Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Boys: Season 3, Episode 4! If you haven't already, be sure to check out IGN's review of "Glorious Five Year Plan."
The Boys: Season 3 has introduced a number of new superhuman characters, but none more important than Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy. This Captain America-esque hero finally makes his present-day debut in Episode 4, in a scene that hints he may be the one man in the world with the power to challenge the almighty Homelander.
Still, with Soldier Boy only appearing for one, brief scene and promptly vanishing, we have far more questions than answers about this new addition to the series. Let's break down the biggest questions surrounding Soldier Boy and his impact on the show's many ongoing story threads in Season 3.
What Were the Russians Doing to Soldier Boy?
Episode 4 shows Butcher leading his team in an assault on a Russian base, hoping to uncover the secret of a weapon codenamed "B.C.L. Red." Butcher believes this weapon is what killed Soldier Boy, making it the team's best option for finally taking Homelander off the table.
However, it would seem B.C.L. Red is Soldier Boy himself. Since his disappearance in 1984, Soldier Boy has become a test subject, with the apparent goal of boosting his already impressive powers to new heights. Already the Captain America analogue of this universe, Soldier Boy also seems to have a bit of the Winter Soldier woven into his back-story. He's a former American icon transformed into a terrible instrument of destruction by Soviet scientists. Or you could make the comparison to Wolverine - an already accomplished killer who becomes even deadlier after Weapon X works its magic on him.
That's what we can infer from the climax of Episode 4, anyway. We still don't know exactly what the Russians were trying to accomplish. Is Soldier Boy meant to be their entry into a global superhuman arms race? Is he simply test fodder for a newer generation of Russian superheroes to oppose the Seven? Or could he be a sleeper agent, intended to return home and unleash his deadly power at just the right moment?
Can Soldier Boy Beat Homelander?
Homelander's powers may echo Superman's, but unlike Kal-El, he has no Achilles heel (not a physical one, anyway). As far as we know, there's no Kryptonite in this universe that can cancel out Homelander's powers or make him vulnerable. By an order of magnitude, he's stronger than any other superhuman we've seen, and he knows it.
The question now is whether Soldier Boy is the one person who can rival Homelander in sheer power. Prior to 1984, the answer would have been no. Soldier Boy was certainly Vought's most impressive creation in the company's early years, but he never showed the same level of strength and invulnerability as Homelander. But given his new power boost, there's really no telling how much stronger Soldier Boy has become.
Presumably, the latter half of Season 3 will see Butcher and the team try to play Soldier Boy's return to their advantage. Butcher was looking for B.C.L. Red, and he found him. By the time this season wraps, we'll hopefully see Homelander and Soldier Boy battle it out and see whether or not the strongest man in the world can withstand the full force of Soldier Boy's energy blasts.
Mind you, The Boys just got renewed for a fourth season, so whether or not Homelander survives that inevitable showdown, this won't be the end of the team's mission.
By the time this season wraps, we'll hopefully see Homelander and Soldier Boy battle it out and see whether or not the strongest man in the world can withstand the full force of Soldier Boy's energy blasts.
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What Really Happened in Nicaragua?
Episode 3 features a flashback to Mallory's time in Nicaragua, as we see how the Iran-Contra affair played out in this alternate universe. That flashback reveals why Mallory hates superheroes so much, but it doesn't fully address Butcher's actual question. What really happened to Soldier Boy during that botched mission?
The official story is that he was killed in action by a mysterious Russian super-weapon. But all we see is a helicopter flying away with Soldier Boy's supposedly dead body. There's clearly something more to the story that even Mallory doesn't know. How was Soldier Boy incapacitated? Why did he fall into Soviet custody? Did Vought simply lose control of their most valuable asset, or was giving Soldier Boy to the Russians all part of the plan?
Why Isn't Kimiko Healing?
While both Hughie and Butcher are dabbling with V24 right now, Kimiko is currently the only member of the team with permanent, innate powers. Episode 4 demonstrates the extent of her super-strength and healing when she assassinates a Russian oligarch. However, we also see the limitations of those powers when Kimiko is seriously injured by Soldier Boy.
The obvious question here is why Kimiko's healing powers aren't working. If she can shrug off a bullet to the brain, why are burns such an issue? Is it just that her healing power was overwhelmed by the sheer force of the blast?
Or could it be that Soldier Boy's new energy powers don't just destroy things, but also cancel out the effects of Compound V? Were the Russians building an assassin that can singlehandedly fight back against Vought's vast army of supes? if so, we're all the more eager to see Soldier Boy fight Homelander.
Will Soldier Boy Stop Butcher and Hughie From Using V24?
The Boys are really proving that old adage about absolute power corrupting absolutely. Both Butcher and Hughie have now succumbed to the temptation of V24, trading their souls in exchange for a super-powered hit. At this point, the morally compromised Butcher is little better than the monsters he's waging war against.
Will this downward trend continue for both characters? Will they continue to seek the rush of a V24 dose while continuing to tell themselves it's all for the greater good? Will Kimiko's injuries serve as a wake-up call, or push them further into this obsession with fighting fire with fire?
Of course, there's also the problem that Butcher's limited supply of V24 has now been used up. He took two vials, and Hughie took the third. If either character wants another fix, they're going to have to figure out how to steal a supply of what is surely one of the most heavily guarded drugs in the entire world.
There's also the ongoing question of whether the effects of V24 are as temporary as claimed. Butcher was experiencing lingering symptoms after just one dose, and there's no telling what might have happened to Hughie's body when Butcher vomited all over his face. One or both characters could be facing a permanent power boost, which would just bring the show closer in line with the comics.
For more on The Boys: Season 3, find out how that explosive scene from the premiere was created, and learn why the creators want to slowly create a cinematic universe.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
FAQs
Who is Soldier Boy a parody of in The Boys? ›
Soldier Boy is written as a dark parody of Captain America, but The Boys season 3's finale ruthlessly nails the hypocrisy of Marvel's character.
What is Soldier Boy weakness? ›Weakness. Cowardice: Soldier Boy is a cowardly and naïve individual who mindlessly sucks up to other well-known superheroes. It seems that he commits crimes such as mass murder to please Homelander so that he could get a spot in The Seven.
Did Soldier Boy betray Butcher? ›After Soldier Boy is defeated by Maeve, Butcher tries to comfort Ryan. However, in a complete reversal of the Season 2 finale, Ryan rejects Butcher and leaves with Homelander.
Is Soldier Boy a baddie? ›Soldier Boy is a minor antagonist of the controversial comic book series The Boys. He is the leader of the superhero group Payback and aspires to be a future member of The Seven.
Who is Black Noir a parody of? ›In both the comic and TV series, Noir is a member of the hedonistic and reckless Vought-American superhero group the Seven and is depicted as a "silent ninja" type parody of Batman, Snake Eyes and Deathstroke.
Can Soldier Boy defeat Homelander? ›On The Boys, Billy Butcher and Hughie realized at Herogasm that Soldier Boy wasn't the most effective weapon to kill the The Seven's Homelander.
What weapon killed Soldier Boy? ›According to Vought, though, Soldier Boy died in 1984 as a result of a nuclear power plant meltdown.
Why is Homelander afraid of Soldier Boy? ›Homelander admits that Soldier Boy was his idol growing up, as he was the only one who was nearly as strong as him. Ben incites Homelander by calling him nothing more than a knockoff.
How do Soldier Boy dies? ›Soldier Boy didn't die either. He was put back into a cryogenic slumber, this time under the watchful eye of Grace Mallory (Laila Robins). Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy makes his final stand in 'The Boys' season 3 finale. "The old TV adage is like, never kill anyone unless you really, really have to.
Is Black Noir afraid of Soldier Boy? ›Noir's animated animal pals get him to face his Soldier Boy fears by re-creating the event that made him so completely terrified of Soldier Boy in the first place, a day when Soldier Boy beat him up after he stood up to him, as well as the nearly fatal attack Soldier Boy made on Noir the day he led Payback in ...
Did Black Noir sell out Soldier Boy? ›
In “Herogasm,” the show already unveiled that Black Noir betrayed Soldier Boy and sold him to the Russians. Ahead of the explosive upcoming season finale, we get to know why things went down the way they did.
Did Soldier Boy abuse Black Noir? ›And hence, without any further ado, the Homelander pulled out Noir's intestines and killed him on the spot. He didn't care at all about what Soldier Boy did to Noir or how he assaulted him. He didn't bother to know why Noir hid the truth about his father. Probably because Edgar or Vought had commanded him to do so.
What did Soldier Boy do to mothers milk? ›"Mother's" Milk, primarily known as MM, is depicted as a regular human (though still a military veteran) with a dislike of Vought and its Supes resulting from a car crash caused by Soldier Boy in MM's youth, which killed his mother, uncle, and grandfather, and led to his father working himself to death as a lawyer ...
Who kills Soldier Boy? ›Billy Butcher once made his last name quite literal when he tortured and killed Soldier Boy during one of his darkest moments in The Boys comic book series.
Who is Starlight a parody of? ›Starlight is a parody of both Doctor Light and Stargirl as well Mary Marvel costume with little Powergirl-influenced outfit.
Why doesn t Black Noir talk? ›In the comics: He is a slightly more powerful clone of Homelander that Vought created to kill him if it ever became necessary. That's why he has to hide his face and isn't allowed to talk. He also is not allowed to use the more obvious powers that he shares with Homelander ie flying, laser eyes etc.
Is Noir a mute? ›He was a mute, darkly costumed superhero and a member of The Seven. Silent, stealthy, and enigmatic, Black Noir was The Seven's superpowered ninja. His super strength and heightened senses were matched only by his proficiency in the martial arts.
Does Noir mean black? ›adjective French. black; noting the black numbers in roulette.
Who eventually kills Homelander? ›Comic Noir is actually revealed to be a Homelander clone, created by Vought as a backup plan in case their star supe were to go rogue. The silent killer eventually murders Homelander, and he is able to do so because he possesses the same lethal abilities as him.
Who can hurt Homelander? ›Homelander does indeed die in the original The Boys comics, but there's a catch: the only person who can kill Homelander is... Homelander. Sort of. In the comics, it's eventually revealed that Black Noire is actually a clone of Homelander created by Vought to keep the original in check.
Is Soldier Boy a good guy? ›
Benjamin, better known as simply Soldier Boy, or Ben, is a major antagonist of the Amazon series The Boys, serving as a mentioned character in Seasons 1 and 2, and one of the two main antagonists (alongside Homelander) of Season 3.
Who killed Soldier Boy in Season 3? ›In Black Noir's cartoon hallucination, we discover that Stan Edgar made a deal with Black Noir to kill Soldier Boy, because years earlier the scientist Vogelbaum had created a superior flying superhero, the next best model: Homelander. Vought wanted Homelander to take over as the lead superhero loved by America.
What did the Russians do to Soldier Boy? ›In fact, he was captured and studied like a lab rat to discover the source of his invulnerability. The Russians ran tests on his physical structure by shooting him in the mouth, burning his neck with a blowtorch, or forcing him to drink sulfuric acid cocktails.
Why is Kimiko not healing? ›Kimiko is hit with one of his blasts before he runs off and is badly injured. Come the end of the episode she is bleeding out in the back of a van, unable to heal herself like usual because she has no more Compound V in her body.
Why did Vaught betray Soldier Boy? ›The final moments of this episode deliver a hell of a twist, as we finally learn what Mindstorm told Soldier Boy back in the forest. Vaught betrayed him because they didn't need him anymore — they found someone better. A supe named Homelander… who was created from Soldier Boy's sperm.
Is Homelander weak to anything? ›He is not only completely bulletproof, but also unfazed by explosions. Vought had to keep hydrogen bombs strapped to him, since that was the only thing that they had that could possibly kill him.
Who is Soldier Boy's son? ›It is later revealed that Homelander is Soldier Boy's son. The character has received a positive reception.
Is Soldier Boy a villain or a hero? ›Soldier Boy is a villainous parody of the Marvel comics superhero Captain America and antihero The Winter Soldier. Just like Captain America, he fought in WWII, uses a shield and became a hero before "dying" only to be found alive decades later and be placed in the modern world.
Did Soldier Boy fight in ww2? ›The original Soldier Boy led a superhero group called The Avenging Squad, a precursor to what would eventually become Payback. He and his Compound V-doped supersoldiers fought the Germans in World War II.
Is Hughie Dead? ›Hughie is the only member of The Boys not to die.
Is Black Noir weak? ›
Powers. Superhuman Strength: Black Noir is strong enough to kill Homelander, needing just one punch to completely destroy his jaw. He is stronger than Homelander, who could hurl a fighter jet with one hand and kill Queen Maeve with just one punch.
What did the deep do to starlight? ›Joining The Seven
She is at first rejoiced at being selected, however is later sexually assaulted when the Deep extorts her into performing oral sex on him in "The Name of the Game" in order for her to stay on the team.
In the comics, Black Noir was a clone of Homelander, shaped by the U.S. government as a contingency if Homelander ever betrayed them. He was made to be more powerful than Homelander, but Black Noir went insane waiting, framing Homelander for a bunch of atrocities.
What did Homelander rip out Noir? ›In the finale, released on Prime Video on Thursday night, Homelander (Antony Starr) ruthlessly killed Black Noir by shoving his hand through his chest and ripping out his organs.
Could Noir survive? ›Once Homelander leaves, Noir once again sees his animated pals who comfort him as he seems to take his last breath as they fade into the darkness. It's possible that this could be another fake-out death; however, all signs point towards Black Noir having actually died at the hands of Homelander.
Could Black Noir have survived? ›“Here's what I'll say without spoiling anything, which is that particular individual who is Black Noir is dead. His organs are out all over the place, but when you have a completely silent, completely masked-clad hero, they're reasonably easy to recast.”
Did Gunpowder betray Soldier Boy? ›Gunpowder proceeded to man a gun on a jeep and started to gun down anything in his pass, killing Sandinistas and Grace Mallory's men. During this, his teammates betrayed Soldier Boy by knocking him unconscious, allowing the Russians to take him to their facility where they tortured him for decades.
Did Soldier Boy have kids? ›“We are blessed with a baby boy,” wrote Jackie in a previous Instagram post alongside a video of footage from the pair's gender reveal.
What was mother's milk powers? ›During his championship, Mother's Milk discovered the powers afforded to him thanks to the Compound V — these included superhuman strength, agility, stamina and durability. Not long after accidentally using these powers to kill someone, he was approached by Billy Butcher and joined the Boys.
What did Butcher give Nina? ›Butcher covers Cherie's debt to Nina, plus 100 grand for her troubles. Nina still asks for Cherie back, but is intrigued by their proposal.
What was supersonics power? ›
Sonic Clap: By clapping his hands together, Supersonic could generate powerful sound waves. He appears to have a great control over the intensity of each sound wave produced by his claps. His powers were demonstrated in the "Rock My Kiss" music video, produced in 2008 by the Vought Music Group.
What happens to Ryan The Boys? ›In the episode's final scene, Homelander introduced Ryan — who had chosen him over Butcher at the end of the big fight with Soldier Boy — to a rally of Stormfront supporters. When a Starlight believer threw a cup, striking Ryan, Homelander lasered his head right off.
Why is Soldier Boys shield so heavy? ›The superhero Soldier Boy was given a shield with an eagle emblem sometime after World War II, during which he preferred to carry a submachine gun. The shield is very heavy, as normal humans cannot lift it, while he can wield it with ease. In 1984, Soldier Boy and Payback were stationed in Nicaragua.
Who does Starlight sleep with? ›At the hotel, Starlight and Hughie have sex. Afterwards, Starlight questions why they are at a hotel, not at his place. Hughie confesses that it would perhaps be humiliating for her to meet his father, Hugh.
Who is Starlight in love with? ›As Starlight, she is a member of the Seven, a group of superheroes funded by Vought-American (Vought International in the television franchise), and the love interest of Hughie Campbell.
Who did Starlight sleep with? ›Does Hughie sleep with Starlight? At the hotel, Starlight and Hughie have sex. Afterwards, Starlight questions why they are at a hotel, not at his place. Hughie confesses that it would perhaps be humiliating for her to meet his father, Hugh.
Is The Boys supposed to be a parody? ›For those of you who haven't watched it – and, really, you should – The Boys is a satirical comic book adaptation about a team of vigilantes tasked with taking down the unchecked powers of a band of superheroes.
Who are the TNT twins a parody of? ›The TNT Twins are also a parody of pop duo siblings Donny & Marie Osmond, who also hosted a campy variety show.
Who is Homelander a parody of? ›The Homelander is the central antagonist in the controversial adult series known as The Boys and a parody of Superman. The Homelander has appeared in multiple forms. Homelander (comics) - The Homelander in the original comics, where he serves as the central antagonist.
Who is Queen Maeve a parody of? ›Queen Maeve
Maeve has an Amazonian look and super strength—it's clear that her parallel is Wonder Woman.
Who assaulted Starlight? ›
Initially, Starlight bears the brunt of this behavior, but when she reaches her breaking point, her threats are enough to intimidate him. Then, A-Train attempts to sexually assault her in a hangar, proudly proclaiming that he's a member of the Seven and he won't face any consequences for his actions.
What is the deeper meaning behind The Boys? ›The Boys showcases the failures of the military-industrial complex, nationalism, and corporate hegemony by displaying the corrupt practices and lack of accountability within our system by creating an objectively evil corporation outside of reality so viewers can see the parallels.
Who is the villain in the boy? ›Homelander is essentially the main villain of The Boys, even if he is a superhero.
What weapon kills Soldier Boy? ›The key to Butcher's plan has been an ace-in-the-hole weapon that supposedly killed America's iconic superhero Soldier Boy: BCL-Red.
Who is Hughie a parody of? ›Hughie is intentionally drawn to resemble the British actor and writer Simon Pegg.
Did Soldier Boy disfigure Black Noir? ›In the 1984 mission to Nicaragua, all the Payback members turned on their leader. Soldier Boy put on a strenuous resistance and severely injured Black Noir, who lost part of his brain and half of his face due to flames during that clash, forcing him to wear a mask for the rest of his life.
What is Homelander's kryptonite? ›For the DC superhero, it's Kryptonite, the radioactive rock from his home world, but for Homelander, it's something less substantial. It's more of a concept -- one that's used to great effect against him in the Season 2 finale: Homelander is backed into a corner when the people's love for him is placed in jeopardy.
Why is he called Homelander? ›It's also right there in his name: “homelander” is a reference to the post-9/11 period in the United States, during which time the Department of Homeland Security was founded.