How The Boys Season 3 Is Setting Up The Perfect Winter Soldier Spoof
By DEBOPRIYAA DUTTA
Movies - TV
Spoiler Warning!
This story contains spoilers for "The Boys" Season 3 Episode 5.
The cultural appeal of "The Boys" hinges on a lot of different factors. However, the most prevalent factor is that it doesn’t shy away from riffing off mainstream pop culture phenomena within the framework of bold satire. Just like Homelander is a clear pastiche of Superman with the patriotic public image of Captain America, the show has now introduced the true evil parody of Cap, the Supe known as Soldier Boy.
He is a fairly complete parody, brandishing a trusty shield, a backstory of serving in WWII, and his ties to a hero group known as the “Avenging Squad.” However, he also shares parallels with the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes as they were both captured by the Russians to be experimented on, brainwashed, and eventually put on ice.
Like Bucky, Soldier Boy was also presumed dead by the world, with a cover story that he died fighting for a good cause. They almost match up perfectly, except for the fact he was so awful that his own team sold him out to the Russians. The main thing to consider though is that both characters have subliminal “triggers” that turn them into indiscriminate killing machines.
Unlike the phrase for Bucky, Soldier Boy's appears to be Russian music that played during the horrific experiments on him. These momentary lapses trigger his new ability to fire devastating radiation blasts that also cancel out any Supes powers in range. While these moments are short, it does beg the question if something can or will force him into full "Winter Soldier" mode permanently.