Ever since joining the cast in season 3, Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy has become one of The Boys‘ most popular characters, despite being a mostly irredeemable villain. Having once been the face of Vought, the supe was sold out to Russia during the Cold War and was experimented on before eventually being put inside a cryo chamber.
He was eventually freed by The Boys, who recruited him to take down Homelander — his own son, but after the events of season 3’s finale, he was placed back inside one of these pods. Once again though, Soldier Boy was freed, this time by Homelander in season 5, resulting in him playing a major role throughout the final installment.
Unfortunately, despite being one of The Boys‘ strongest characters, he didn’t make it to the finale, as Homelander choked him out and put him inside a cryo chamber for a third time, which is the last we saw of him. While his fate is undoubtedly ironic, his return after season 3 makes little sense as things stand, given that his story barely progressed.
Soldier Boy didn’t resolve his relationship with Homelander — at least not in any meaningful way — and he didn’t take any steps towards redemption. However, we did learn a lot about his relationship with Clara Vought AKA Stormfront, and one theory indicates she may be the one to revive him, despite her supposed death.
Stormfront will return in The Boys‘ Vought Rising spinoff alongside Soldier Boy, but it’s unclear whether the prequel will jump into the present timeline at any point. Regardless, the franchise has provided enough evidence to suggest she may secretly be alive, meaning she could potentially free Soldier Boy and start a new reign of terror with him as The Boys‘ main villains.
Soldier Boy’s Chilly Ending Suggests He’s Coming Back
As one of The Boys‘ central villains throughout the show’s history, it’s hard to imagine being locked back in a cryo pod is the last we’ll see of Soldier Boy. Obviously, his return in Vought Rising means we will learn more about the character, but the spinoff looks set to address his past rather than his future.
As a result, it may seem like his chilly fate is where his story will end, but with how integral he has been to the franchise, it’s difficult to envision him not coming back after The Boys season 5’s ending. His business with the central group may be done, and the man who locked him away again is also dead.
Still, Soldier Boy has plenty more to offer, especially alongside Stormfront, and he deserves a more complete ending. His so-called defeat to Homelander appeared as though it would set up a possible quest for revenge, rather than being sidelined for the finale, and it certainly didn’t feel like the end of his arc.
He could easily be the next big antagonist in this universe, and with Homelander out of the picture, it would be interesting to see him working with Stan Edgar, considering he was responsible for selling the supe out in the first place.
Jensen Ackles himself seems committed to The Boys franchise based on interviews and his starring role in this upcoming spinoff, suggesting there is no reason Soldier Boy can’t continue playing a massive part in the story. Therefore, with so much scope left for this captivating villain, a return feels inevitable after his season 5 fate.
There’s Already Speculation That Stormfront Is Alive
The idea of Stormfront coming back may have seemed unlikely a few years back, but The Boys season 5 gave us plenty of hints that indicate she may not actually be dead. Firstly, there was a heavy focus on her in the final season despite her supposed fate, and while this could simply be to build towards Vought Rising, I’m not convinced.
If The Boys simply wanted people to be invested in their relationship come the prequel, this is something they could’ve easily established in the project itself, and it may have even been more effective. Therefore, the constant references to this sinister villain could be soft-launching her return in the main timeline, assuming the franchise sticks around.
Additionally, the only confirmation of her death comes from Homelander and Vought, two parties who have repeatedly lied about and covered up murders in the past. This means that reports of her suicide may be false, and Stormfront could be alive, with Vought potentially attempting to heal her near-fatal wounds.
Naturally, with her past atrocities and Nazi links, Vought wouldn’t want to publicly admit that the company was working on healing her. Likewise, they’ve managed to rebrand her before, as no one knew that Stormfront was once Liberty, proving she could eventually emerge as a public figure again without any backlash.
This would also explain why Homelander kept this information from Soldier Boy, as he would have immediately gone looking for her without caring about the consequences. As of now, everything remains a theory, but with The Boys putting so much emphasis on a deceased antagonist, it wouldn’t be a major shock if Stormfront became a key villain once more.
Stormfront May Have Been Waiting For Homelander’s Death Before Reappearing
Although she was once romantically involved with Homelander, Stormfront may have wanted to wait until after his death before showing face again. No matter what, she’s unlikely to earn public support any time soon, but given all the chaos Homelander’s death caused, now is probably the best time for her to make a comeback.
Sure, she could always hide away and live a quiet life if she recovered from her injuries, but Stormfront’s massive ego and extreme views would never let that happen. She also likely has stronger feelings for Soldier Boy than Homelander, meaning the latter’s death causes far fewer complications if she wanted to rekindle her romance.
While she won’t be able to change her appearance or be different enough to fool the public for a second time, Stormfront is an opportunist, meaning she’ll be well aware that something like Homelander’s demise offers a great chance to reenter the limelight.
There is also the possibility that she is still injured and knows Homelander would look down at her, almost in disgust. This would prevent her from being able to have any influence without the franchise’s central villain dismissing her, hence why she’d opt to be patient, knowing he’d eventually fall.
Even if she’s still unable to move, Stormfront could become Homelander’s successor in The Boys universe and pull the strings from the shadows, especially if she frees Soldier Boy. They are already like-minded, but she can easily manipulate his strong emotions, which will be even easier without his son to worry about.
Stormfront Reviving Soldier Boy Makes Too Much Sense
Although The Boys had a very satisfying finale, there is clearly still a desire to see more from this IP, as evidenced by the viewership numbers, and having two spinoffs in the pipeline indicates Prime Video has an equal interest in continuing the franchise. As a result, having Stormfront revive Soldier Boy and become the new main villains almost feels too logical.
The Boys themselves may be out of the picture, but Gen V‘s heroes offer a perfect resistance to a new threat, meaning the story practically writes itself. However, nothing is quite this easy when it comes to the superhero universe, which is why this exciting theory may never come to fruition.
Alongside Vought Rising, The Boys: Mexico is also confirmed to be in development.
The fact that Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash are committing themselves to Vought Rising means that, if the show lasts multiple seasons, viewers may not want them back in a series set in the modern timeline. Therefore, the creators may opt to go a different direction to avoid repetition.
Vought Rising could also reveal that while Soldier Boy always loved Stormfront, the feeling may not have been mutual and more of a performance, hence why she might choose not to revive him if she’s still alive. The Boys has always loved a twist, and having her secretly resent Soldier Boy all this time would be unexpected.
Until Vought Rising premieres in 2027, we’ll be kept wondering about the duo’s true connection, and despite Stormfront surviving to free Soldier Boy seeming like a great next step for The Boys, it just seems inevitable that the writers will go a different direction in the future, as they enjoy keeping the audience guessing.
- Release Date
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2019 – 2026-00-00
- Showrunner
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Eric Kripke
- Writers
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Eric Kripke
- Franchise(s)
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The Boys