How The Boys Star Jensen Ackles Really Feels About Fans Who Love Soldier Boy [Exclusive]

This post contains spoilers for season 4 of "The Boys."

The fifth and final season of "The Boys" is just around the corner. If you remember how the previous season ended, we saw Homelander (Antony Starr) establish a supe-first America, allowing Vought to strong-arm its way into the heart of American politics. At the end of the episode, President Calhoun (David Andrews) leads Homelander to a CIA bunker, where Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) is revealed to be alive inside a cryogenic container.

Soldier Boy had seemingly died in season 3 of "The Boys," but in reality, his unconscious body was retrieved by the CIA. With season 5 set to bring the series' epic conflict to an end, Soldier Boy's return could be an unpredictable wild card that changes everything.

/Film's Devin Meenan recently interviewed Ackles for "The Boys" season 5 press junket, and when asked whether fan perception of Soldier Boy — whom some view as an unblemished hero — will change after this season, Ackles touched upon the nuances of playing a toxic superhero:

"I think they're probably still going to feel what they feel, layered on top of some other feelings, without giving too much away. I think there's some conversations and some actions that take place that definitely add to the complexity that is Soldier Boy and his relationships with the other characters [...] Probably similar fans that think Homelander's awesome. Okay, yes, Ant[ony] does a great job at making that character just absolutely pop, but it's a terrible character. And Ant and I were talking about this yesterday [...] he said it, and I've stolen it now, but he said: 'Hurt people hurt people.' And I think these two guys come from a generational trauma and it comes out in really toxic ways."

Ackles' assessment of Soldier Boy (and by extension, Homelander) is correct. These are men who were shaped up to be pawns for Vought, and their trauma directly informs their perception of the world — and themselves. While Soldier Boy was hailed as a World War II hero, he is far from the humble picture of American exceptionalism that Vought wanted the public to remember him as. 

Soldier Boy is undeniably a victim when it comes to the trauma of being experimented upon, but this doesn't absolve his abusive tendencies. If anything, trauma exacerbates his bitter worldview after he's free, manifesting in toxic displays of machismo and a dogmatic perception of Homelander, whom he ultimately rejects as his son.

That said, Soldier Boy's refusal to side with Homelander doesn't automatically make him an ally, as season 3 ended with the titular boys and Maeve (Dominique McElligott) fighting him while doing their best to contain his (unintended) radioactive blasts. Granted, Soldier Boy doesn't want to casually kill civilians like Homelander does, but that might change in season 5, depending on their evolving relationship. Then again, Soldier Boy might be able to put aside decades of conservative conditioning to see the bigger picture when it matters the most.

Either way, Ackles sincerely appreciates the positive fan reception that Soldier Boy has received so far:

"I love that people are fans of the character because I love playing him. He's really fun. I don't get the sense that they think he's the good guy. I get a sense that they're rooting for the bad guy [...] He's obviously the bad guy, but no, it's good to be received and not hated."

Season 5 of "The Boys" will premiere its first two episodes on April 8, 2026.