Posted in: Amazon Studios, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: amazon, Jensen Ackles, prime video, season 5, soldier boy, the boys, the boys: vought rising

Jensen Ackles Posts Post-The Boys Season 5, Spinoff News: "Game On!"

Jensen Ackles posted an SDCC 2024 behind-the-scenes look from The Boys panel to let everyone know he's ready for Season 5 & "Vought Rising."

While it's still too early to crown an overall champ, we can safely say that Prime Video and Showrunner Eric Kripke's The Boys won the day in terms of television news and announcements coming out of San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC 2024). First up, Kripke confirmed that Jensen Ackles's Soldier Boy would be a series regular for the fifth and final season of the franchise series. But then the big bomb dropped – Prime Video had given a series order to a 50's-set prequel spinoff series titled The Boys: Vought Rising – with Aya Cash (Stormfront) also returning to star (with both actors producing). The Boys EP Paul Grellong will serve as executive producer and showrunner. "We are excited to bring you the next deranged series from the world of 'The Boys,'"Kripke and Grellong shared. "It's a twisted murder mystery about the origins of Vought in the 1950s, the early exploits of Soldier Boy, and the diabolical maneuvers of a Supe known to fans as Stormfront, who was then going by the name Clara Vought," the duo added. "We cannot wait to blow your minds and trouble your souls with this salacious, grisly saga drenched in blood and Compound V." After "crashing" the Hall H panel, Ackles took to social media for his first post-announcement post:

"Just a stroll backstage at [SDCC 2024] with the boss. Ready to pick up the shield and get back to business. Season 5 and the all-new VOUGHT RISING!!! Game on!" Ackles wrote, sharing a behind-the-scenes look from earlier as well as a screencap of an article promoting the prequel series:

The Boys: Homelander, Soldier Boy & Some Early Final Season Thoughts

As the credits began to roll on "Assassination Run/Season Four Finale" (directed by Kripke and written by Jessica Chou & David Reed), we saw President Calhoun (David Andrews) – sworn in as the new POTUS after the death of VP Neuman (Claudia Doumit), followed by President-elect Robert Singer (Jim Beaver) being arrested for her murder – escorting a now-in-charge Homelander (Antony Starr) into a secret facility that Calhoun learned about from one of his POTUS classified meetings. Inside the cell is a containment unit, and guess who's inside? Yup… Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy, drugged out of his skull and oblivious to who it is that's staring down at him. With the fifth season already having been confirmed to be the hit series' final season, expectations were high that the fan-favorite would be making a return. But what could it all mean? Let's look at Homelander's reaction…

If you rewatch the scene, you can see a wave of emotions play out across Homelander's face – yet not once did we get a sense of fear or anger. Let's not forget that we're talking about a man who still teamed with Butcher (Karl Urban) and the team even after learning that Homelander was his son – essentially disowning Homelander to his face. You would think that the first thing he would do would be to take out the one supe in front of him he knows could royally screw up his plans – but we know that's not going to happen. Why? Again, look at Homelander's facial reaction again.

That is the face of a man who not only hasn't purged himself of his humanity but who also just saw his "daddy issues" multiply by a thousand. We can see Homelander freeing him so he can show his "dad" just how much he was able to accomplish while he's been "sleeping" – a bid that's part of an effort to rub his "father's" face in his success while also hoping for his love and approval at the same time. Soldier Boy's response could be very interesting. Let's not forget that Soldier Boy is a walking piece of s**t in terms of his backstory and a lot of what he did during the third season. That said, there's also the matter of how someone who has a very "specific" notion of the U.S. being a democracy would react to seeing his "son" turn it into a dictatorship.

Here's a look at what Kripke had to share about Soldier Boy's return shortly after the finale hit Prime Video screens. Following that, Morgan throws out some huge praise for both Ackles and his character. Finally, Starr discusses what that scene represents and how Homelander's reaction is a very in-the-moment one:

Kripke on Soldier Boy's (Jensen Ackles) Return in Mid-Credits Scene: "Soldier Boy is a fan favorite. So it made perfect sense that once HL has control of the government, he would learn that his father is on ice. And this won't be the last we see of him."

Morgan Praises Ackles' Performance: "Jensen's Soldier Boy was one of the single greatest characters I've seen on television in a long, long time. His performance blew me away. I did want to work with him — and we also have a really good time together – the two of us, especially. And, obviously, that was a carrot in front of my face that I was chasing after, sure."

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