Soldier Boy's arrival in The Boys season 3 should come as good news for viewers hoping to learn more about Vought's checkered past. Wisely resisting the temptation to go "full-supe," Amazon's The Boys has steadily drip-fed new blood into the show's fictional universe. Fans became acquainted with Stormfront, Lamplighter and Eagle the Archer in season 2, but The Boys season 3's new crop of recruits will be led by Soldier Boy, played by Supernatural's Jensen Ackles. While the meat of Soldier Boy's future story remains safely tucked away in an editing suite at Amazon towers, the character is confirmed to be one of oldest in the entire show, and this leaves ample opportunity to delve deep into Vought history.
Through Stormfront, The Boys has already provided a broad outline of Vought's company backstory... and not just the bits fit for public consumption. During World War II, Frederick Vought was commissioned by the Nazis to develop super soldiers, leading to the fateful Compound-V formula. As Hitler started to lose ground, Frederick threw in his lot with the Allies and continued his work on American soil, founding the Vought we all know and love to hate. While Stormfront was Frederick's first successful Compound-V subject, Soldier Boy apparently followed shortly after, "killing Germans by the dozen."
Stan Edgar confirms Soldier Boy was operational as early as 1944 but, in complete contrast to Stormfront, his antics would've been public knowledge. Vought intentionally hid Stormfront's existence through different superhero titles, but Soldier Boy is a war hero with his own statue in the middle of New York City. Where Stormfront's past gave away a few scant snippets regarding Vought history, Soldier Boy could crack open the entire untold timeline from 1944 to the 2020s. The Boys' showrunner, Eric Kripke, has referred to Soldier Boy as the "original superhero" whilst also confirming his comic book team Payback will feature in season 3. Which questions, specifically, could Soldier Boy address?
One of The Boys' big paradoxes is how Vought began as a supplier of World War II soldiers, but then struggled to get supes into the military throughout season 1. This would suggest that some history event made the U.S. government skeptical about putting supes in khaki and, echoing the original comics, Soldier Boy might've played a part in that. His failures could be the very reason Vought's heroes spent so long in the wartime wilderness. Soldier Boy's introduction might also shine a light upon Stormfront's shadowy early years. Considering her immense power and status as the world's first supe, it's amazing Stormfront wasn't at the forefront of Vought's marketing, but the Third Reich's thunder woman only joined The Seven in season 2. Since The Boys has only offered small glimpses of Stormfront's past (the Liberty murder, for example), Soldier Boy might help explain why Frederick Vought's wife flew under the radar for so long.
The inclusion of Payback should also unlock doors in The Boys season 3. According to Stan Edgar and Stormfront, initial applications for Compound-V were militaristic in nature, but the modern incarnation of The Seven are primarily concerned with marketing themselves and topping merchandise charts. Since Payback were apparently "The Seven before The Seven," The Boys can reveal how and why that transition happened. Did Payback hold lofty ideals that The Seven have since forgotten? Did they fail so spectacularly, Vought decided superheroes were more useful in the private sector than actual combat? Or were Payback as self-centered and awful as The Seven are in the present, proving nothing ever changes? Soldier Boy could hold all those answers and more, and 1982 might prove to be a key year. This was Soldier Boy's year of death, according to his statue, and though he probably didn't perish in the 1980s, why might Vought have faked his death at this particular point in history?
Of course, the major question Soldier Boy can answer is Vought's true purpose. According to Stormfront, her husband sought a racially-cleansed master race - a goal they both failed to achieve, mercifully. But Stan Edgar clearly has a different agenda. The CEO told Billy Butcher that Stormfront was a means to an end, and mentioned to Homelander how Vought wasn't "in the superhero business." Stan's cards are so close to his chest they're behind his nipples, but Vought's superheroes must have a purpose beyond just churning out dollars. Stormfront was too preoccupied with her Übermensch delusions to see that. Soldier Boy might reveal the truth in The Boys season 3.