Since Jensen Ackles was cast as Soldier Boy, fans of The Boys adaptation on Amazon Prime have been clamoring for an in-costume photo. The time to wait is over. Entertainment Weekly has given the first look photo of Ackles ahead of his introduction in season three of The Boys.
In Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comics, Soldier Boy fought in World War II, becoming the first superhero to gain celebrity and become an icon in American pop culture. Soldier Boy was introduced as a clumsy, coward version of what Captain America could’ve been. Throughout the comic, Billy Butcher and Homelander both use and abuse him.
In the TV show, Soldier Boy is the leader of Payback, the superhero team that predates the Seven (rather than being active at the same time). He was mentioned in season two when Mr. Edgar said that “Soldier Boy killing Germans by the dozens” was an application of Compound V that was tested in the field.
“Our goal was to highlight a bygone era of overt masculinity and grit. With that pedigree we dove headfirst into baking in an all-American quality grounded in a military soldier’s practicality with a heavy dose of old school cowboy swagger. We knew that the actor had to have Steve McQueen looks and chops with a John Wayne attitude, luckily Jensen Ackles embodies all of that,” costume designer Laura Jean Shannon, who created the suit with concept artist Greg Hopwood, said.
“When I cast Jensen as Soldier Boy, the first thing I said was, ‘I’m most excited for you, because of the amazing process you’ll go through with L.J., our Super Suit designer.’ It took six months but the experience surpassed Jensen’s expectations,” showrunner Eric Kripke said. “L.J. has made a work of art that tips its hat to the WWII Soldier Boy from the comics, while taking it in a sleek new direction. And if you think the photos are cool, just wait till you see Jensen in action. It’s one of my very favorite suits.”