Posted in: Amazon Studios, TV | Tagged: gen v, Jensen Ackles, soldier boy, the boys

The Boys & Gen V: Jensen Ackles/Soldier Boy's Road to "Vought Rising"

With the prequel filming soon, here's a look at Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy and his journey from The Boys and Gen V to "Vought Rising."

With Showrunner Paul Grellong's Jensen Ackles (Soldier Boy) and Aya Cash (Clara Vought, aka Stormfront)-starring The Boys: Vought Rising expected to start filming any day now, Prime Video is using the occasion to look back at Soldier Boy's less-than-nice moments from the past. Well, far be it from us to not jump on the bandwagon, though we thought you might also be interested in some of the Soldier Boy "extras" that were released along the way. What follows is a look back at key Soldier Boy moments from The Boys Season 3, his "guest appearance" during the first season of Gen V, his game-changing return during The Boys Season 4 finale, and Ackles' thoughts about what excites him about prequel spinoff series "Vought Rising."

Along with Ackles and Cash, the spinoff prequel also stars Will Hochman (Blue Bloods), Elizabeth Posey (Euphoria), Jorden Myrie (Bridgerton), Nicolò Pasetti (Industry), Ricky Staffieri (The Bear), Brian J. Smith (Sense8), Mason Dye (Stranger Things) and KiKi Layne (The Old Guard 2). Here's a look at the compilation video spotlighting the savage side of Soldier Boy that was released earlier today, followed by a look back at his past, present, and future:

The Boys Seasons 3 & 4/Gen V Season 1 Soldier Boy Journey

Here's a look back at Soldier Boy's battles alongside & against Butcher (Karl Urban), Homelander (Antony Starr), Hughie (Jack Quaid), and Annie/Starlight (Erin Moriarty) – including that brutal "family reunion." Following that, we have the animated backstory on what went down between Soldier Boy and Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell), as well as a look at Soldier Boy, Butcher, and Hughie on the hunt for Mindstorm and Soldier Bot's confrontation with the Crimson Countess (Lauren Holden). But first, we kick things off with the search for Soldier Boy getting underway with a one-on-one with The Legend (Paul Reiser):

Along with the action, we were treated to some impactful serious moments during the season, too:

And from Vought International, we have a scene from the film Red Thunder, a look at Soldier Boy's Solid Gold appearance, and a look back at a PSA from 1982 (along with some "interesting" deleted footage):

In this edition of Superhero Club, DC comic writer Stephanie Williams offers a rundown of Soldier Boy's Season 3 run and how he compares & contrasts with his comic book counterpart:

In Gen V S01E06 "Jumanji" (directed by Rachel Goldberg and written by Lauren Greer), Marie (Jaz Sinclair), Jordan (London Thor & Derek Luh), and Andre (Chance Perdomo) got pulled into Cate's (Maddie Phillips) mind after suffering a seizure that resulted from her using her powers to restore their memories. Once there, they run into Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy – specifically, a version of Soldier Boy that Cate (let's just say) holds very near & dear to her… heart. After offering some very interesting euphemisms for women masturbating, "Soldier Boy" reveals why they need to get out of Cate's mind sooner rather than later. But before he could share any more valuable intel… "Soldier Boy" goes "boom":

As the credits began to roll on The Boys Season 4: "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 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.

The Boys Spinoff "Coming-of-Age Story" for Soldier Boy: Jensen Ackles

Previously, Ackles touched on what differentiates the prequel series from the flagship series and what he's looking forward to from it during "The Road So Far… The Road Ahead: Creation Novi, Michigan" from Creation Entertainment. Noting that the series will be looking at Vought through a "different lens" because it focuses on the "genesis" of it all, Ackles explained how the spinoff will be a kind of "coming-of-age story" for Soldier Boy in that it's about him developing an understanding of himself and his role in things. Referencing Soldier Boy's exchange with Butcher in Season 3 about their fathers, Ackles added that the series will have a "different flavor" as it builds upon aspects of Soldier Boy's past that we know and the insecurities that he's developed. Yes, Ackles even uses the word "vulnerability." Okay, we're sold.

Here's a look at what Ackles had to share about what the upcoming spinoff has in store for Soldier Boy (and once again, huge thanks to Fangasm for being kind enough to share the clip):

Speaking with Collider for an extended interview in June regarding his career supporting his new Prime Video series Countdown, Ackles shared that he is excited to examine how Soldier Boy was in his own time and not time-displaced as we've seen him for most of The Boys. "I'm excited to explore what that world looks like and feels like and sounds like, and see how those characters come to life in that setting," Ackles shared. "I've been playing Soldier Boy in modern day, but I've been playing him like he's kind of an old guy. He's a grandpa from back in the day, so it'll be interesting to now play him with contemporaries." Of course, just because it's a 50s-set prequel doesn't mean it's going to lack in that The Boys "uniqueness" when it comes to storytelling: "It may be like an odd explanation of how we've ended up where we are."

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