Posted in: Amazon Studios, Opinion, Preview, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: amazon, Jensen Ackles, opinion, prime video, soldier boy, the boys

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

The Boys Season 4 finale mid-credits scene might tell us a lot about Homelander (Antony Starr) and Soldier Boy's (Jensen Ackles) "reunion."

Since the Twitter/X account for the Prime Video series already shared an image of him with the words "WE'RE BACK" and interviews with Showrunner Eric Kripke and series stars Antony Starr (Homelander) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Kessler) going public regarding what went down during the fourth season finale of The Boys, we guess it's safe to talk about it. 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 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."

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!