of Payback, a super team that was assembled to fight against Nazi Germany.
Soldier Boy won't be the only person from Payback popping up in The Boys season 3, and according to Kripke, that's reason for excitement. Kripke recently spoke to The Illuminerdi and previewed the intriguing things to come on the Amazon show, such as Payback and a deeper dive into Vought's past. He was specifically asked if there are any characters fans should look forward to, and he had this to say in response:
“I mean all of them! I mean I think they all get amazing things to do. I mean season 3’s fun because it’s not just about Soldier Boy, but it’s about the team he was a part of which is called Payback. And Laurie Holden plays Crimson Countess and there’s a bunch of other heroes who are amazing. So, sort of seeing who was the Seven before the Seven. And what was life like for Vought? In the history of Vought what was it like in the 60s and 70s and 80s? To dig into the history of the world, not just the present has been a lot of fun.”
The Boys started to dig into Vought's shady history through Stormfront's season 2 arc, and season 3 has the opportunity to push things further. Vought has ties all the way back to World War II, but it must've taken some time for the company to grow into the expansive and terrifying corporation it is today. Payback is one of the first super teams in the world of The Boys, and it'll be quite interesting to see how their operations differ from the Seven's. In The Boys, the Seven reigns as the ultimate team, but they didn't come from nowhere. Their success had to be built on Payback's.
The Boys might've begun as a twisted take on superhero culture, but it has steadily built up its own history and mythology that can rival that of Marvel's or DC's. With Kripke eyeing several more seasons beyond the third, it's clear there's still so much to explore within this franchise. That's not even including the forthcoming college-set spin-off. It isn't clear when The Boys season 3 will arrive on Amazon, but hopefully a date will emerge soon.
Source: The Illuminerdi