Soldier Boy's Story is Far From Over, and Season 4 Set Pics Prove It
Fans of Amazon Prime Video's The Boys saw Soldier Boy at the end of Season 3 exactly where they found him: unconscious and locked away where he can do no further damage.
That seemed to be the end of Soldier Boy's storyline, but set photos of actor Jensen Ackles behind the scenes of Season 4 suggest that he's back for more.
The photo, all but confirming his return as Soldier Boy, was posted by The Boys ' official Twitter page. It showed Ackles in the gym, preparing his body for another bout as the muscular Supe. It was captioned, "More like Shoulder Boy, innit" – a pun based off his characters' name.
Ackles had previously hinted that he'd be back for Season 4 when production first started. The Boys star Karl Urban ( Billy Butcher) posted a picture of himself and co-star Jack Quaid (Hugh Campbell) having a drink together. Ackles commented, telling the pair to save a drink for him.
Now that Amazon has confirmed his return, there have been a few plot theories about Soldier Boy in the new season.
One popular theory is that Solider Boy will team up with Victoria Newman, a fellow Super who's been hiding in the shadows.
Originally a protagonist with whom Hughie worked at the onset of Season 3, Hughie and the rest of the Boys uncovered her true identity as the head-exploder who crashed Vogelbaum's hearing in Season 2. The theory states that she'll use her connections with the CIA – as well as her new status as potential Vice President – to get Solider Boy out of custody. She'd talk Soldier Boy into joining her as a deterrent to both the Boys and Homelander.
Another theory is that Solider Boy, filled with anger at the ones who put him back in a cage, will escape on his own and seek to exact revenge on Homelander, Butcher, and Hughie.
This would be a rehash of what we'd seen in Season 3 when the Boys helped him hunt and kill the members of Payback, his old teammates who betrayed him and turned him into Russian custody.
Others believe that his almost inevitable escape from custody will be because of someone we haven't met yet, such as whoever newcomer Jeffrey Dean Morgan is set to play. Morgan, like Ackles, comes from showrunner Erik Kripke's old show Supernatural. He's been fancast as Tek Knight – the Boys' version of Batman – but his role has not yet been confirmed.
However it happens, fans are excited to see Homelander and Solider Boy face off again in another epic clash.