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The Boys S03E04 One Year Later: Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy Debuts

In honor of his debut in The Boys S03E04 "Glorious Five-Year Plan," here's a look at Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy, including our return theory.

If you're a fan of Amazon and showrunner & executive producer Eric Kripke's The Boys, then it's important to appreciate why today is such an important day. That's because, on this date in 2022, S03E04 "Glorious Five-Year Plan" (directed by Julian Holmes and written by Meredith Glynn) introduced us to Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy in all of his glory. So what better day than today to celebrate Vought's OG supe? Not only do we have a look back at his Season 3 journey on a number of different levels, but we also have a rundown of recent Soldier Boy posts. But first, a look back at our pitch/theory on how Soldier Boy could return in a very big way – and be a problem for both Homelander (Antony Starr) and Butcher (Karl Urban).

The Boys: Why Soldier Boy Is Neuman's Counter to Homelander, Butcher

By the time the smoke cleared on the season finale, "The Instant White-Hot Wild," we had a very interesting power dynamic left in play. Though Butcher (Urban) is "dead man walking" due to V24, our heroes now officially have Annie (Erin Moriarty) on their side. That, combined with a more unified approach to the team and the sick set of skills they each bring, makes The Boys as skillfully deadly as they've ever been. I mean, we saw just one example of what Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) can do once she's come to peace with every aspect of who she truly is.

While things were looking rough for Homelander (Antony Starr) near the end, he also ended the season in a better position than he started. He may have lost the love of his "father," Soldier Boy, but he's gained a deeper love from his son, Ryan (Cameron Crovetti). He still has control of Vought, made sure to put all of his lackeys on notice, and has skyrocketing polling numbers. When it comes to The Seven, he lost the two remaining members who ever pushed back on him, Annie and Maeve (Dominique McElligott)- and from what we've seen from the casting announcements so far, Homelander looks to be crafting a new roster that's a lot more "Homelander-friendly."

But let's not forget Congresswoman Victoria "Vic" Neuman (Claudia Doumit), and this is where things get interesting and where we're going to do a deep dive into some "future seasons" speculating. With a little "help" from Homelander-assigned The Deep (Chace Crawford), Neuman found herself the VP running mate of U.S. Secretary of Defense head Bob Singer (Jim Beaver). To be that close to The White House while having both federal powers and a tense "working relationship" with Vought also makes Neuman a major player. Almost. There's still one thing that Neuman needs on her side that she's lacking, and that's an "equalizing" factor. A "factor" that would have more than enough reason to have another go at our heroes and Homelander's squad. A "factor" that would put an end to Homelander's threatening visits to Neuman. A "factor" that we're pretty sure would be looking to have his name "cleared" and legacy "cleaned up." And that would have to be Soldier Boy.

Considering he's on permanent ice with the feds having access to him, it's not like Neuman couldn't have dealings going on behind everyone's backs. And the vice-presidential candidate would be the perfect person to make the pitch to Solider Boy about why he should trust her- shared common enemies & shared common goals. That said, after what happened during the third season, I don't see Soldier Boy signing on unless he gets "payment upfront" on something first as a show of "trust." And after taking out Payback, you can only assume that Grace (Laila Robins) and/or Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) would be his asking price. With a Neuman/Soldier Boy team-up, you could have Homelander (via Vought) in a position of having to help Neuman repair the image of the person who came close (twice) to killing him- his father, no less. And when it comes to Butcher, Hughie (Jack Quaid), and the rest of our team, it's Neuman's in-your-face, not-so-friendly reminder that she's got a lot of power on her side, too. Is it a teaming that she would particularly pride herself in? No, but Neuman's proven to be an in-the-moment & bigger-picture thinker when it comes to survival and looking to the future. It's a teaming that would give everyone pause (and set up a great face-off) – and maybe Morgan's still-unknown character is key to making this happen.

Soldier Boy Updates, Behind-the-Scenes Looks, Return Theories & More!

First up, we have a look at some recent Soldier Boy-related posts that we've covered – including new behind-the-scenes looks, some teases about some possible future plans, and more:

The Boys: Jensen Ackles Reportedly Teases Soldier Boy/Gen V Connection

The Boys Star Jensen Ackles Shares More Soldier Boy BTS Looks & More

The Boys: JDM & Jensen Ackles Are Spoiler-Safe

The Boys Season 4: Jensen Ackles Soldier Boy Post Just Christmas Wish?

The Boys BTS: Jensen Ackles, Antony Starr & More Discuss Soldier Boy

The Boys: Did Soldier Boy Make Vought's "2022 Voughtify Recapped!"?

The Boys: 1950's Soldier Boy Concept Art That's Ripe For Cosplaying

Here's a Look Back at Soldier Boy's The Boys Season 3 Journey

And speaking of the third season, 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):

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):

And 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:

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