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The Boys: Here's Why We Would Be Okay With a Soldier Boy-Free Finale

Before you rip into us, hear us out. It's a good thing for The Boys and "Vought Rising" if Jensen Ackles's Soldier Boy isn't in the finale.

Opting not to screen the finale before it drops live on Prime Video, we're running under the assumption that Jensen Ackles's Soldier Boy won't be around for whatever goes down during this week's series finale of Showrunner Eric Kripke's The Boys. Why? First, because Homelander (Antony Starr) hit him with a cheapshot chokehold and put him back in deep freeze during the show's penultimate episode (at least he didn't kill him). Second, Kripke pretty much confirmed it himself. Speaking with Collider for a recent post-show interview, Kripke was asked about Soldier Boy's "fixing up the old Impala bullshit" line being a reference to the long-running Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins-starring series that Kripke created, Supernatural.  In his response, the series's creator and showrunner confirmed that it was, noting that the scene would be the last we see of Soldier Boy in the series.

"Knowing that that was going to be Jensen's last scene in the series, we wanted to put in one last reference. Honestly, Slem wrote, and we shot that it was a Ford. It was, 'Working on the old Ford.' The danger of having [director] Phil Sgriccia and I, sitting next to each other in editing, which we would do, was that we were watching it and Phil was like, 'Should it be 'Impala'?' And I was like, 'Yeah, it probably should be 'Impala." And so, Jensen looped in 'Impala' just to do one last nod." So, Soldier Boy's role in the finale will be… that he doesn't have one, assuming Kripke's telling the truth. As we see it, that's a really good thing – and it has nothing to do with Ackles because he's done an amazing job turning Soldier Boy into more than just a one-note cliche – he gave him layers in ways that caught viewers by surprise (even during those moments when we wanted to punch him in the face). But having the OG supe MIA during the final round works for two reasons:

"The Boys" Series Finale Should Focus on The Ones Who Brought Us to The Dance: Let me get something out of the way before we go any further. Anyone whining that Soldier Boy is only getting this much screen time as a way to promote the upcoming Aya Cash-co-starring prequel spinoff "Vought Rising" has not been paying attention to the show. While he may not have been physically present, Soldier Boy has been a factor and a presence since the first season. He speaks to the history of Vought and the show's universe, both key factors in the final season's main storyline. Add in the show's long-running theme of people dealing with really screwed-up mommy/daddy issues, and Soldier Boy's presence is a no-brainer.

That said, for the final round, I'm looking mainly for the folks who've been with us from the start and manage to keep the good fight going. Again, that's now against Ackles/Soldier Boy or the characters from Gen V; it's more of a sentimental thing. Like, we've been with them every step of the way; we've seen what Hughie (Jack Quaid), Annie (Erin Moriarty), MM (Laz Alonso), Kumiko (Karen Fukuhara), and even Butcher (Karl Urban) have sacrificed to get to this moment. If Homelander is going down, then it needs to be by their hands (and hopefully involving a crowbar).

"Vought Rising" Just Got Even More Interesting: We know that "Vought Rising" is a prequel, but that doesn't mean Showrunner Paul Grellong and his creative team can't have a little fun playing with time. What if the prequel series is what's going through Soldier Boy's mind while he's in deep-freeze – and then opens his eyes at some point? What if the prequel series kicks off with Soldier Boy being thawed out and finding himself in a position where he has to discuss/reveal his past? Think about what Soldier Boy has to process the next time he wakes up. Every person or group he associates himself with ends up turning on him – in the case of Payback, rightfully so – even his own psychotic son. At some point, he might just realize that the common problem in those situations is him. Also, we have a feeling that he's going to have some questions to answer when he reawakens regarding Homelander's final days – and there's no Vought around to run PR for him.

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