What Does ‘The Boys’ Mid-Credits Soldier Boy Cameo Mean for Season 5?

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘The Boys’ Season 4.

Before making one final outing next year, The Boys Season 4 has come to a screeching halt on Prime Video with a final few curveballs, as Sister Sage (Susan Heyward) would put it, in the Season 4 finale. At the end of all the chaos that enveloped the season, Homelander (Antony Starr) is the most powerful man in the United States, not just physically (which he has always been) but politically also. With a puppet president in the White House, Homelander now has access to the country’s biggest secrets – one of which he may not have anticipated.

In the mid-credits scene of the finale, The Boys decides that it’s time to bring back a somewhat beloved Season 3 Supe in the form of Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles). The character was last seen in Gen V when Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) and her friends are pulled into Cate Dunlap’s (Maddie Phillips) mind. While Soldier Boy’s appearance in Gen V was rather inconsequential, the mid-credits cameo by Jensen Ackles in The Boys Season 4 finale just increased the stakes even higher for when the final season arrives next year.

The Boys

A group of vigilantes set out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers.

Release Date

July 26, 2019

Creator

Eric Kripke

Seasons

4

Studio

Amazon Studios

‘The Boys’ Season 4 Ends With a Shocking Reveal for Homelander

In the final moments of Season 4, President Calhoun (David Andrews) takes Homelander to a secret CIA facility where Soldier Boy has been kept since his action-packed encounter with Homelander and Butcher (Karl Urban) in the Season 3 finale. Just like everyone else, Homelander was unaware that Soldier Boy continued to live. To Homelander, the revelation of his father being alive comes as a rather emotional moment. Teary-eyed and overwhelmed with emotion, Homelander looks down on his father sleeping peacefully in his cryogenic chamber.

It is evident that Homelander must now call the shots with the fate of his absentee father. It may be assumed that the immediate rejection from his father after coming face-to-face with him for the first time in the Season 3 finale would make it easy for Homelander to pull the plug on Soldier Boy now. However, as evident from Homelander’s face, the choice wouldn’t be a straightforward one. In an interview with TVLine, Antony Starr suggests that Homelander does not know what to make of the situation at the moment. But clearly, Soldier Boy’s return in The Boys provides Homelander another opportunity to redeem himself in front of his father.

Will Homelander Give Soldier Boy a Second Chance?

Homelander has always been one with daddy issues, as evident from his own tumultuous relationship with Ryan (Cameron Crovetti), on whom he showers his anger in the Season 4 finale due to Ryan’s obvious affection for Butcher. Unlike Soldier Boy, Homelander wishes to win his son’s affection, at any cost. This season, Homelander’s character arc was marked by his innate need to overcome his thirst for validation, as marked by the massacre he carried out at the old Vought lab in Episode 4 “Wisdom of the Ages.” However, every now and then, Homelander still goes back to his basic instinct of seeking approval from those he looks up to.

As predicted by Barbara (Nancy Lenehan), the need for validation has been engineered into Homelander’s psyche. Soldier Boy would definitely be on the top of the list of people Homelander would likely want approval from. In The Boys Season 5, it’s highly likely that Homelander may attempt to rebuild bonds with his father and show him how much he has achieved since the last time they met. Importantly, when Soldier Boy wakes up from his deep slumber this time, Butcher will not be there to motivate Soldier Boy into killing his own son. Clearly, Butcher has plans of his own to take care of the Homelander problem and, if needed, Soldier Boy also.

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Our Biggest Unanswered Questions After ‘The Boys’ Season 4

The penultimate season leaves much to be desired.

Soldier Boy May Threaten Homelander’s Position in Season 5

Soldier Boy’s prejudiced mindset won’t make it easy for Homelander if Homelander decides to give his father another chance. At his most powerful position, Homelander may commit the mistake of bringing back Soldier Boy, who may end up ruining his advances at world domination considering the Supe didn’t show any signs of affection toward his family last time around. To Soldier Boy, Homelander’s existence is a matter of shame and dishonor.

Noticeably, Soldier Boy and Homelander share very different ideas owing to their contrasting perspectives. Unlike Soldier Boy who fought wars for his country, Homelander is only a costumed mascot for the big corporation, from Soldier Boy’s perspective. Yes, the situation may have changed drastically since the last time the two met, but it’s important to remember that Soldier Boy is as big a megalomaniac as his son. It’s not beyond possibility that Soldier Boy could end up competing against his son for power. Early in Season 4, even Homelander displayed similar tendencies when he started getting insecure due to the attention being given to Ryan. With Ryan still not making up his mind about Homelander, Soldier Boy is possibly the only Supe strong enough to bring down Homelander.

Jensen Ackles’ cameo appearance in the Season 4 finale mid-credits only means that Soldier Boy will play an important role in Season 5 unless Erik Kripke and his team wish to use the character for shock value and have him killed by Homelander right away, providing another key character development for the series’ antagonist. But then, killing Soldier Boy right away wouldn’t make sense considering the treatment the character has now been given, such as saving him for a big mid-credits appearance in the season finale.

If anything, such a move might further divide fans after a season that welcomed its fair share of criticism. Also, the creators did not allow Soldier Boy’s presence in The Boys universe to fizzle away by bringing Soldier Boy for a cameo in The Boys spin-offGen V. For good or bad, Soldier Boy’s return to The Boys would result in massive implications that would only truly unfold in the final season. Until then, Soldier Boy can continue to get some nice, CIA-sanctioned shuteye before his next call for duty.

The Boys Season 4 is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.

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