What happened to Soldier Boy in The Boys?

As we head into the fifth and final season of hit superhero satire The Boys, fans are desperate to know how each of their favourite characters will end up.

While characters such as Hughie, Butcher, Homelander and Starlight have been firm favourites from the beginning of the Prime Video series, others have entered the show at later points, with one notable addition in season 3 being Soldier Boy.

The character, played by Jensen Ackles, went through a lot in that season, and has popped up multiple times since, despite being largely absent from season 4.

But what has happened to Soldier Boy so far, where did he go following the season 3 finale, how has he popped up since and can we expect to see him in season 5?

Read on for everything you need to know about what happened to Soldier Boy in The Boys and its spin-off Gen V thus far.

What happened to Soldier Boy in The Boys season 3?

Soldier Boy, real name Benjamin, was first introduced in The Boys season 3. Considered to be America's first superhero, he was experimented on and given Compound V while he was in the US army during the Second World War.

He eventually became the leader of Payback, a team of supes which also included Crimson Countess, Gunpowder, Swatto, Mindstorm, Black Noir and the TNT Twins. He and the team hated one another, and Vought decided it was time to 'retire' Soldier Boy.

The team ambushed and attacked him, before handing him over to the Russians. However, they decided not to kill and, and instead to experiment on him and, eventually, put him in a regulated coma.

In the present day, The Boys found him while on a mission in Russia and woke him up. It became clear that following his experimentation he had developed new powers, generating explosive radiation when emotionally overwhelmed. He escaped The Boys and travelled to the US.

While there he went on a killing spree, getting vengeance against the other members of Payback for their betrayal. He and the Boys made a deal – they would give him information on the Payback team members and lead him to them, while he would kill Homelander.

Homelander confronted them while they were at Herogasm, and he, Soldier Boy and Butcher, who had taken Temp V, had a fight. All three survived the encounter, and later Soldier Boy found out that he was in fact Homelander's father, with the latter being a product of Dr Vogelbaum's experiments with Soldier Boy's sperm.

A confrontation ensued at Vought Tower, where Soldier Boy told Homelander he was a disappointment, and that he was disgusted by his newfound son’s "weakness".

As Soldier Boy tried to kill Homelander, Homelander's own son, Ryan, tried to stop him. To protect Ryan, Butcher reneged on the deal, and he and the rest of the Boys tried to stop Soldier Boy's rampage. Soldier Boy began to activate his nuclear ability, Queen Maeve, who had joined the Boys and had been fighting Homelander, tackled him and the two of them fell out of the window of Vought Tower. He exploded, and the two seemed to die together.

In actuality, both survived – Maeve lost her powers, as anyone exposed to Soldier Boy's radiation did, and went into hiding, presumed dead by all except the Boys. Meanwhile, Soldier Boy's unconscious body was recovered, and he was put back into a regulated coma and locked away.

What happened to Soldier Boy in Gen V season 1?

Following his starring role as Soldier Boy in The Boys season 3, Jensen Ackles also made a cameo in the first season of spin-off series Gen V, which was set in between seasons 3 and 4 of the main show.

However, this time Ackles wasn't actually playing the real version of Soldier, but instead a manifestation of the character in Cate Dunlap's subconscious, who met Marie, Andre and Jordan when they got pulled into it.

It is a suitable profane, depraved cameo, but didn't actually do anything to advance the Soldier Boy storyline.

What happened to Soldier Boy in The Boys season 4 and is he back for season 5?

Soldier Boy only popped up briefly in The Boys season 4, appearing at the very end of the finale in a mid-credits scene.

It saw President Calhoun show lead Homelander to where Soldier Boy's body was being kept, revealing to him for the first time that his father was still alive.

Following this, we already know from The Boys season 5 trailer that Soldier Boy will be appearing in the new run, having been brought out of his regulated coma.

The character will also soon be seen leading his own prequel series, Vought Rising, alongside Aya Cash's character Stormfront.

The Boys season 5 continues on Prime Video on Wednesdays – try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days. Plus, read our guides to the best Amazon Prime series and the best movies on Amazon Prime.

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