The Awful Truth of Soldier Boy

[@captainmidnight]

What did you think of The Boys season 3? Visit audible.com/midnight or text "midnight" to 500-500 to sign up and get your 30 day free trial of Audible.

[@superdude9900]

too pessimistic

[@anubusx]

Loved the animated parts.

[@knowledgeablebro6970]

The boys is woke trash

[@ZeldaKid5000]

An absolutely incredible season that had a very lackluster ending. The Ryan stuff felt incredibly rushed, and the Soldier Boy Darth Vader twist didn't have any real payoff tbh. Such a shame because everything before the finale was gonna make me say season 3 is the best season yet, but now I really don't think I can say that.

[@carlosroo5460]

Who cares about that garbage? When are you going to do a video about Moonknight?

[@ajtaylor8750]

Jensen Ackles was a real gem this season as Soldier Boy. What's so great about his character is that, without being made obvious, his arrival back on the scene is the domino effect that leads to the final encounter between himself and Homelander. Just showing back up is what causes Homelander to make the choices he does in Season 3, and by the end you're left wanting more of Soldier Boy and the brilliant performance from Ackles.

[@dariusacevedo1195]

Damn you hit it spot on man I loved Jensens performance! And I completely agree with you!!

[@EnigmaticGentleman]

Which Jensen Ackles though, the one in supernatural, or the one who went crazy after everyone made fun of his earrings? Havent seen the show

[@jonfreeman9682]

Can't agree more. But the best part is his jokes. That is pure comedy gold. Now Bill Cosby that's America's Dad. That's what I'm talking about. But boy does his punch have a kick. LoL

[@knightshadowhimself]

@@jonfreeman9682 😂😂😂😂 Man I was in tears when he said that

[@ryanhanna1549]

Jensen Ackles was awesome as Soilder Boy, I really hope he comes back in season 4!!

[@benh9935]

Actually I think Soldier Boy sees a lot of Homelander in himself. Not the desperate neediness, but what struck me is that when Homelander tells Soldier Boy "I'm you" Soldier boy responds "I know, you're a disappointment".

[@ProjektTaku]

maybe that's why soldier boy hated homelander, cause he saw himself in him, which is why he acted like his dad towards HL.

[@bigkinggorilla8095]

I think that line was very much self aware. Soldier Boy views himself as a disappointment too.

[@helldronez]

that scene is so sad imo

[@normaaliihminen722]

@@ProjektTaku Would you prefer him saying opposite of disappointment then? It seems like there isnt more room to move if we go by that route.

[@benh9935]

@@bigkinggorilla8095 Exactly.

[@ceviche4life951]

The “tend to him or else he’ll lash out” kind of vibe given to Homelander is like treating a chaotic child, while the same vibe given to Soldier Boy is like avoiding an abusive father. The parental parallelism is pretty cool

[@Bluejay-jg6hz]

It's the way they carry themselves. For Homelander it's like "I get over emotional and I lash out and kill you". With Soldier Boy it's like "I'm calm and I warned you, you overstepped me so I'll kill you." One is scary cause it's an outburst of violence and the other is scary because it's like premeditated violence.

[@nicktheparanoid6282]

@MR map being abusive is not just hitting a kid with a belt dude.

[@ledernierutopiste]

@MR map ?????

[@Magneticitist]

His son accepting him has seemed to mature him, much like the average human. A lot of regular humans out there running around doing crazy shit until they find a new meaning in life with their children. At the end of the show we see how much better of a father he can be than Butcher, who ended up putting Ryan in danger. Instead of immediate retaliation HL is first checking on Ryan, almost oblivious to what else is going on. Toward the end HL was ready to lay waste to everyone and everything but it was again Ryan who brought him back down saying that he just wanted to leave.

[@sorrycho]

@MR map verbal and emotional abuse ✨exist✨

[@ziggygunz2447]

I don't think Soldier Boy says "You're a disappointment." "...like it's nothing.", quite the opposite actually. It's the most powerful and painful verbal blow he can land in his mind.

[@Kyle-2020]

And clearly tore him up to say but he understood the truth. Homelander was beyond saving. His entire personality was on a bad foundation. Soldier Boy was at least emotionally stable at the very least by the time of season 3. Homelander was a powder keg who was liable to go off on anybody. Soldier Boy did have the literal Nuke power but that was incidental. With Homelander, his risk of going Nuclear was entirely intentional and far more thorough. Homelander wouldn't stop till you were dead.

[@snakevenom4954]

@@Kyle-2020 That, "I know" from Soldier Boy is far different. Soldier boy says to Homelander, "You're a f*ckin dissapointment." Homelander: "But I'm you." Soldier Boy: "I know." Everything he hates about himself is Homelander. And he thinks the same thing about Ryan too. But if they were given enough time alone, I reckon they'll make a really good connection. Soldier Boy desperately wanting to be a father and Ryan in desperate need of a strong father figure. Not a man child who needs to be told he's great every 5 minutes or else he kills someone. Soldier Boy was like that with Payback. But with them now all dead, I think he'll come to realize that being a hero just isn't for him

[@etzool]

I kind of wonder if this is a generational thing that might not come across the same way to everyone. The absolute worst thing my parents could ever say was that they were "disappointed" in me, and I think they only used it once or twice; I don't remember the circumstances, but I absolutely remember how much it hurt.

[@yeet1399]

​@SnakeVenom 49 Imagine Soldier Boy coming back at the last season and he ends up taking in Ryan off the border, quitting the "hero" life

[@snakevenom4954]

@@yeet1399 I hope Soldier Boy and Ryan both get off the path of a hero. I hope they look inside and ask themselves what they want. Who they want to be. This is where Soldier Boy will gain control over his chest blast and where he will come to terms with his PTSD and his shortcomings. This would also be where Ryan will open up to him. How he clinged onto Homelander because no one else wanted him. How he was always a burden after he accidentaly killed his mother

[@jamesoverbuild9496]

Homelander, despite trying to hide it, is so starved for attention and approval that despite trying to kill Soldier Boy a couple episodes earier, as soon as he knew he was his father, he inmediately changed his mind and wanted to form a family that somehow would "just work" for some reason. That's something that Soldier Boy understood inmediately, Blood doesn't matter, but actually rising the chilren by your own. This constrasts completely when we see Stan Edgar whose adoptive daugther is Victoria. There are is no blood conection whatsoever, and despite of being, as Stan himself said "More alike than he thought" Instead of sadness or dissapointment, he seems genuinely proud of her, of having become exactly what he wanted on a daughter.

[@laboon344]

earlier*

[@jonfreeman9682]

Exactly. That's Homelander Achille heels. He always needs love but he is so brutal. He killed Stillwell in season 1 cause she was keeping secrets from him and true to character he killed Noir for the same. Both were his closest confidante and the closest thing he has to a family and he killed them both. He caused Storm Front to die after getting her involved with Ryan and betrayed Stan Edgar. Basically he destroyed all the family he knew and likely next season he will corrupt and destroy Ryan as well.

[@windghost2]

@@jonfreeman9682 I believe Ryan will see the errrors of his ways and he’ll go back to butcher

[@margarethmichelina5146]

I love the fact when Stan got kicked out from Vought, he didn't have a meltdown or blame somebody else including his adoptive daughter who exposed him in public, he jusg took it like a champ. Even he still has balls to take back to Homelander. And this man never take a Compound V in his entire life! Same with Mallory, she still has balls to face the Supes like how she wanted to shoot Homelander last episode but Homelander heard her clicking noise to reach her gun and said: "Put that thing down on your hand, lady!" Or something

[@reginthehoneybadger8957]

I might sound crazy but I almost feel like butcher could be added as the third comparison. He also is at the top of his respective food chain, leads a group, represses his feelings, has father issues, and often is physically violent to those around him even those who are his team mates. Yes he might be the most morally justifiable of the three but I think it would be worth noting. TLDR “Butcher is also like homelander and Soldier boy in many ways but also has some key differences”

[@themediumcheese]

im glad soldier boy was an actual character in this show instead of a joke like in the comics.

[@jeremiahrogers8734]

Underated comment

[@richardv5942]

I wanted soldier boi being fuck by HL jajaja

[@sidneyshaw9205]

How was he in the comics?

[@BrokenSIMGlasses]

@@sidneyshaw9205 ...a joke gay, coward, and expendable

[@aswifte5743]

@@sidneyshaw9205 Comic Soldier Boy isn’t like WWII old, is treated as a joke by Payback and isn’t their leader, and is coerced by Homelander to have sex with him every year during Herogasm in hopes to join the Seven. He is weak af gets killed by Butcher. The comics are… weird

[@justinriley]

I think casting Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy was brilliant. For 15 years, we had seen him as Dean Winchester, the tough but vulnerable anti-hero in Supernatural. This is what kind of helped sell us on Soldier Boy being somewhat sympathetic from the beginning.

[@naromngin]

Never seen Supernatural

[@justinriley]

@@naromngin Even so, Jensen Ackles is really good at playing people who do questionable/scummy things while still managing to make them somewhat sympathetic.

[@Lksz-l9k]

@@naromngin Cool!

[@thatoneguy3253]

I’ve never seen super natural, but I love soldier boy as a character. He’s just written well, but I was always wondering what the people who have seen super natural thought of his performance.

[@christ14n68]

@@justinriley

[@boyarbeloved]

soulja boy tell ‘em

[@uchihabomber1296]

I was very much bothered at the fact that the Boys didn'y make one Soulja Boy joke the ENTIRE SEASON like man the writers missed out on this

[@g-rated3514]

Glad I wasn't the only one to immediately think of this when I see Soldier Boy

[@justinriley]

@@uchihabomber1296 Too easy and outdated, I guess.

[@uchihabomber1296]

@@g-rated3514 All I wanted to hear one them say was like “Soldier Boy Tell Em” it would’ve been beautiful

[@sortacoolmaybe]

YOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUU

[@c.w.simpsonproductions1230]

Everyone thought that Soldier Boy would betray Butcher and team up with Homelander. No one even considered the opposite happening.

[@e_ternai8086]

i knew the opposite would happen

[@Bluejay-jg6hz]

Maybe not the opposite but a lot of people were sure Soldier Boy would be too stubborn to join Homelander. Can't have two Apex predators in the same field after all.

[@myrongaines6022]

@@Bluejay-jg6hz I don't think that's what happened, he seemed pretty fucked up by the prospect of killing his own son. I think he was alright killing him because he was such a disappointment, but only actually did so as a part of his deal with Butcher.

[@Ready-ForTheEnd]

Subverting expectations doesn't always work. Just ask D&D. If they keep it up I don't think this show will end well.

[@NeroLeMorte]

@@Ready-ForTheEnd season 8 of game thrones

[@thefish6235]

I love how when Soldier Boy tells Homelander he's a disappointment, his lips are quivering, almost like he's sad that he's become something he said he would better than, a father like the one that raised him, acting is 12/10

[@Ozzie_Mandias]

I believe Soldier Boy changed during the 40 years of torture and experimentation... he was a walking tank and a bully.... so nobody could humble him. When he got humbled and learnt humility by the powerlessness he felt by not trying to escape... he drastically changed. Bring rejected by his team out of spite.... he became permanently depressed and decided to not give a shit about anything anymore... The Soldier Boy that survived all those 40 years of cruel experimentation and came out a changed man... is a Soldier Boy his father would be proud enough of to call his son. Which Soldier Boy probably realized when he saw Homelander's behaviour... he realized that he was the problem back then.

[@tdub6542]

@@Ozzie_Mandias if he really chaged and was humbled, why did he burtallty attacked his former team "payback"?

[@Ozzie_Mandias]

@@tdub6542 Being humbled means your wiser… doesn’t mean your a hero. A villain can be humbled and abandon his inflated ego to become a more effective bad guy…

[@bobafett9348]

​@@tdub6542Why wouldnt he have revenge for 40 years of brutal torture ?

[@nowherenearby9461]

Antony Starr is great

[@brohiddlesby7010]

I mean…yeah. Soldier Boy MADE this season, and I’m so happy Jensen Ackles was able to elevate the character. Actually, he really impressed me to the point where I’d be excited to hear his name mentioned in any project in the future. Here’s hoping we see him break into mainstream movies, if he isn’t already satisfied with the silver screen.

[@dingkong5034]

If Hayden Christensen wasn't casted as Anakin Skywalker, Jensen Ackles would've been a damn fine alternative. I would love to have Jensen play Hercules to face off against Hemsworth's Thor, but Hercules is already casted.

[@jonfreeman9682]

He's awesome as Soulja Boy and the dead pan delivery of the jokes are comedy gold. Now Bill Cosby that's America's Dad but boy does he know how to make a punch.

[@captainobvious90]

Man he would have been great as US Agent in Marvel

[@firelord4662]

@@dingkong5034 Hayden sucks Jason Ackles was the better choice and has the build for the roll

[@ThePureBloodedSaiyan]

@@firelord4662 imagine having this terrible opinion in 2022 LOL, Hayden IS Anakin Skywalker. He did amazing in the Obi wan show for the little screen time that he had. I love Jensen but he could never be Anakin.

[@arthurbriand2175]

I found it interesting that the Ryan actor doesn't look like Homelander at all but is a ringer for his grandfather. Having had a loving mother, he won't turn into Homelander but he might turn into Soldier Boy.

[@taniar2739]

That's what I thought as well.

[@Damienp3902]

Ryan does look like Soldier Boy while Homelander looks like neither of them.

[@Pioneer5118]

Ryan looks just like Becca.

[@immersivecomics1603]

I really think they did a good job casting a kid who looks like Becca tho

[@margarethmichelina5146]

Fun fact: If you remember Season One Finale, Ryan's actor was different than current Ryan. It's because Season One Ryan can't act and they have to replace him with a better kid. Also, if you noticed the actress who played Monique, MM's ex-wife is also get replaced. Maybe original actress wants to quit or something.

[@sammedina550]

I love how human soldier boy is. Like he loved people even if he had horrible ways to show it, he values his word, he is clearly a terrible human being but he is a person, and I liked seeing him have doubts about Homelander, I liked seeing him say he didn’t want to hurt those people, he felt like a victim of himself and someone whose worst quality was his ego

[@Seasonal-Shadow_4674]

@Sam Medina how would you say he loved Black Noir and Gun Powder?

[@Ozzie_Mandias]

I believe Soldier Boy changed during the 40 years of torture and experimentation... he was a walking tank and a bully.... so nobody could humble him. When he got humbled and learnt humility by the powerlessness he felt by not trying to escape... he drastically changed. Bring rejected by his team out of spite.... he became permanently depressed and decided to not give a shit about anything anymore... The Soldier Boy that survived all those 40 years of cruel experimentation and came out a changed man... is a Soldier Boy his father would be proud enough of to call his son. Which Soldier Boy probably realized when he saw Homelander's behaviour... he realized that he was the problem back then.

[@nismogo869]

​@@Ozzie_Mandias I've never seen anyone come at it from that angle. Amazing analyzation!

[@hbgguled2495]

@@Ozzie_Mandiasvalid point

[@jcp1296]

​@@Seasonal-Shadow_4674he probably didn't. He loved people (arguably unlike homelander), but not everyone obviously

[@MrKidKnockout]

The three standout characters for this season for me were: Homelander, Soldier Boy and Black Noir. Firstly, Anthony Starr continues to show us why he’s one of best actors around. His ability to switch from calm to maniacal bully in an instant always left me feeling on edge whenever he came on screen. Jensen as SoldierBoy was another highlight. At first I thought he would be the “sympathetic villain” with bouts of PTSD, but in true Boys fashion we find out he’s just as twisted and heartless as his son. And finally Black Noir. I’m so glad they decided to go a different route with his character. The Homelander clone storyline fell flat to me. The new direction made me connect with the character a lot more. Seeing him go from ambitious hero to Vought’s efficient killer who sees animated talking animals was a diversion I greatly appreciate. Here’s hoping season 4 is just as good.

[@bennyton2560]

The moment they started to show Noir's inner world I knew he was gonna die. But boy did I cry at the animations

[@Ismael-kc3ry]

Honestly Noir’s death is the only issue I have with season 3. It’s so fucking anti climatic for the character development they gave him in the previous episode.

[@rosenrot234]

@@Ismael-kc3ry Sadly not everyone gets their character arc in real life. So yeah on an entertainment level I get the frustration. Story telling wise I get their decision.

[@jacobtuttle4311]

Seriously one of the things I liked about the show from the start was the apparent deviation of the twist with noir being a homelander clone. They showcase his abilities that make it pretty clear that he's not as strong as homelander, actually make him an assassin and the third season just solidified the fact he wasn't

[@chanterelle2998]

​@Ismael Taken in a vacuum that would be true, but in the larger scheme of things it shows a failure to put two snd two together on Noir's part. Noir failed to realize that Homelander IS Soldier Boy in all the ways that made Soldier Boy terrible. To ask Homelander to help him sealed his fate.

[@rykx0r]

The biggest irony is that Soldier Boy talks about wanting a family. But he doesn't want a son to love and try to do better. He wants a son to prove he's better than his father. Being a parent to Soldier Boy is an act of competition, and it's that spiteful spirit that leads him to look at Homelander and continue his father's legacy of abuse.

[@jakeman025]

No you didn’t recognize that correctly. He wants a son to teach him and all of those other things simply because he thinks he can do a much better of a job than his father did. All of that implies loving his on and family and giving them a better life than sb father gave his family.

[@tarantolopictures481]

I don’t think this is an accurate take. He didn’t care about Homelander because despite being blood, Soldier Boy didn’t raise him so Homelander wasn’t his son. Just a psychopath created in a lab.

[@rykx0r]

@@jakeman025 But he can't. Because he's unwilling to deal with his own trauma, instead embracing toxic masculine ideals and then using them against Homelander. Both Soldier Boy and Homelander are broken. Both of them refuse to admit their flaws and faults, and it makes it so that they are incapable of real love. Even with Ryan, Homelander loves him because he's potentially the only person who could empathize with him. Ryan is an attempt at validating his world view, not a person.

[@jakeman025]

@@rykx0r That could all be very well true however that doesn’t change the fact about what he said and how he felt. He wanted his own family after having a tough life and relationship with his father specifically. Just in the little time he’s spent in the modern day watching TV and smoking weed he’s probably realized a lot of things and how it’s not the “old days” anymore. For example when he said “do men actually walk around like that?” To hughie about that commercial of a dad carrying his child in one of those back packs. I don’t think he was asking him that to just make fun of him he was asking because he was seriously intrigued because after that he talks about Cosby and how he wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that and how bad if a person and a man Cosby turned out to be. Then also with the weed scene where he said man I can’t believe this shit is legal I used to lock up so many assholes back in the day. Point is after seeing all this is when he makes the comments about doing it better than his father which implies with all of the changes in the modern age and being a supe he would do anything and everything to raise and teach his kids a better way now how embarrassing or ‘disappointing’ this would’ve been to his dad or to people back in his time. Even using a backup to carry your kid would be a “shortcut” in his dads eyes so seeing that it wasn’t just on TV for something and that dads actually use them I think he sees there’s hope in this modern age. Especially since people can consume cannabis legally for whatever mental or physical reason. Which also gives him hope because it helps tremendously with his PTSD which is another thing you see in the modern age where a lot of veterans that have never used cannabis that have PTSD are now trying it and for alot of them it’s been life changing. Also if he had physical pain it’s better than taking abunch of big pharma prescribed pills that have you addicted in a couple of weeks. Edit: I don’t think SB is broken at all even after everything he went through. I think he had a hard upbringing like a lot of young men during the time period. That’s why as soon as he was able he went into the service. Even after all the combat and torturing from the Russians I don’t believe he’s broken. Unless you consider having PTSD as being a broken person. Everything else I think he would be able to work on and like I said now that cannabis is legal he could always keep his PTSD episodes under control or at least not as severe. Homelander however I have no problem with you saying he’s broken based on everything we’ve seen from him. I think the main difference between the two is SB didn’t start out as a supe and had a ordinary but tough upbringing and just like Steve rogers he learned what it was like without powers before being blessed with them. However homelander is much closer to Ryan in the fact that he was born in a lab to be the most powerful person/weapon in the world and spent his entire upbringing around doctors and scientists. So yes they broke part of him.

[@windghost2]

@@rykx0r Ryan will come to see his senses next season.

[@ItsTopazz]

8:17-8:21 Actually, I think it's quite the opposite. In their final confrontation, Soldier Boy became aware of the parallel between him and HL hence his final decision to fight HL. HL is the living embodiment of his insecurities. His natural response to these issues was to (violently) eliminate them, especially when on a 'mission'. The final confrontation was a twisted moment of self-awareness for him.

[@MrCheeze]

You raise an interesting point. Soldier Boy may never admit his own flaws, but he's deeply familiar with them. That's why he makes the decision that his own son can't be left on the loose, even though he spends most of the season getting revenge on his team for making the same decision about him.

[@eileensnow6153]

Yeah, he can’t have his son going around embarrassing himself, thus giving SB a bad name by association

[@mechajay3358]

Soldier Boy sees everything he hates about himself in Homelander.

[@thiagoalbornoz5062]

"I'm you" "*I know.* You're a fucking disappointment"

[@strawhatronin7884]

What's interesting about this is that we see the same situation when HL is talking to himself in the mirror. With the speech about cutting the human part of him out like a cancer. They really are similar.

[@VideoGameAutopsy]

If Jensen hadn’t have spent half his career on “Supernatural”, I think he would have made a fine Captain America.

[@cherie..cherry]

I agree on all aspects but he’s short (right?) so marvel would either make him some sassy brooding Hawkeye or give him the tall shoes/treatment they do other actors. But he is an incredible actor who would have IMO been much better than cris evans.

[@VideoGameAutopsy]

@@cherie..cherry Yeah, but to be fair, everyone looks short when standing next to Jared Padalecki.

[@archflamingo9156]

I can see Jensen being a better hydra captain America or a us agent

[@leohong5845]

@@cherie..cherry he is taller than chris evans. 6’1 is very tall

[@KoreaMojo]

Fine indeed 👀

[@gerbbabycare3771]

I totally agree, but the one thing I'm not on board with is that Soldier Boy doesn't care. I think he actually does, which is why he presents his Marlboro man persona. It's a way of posthumously proving to his father that he is a real man, it's why he sabotages Noir so he can stay in the spotlight, at least that way people focus on and are proud of him. Seeing Homelander is a wake up call for him drenched in self-loathing. He finds that he became everything his father said he was, and he should've raised his son to avoid repeating his mistakes

[@artcorbeau]

Deep down soldier boy just wanted his father to be proud of him. It's funny thought a few days ago I was having arguments with several people claiming SB was abused by his father. But really, being disappointed in your son is not abuse lol.

[@gerbbabycare3771]

@@artcorbeau That depends on your definition of abuse. You can be abused without ever being touched, that's why people specify between physical and emotional abuse. In some cases, doing nothing is just as bad as doing the wrong thing since it shows you don't care enough to do the right thing. Soldier Boy's dad didn't even care to acknowledge him. Neglecting your child is definitely emotionally abusive.

[@artcorbeau]

@@gerbbabycare3771 yeah, I dont agree. People may consider "ignoring" or "demeaning" as abuse, but really we should stop considering everything as abuse. There might be some countries that consider those kind of things as abuse, other countries don't. It really is subjective.

[@gerbbabycare3771]

@@artcorbeau Yeah, I definitely don't agree. "Everything" isn't considered abuse. If you say something entirely natural and someone blows that out of proportion, literally no one in their right mind will call it abuse. Abuse is causing intentional distress, whether it be physical, emotional, or mental. If someone's psychologically tormented in a relationship, that's still abuse of some kind. I'm not sure what you classify bullying as if it doesn't fit your definition of what abuse is

[@artcorbeau]

@@gerbbabycare3771 then for it to be abuse it has to be intentional right, what if the father just doesnt care enough about his son because of the set of values he was himself raised in such as "dont be a crybaby, be tough, fight your own fight, etc" so it translate with him being busy with his own thing (he's a billionaire business owner) and he just doesn't have time nor motivation to give his son SB some love because he pays people to do that and he epects his son to become a man without his help. Is that considered abuse just because SB wished his dad gave him more attention ? as for my definition, i'm using the definition of "cruel or violent act causing distress" so yeah i only count emotional abuse if it's cruelty such as yelling constantly at your child or trashtalking him (things i actually experienced in my own life)

[@KingOfMadCows]

I feel like this season was about people learning the wrong lessons from their past. Like Black Noir becoming a company man after Vought screwed him. Instead of trying to fix the company or quitting, he accepts his lot and gives up his own plans and ambitions. Same thing with Soldier Boy, his father looked down on him and called him weak. But instead of treating his own son with compassion and understanding, he treats Homelander like how his own father treated him, even worse than how his father treated him.

[@MachineMan-mj4gj]

Except Soldier Boy thought his father was correct, and he in turn was correct about Homelander.

[@alexanderguerrero347]

Vought didn’t score noir. Vought gave noir an opportunity to take down soldier boy. Noir took his opportunity to take down Soldier boy and well it went bad for him. But Noir did want to take soldier boy and was in compete agreement with Vought to do it.

[@KingOfMadCows]

@@alexanderguerrero347 who put Noir on the same team as Soldier Boy? Who made SB leader of the team? Who told Noir that he can't show his face? Just because Vought gave Noir a few crumbs doesn't change the fact that they've been screwing him over for years. Heck, even getting rid of SB was doing Vought a favor since Vought was going to get rid of SB anyway so they can bring in Homelander.

[@MrBasketville]

@@KingOfMadCows amen sir. After watching the whole season it feels very straightforward that Black Noir was just used and exploited by Vought (particularly in the person of Stan Edgar, and the PTSD cartoons to me also highlight that his personality was scarred from a long time and might not be fully developed; also his behaviour with HL gives me a "kid in a man's body" feeling). In my humble opinion I think they kind of wasted a very good opportunity to create a new front - in the episode's timeline: in the Nicaragua piece I was feeling as if Edgar and Noir had a very specific liaison that might come from "before" Vought, and when Noir went AWOL I was hoping he was going to rescue Stan Edgar to be told what to do, and I was hoping to see a new corner to the story developed for a Stan Edgar, with a presumably very lethal super hero under his direct command, to come back either for Vought control (in which case he can ally with the boys vs HL and you could hype the expectation of a BN vs HL confrontation) or for some form of revenge vs Victoria (which just happens to be the boys next target...). Unless they give him a regeneration superpower like Kimiko (which, honestly, a bit of a stale trope) and bring him back.. But honestly I am very let down by how they developed Noir. I was SO waiting to see him shine. But I guess the logic will be to stay true to the comics and everything and everyone is just broken.

[@CourageGraceandKickintheAss]

That Logic goes against the Entire Premise of the IP. These are extremely flawed individuals and well whether most people want to Admit it or not. Humans tend to like it, it satisfies a primal aspect. Could certain character storylines or Arcs been better, yes. Are they delivering entertainment that is different than what's been blindly devoured with plots that are predictable in this space YES! Advancing the narrative of the Story in the manner they have is a Good thing. Plus they had to get rid of some of the team. It's a Natural progression.

[@RaMraM-zm1el]

Imagine being so likable that I can't help liking him on screen despite being a villain. Friggin Jensen Ackles

[@CourageGraceandKickintheAss]

Right!!!! I was so mad they made me wait until halfway through episode 4 to see him!!!! I get why but still!

[@kenXtripleI]

Reminds me of Jeffery Dean Morgan's Negan on The Walking Dead being like that

[@kwisclubta7175]

Why are you a villain?

[@bennyton2560]

He's so charming on screen

[@atanaZion]

I wonder if you'd feel the same if it were a woman instead...

[@TroysMilitaryHistory]

I'm usually a stickler for being true to the source. However, this shows deviation from the comic has been fricking awesome. Soldier Boy was excellent. Hail Captain Midnight!

[@BCWasbrough]

Yeah. It feels like an AU "The Boys" where the setting and plot is very different, but the characters and themes are fundamentally the same. It's fun to watch.

[@andrewli6606]

To be fair, the original comic is so edgy and pessimistic that I don't think it would have the same mainstream appeal.

[@jordan_roadhouse4798]

Yep, because sticking to the source is pointless anyway. Why tell a story you already know.

[@Bluejay-jg6hz]

For me it's fine to stick closely to the source if it's already well written and recieved. The issue with "The Boys" comics is a lot of choices that were just done to shit on Superhero media over telling a compelling story.

[@TroysMilitaryHistory]

@@failfort7822 the source was aweful - the comic was fantastic and a huge seller but you know better

[@makatron]

Jensen brought so much life this season. Even if he's mostly in the second half of it, it proves that when the story keeps moving towards a goal it can be entertaining even if nobody it's blown to pieces. Look at frenchie looking after Kimiko when she lost her powers and also how much she can say without saying a word.

[@Colossal322]

My father once told me I was a disappointment when he was blackout drunk. I never once forgave him lol still hold it in the back of my head.

[@cupface2308]

Fuck that guy man im sure your doing well bro

[@MrJH101]

Hey brother, not trying to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong, but that is something that you ought to consider talking in-depth about with him or a psychologist. Just saying, it’s not too healthy to hold onto grudges/resentments like that. It doesn’t define you and you don’t ever need to let that memory come back to put you down. I genuinely hope you’re doing well.

[@Fankas2000]

Sounds like he was right... Don't get that much drunk.

[@Vivi_9]

@@Fankas2000 you're a disappointment

[@virajphadtare4816]

@@Fankas2000 his father was drunk not him...

[@datnoob4394]

I disagree I don't think he said homelander was a disappointment "like it was nothing." I think it was him realizing what his father meant and understanding it fully. That he joined the vogelbalm program because he was attention-starved, in the end, he knew homelander was just like him "a fucking disappointment", and I think it hurt Soldier boy to have to admit that.

[@gemqueen1866]

Correct!

[@hamburglar3]

he got the bottom lip quiver to prove it

[@rjjm88]

"He's willing to say those words like it's nothing." I gotta disagree with you on that. I think it hurt SB to say that to Homelander, and he really struggled with it. It pained him, but I think if he thought Homelander was able to be redeemed, he would have in a heartbeat.

[@afiqazman6615]

But he never really knew HL apart from what Butcher and Hughie told him. So how can you say he knew HL? He didn’t spend time with him.

[@afiqazman6615]

@Justin if SLB doesn’t know who HL is, how can he have any thoughts about HL?

[@FirstnameLastname-zq8oy]

@@afiqazman6615 soldier boy met homelander and was able to instantly tell what he was like, likely because he saw HL as a reflection of the worst qualities in himself. Especially in the speech homelander gives SB before the final fight, SB was able to recognise the festering insecurity and desperate need for validation and approval within homelander, and it likely disgusted him.

[@afiqazman6615]

@@FirstnameLastname-zq8oy that could be, but I still think it was a stretch. You don't really know a person until you spends time with them. Like for example I thought a pretty female co-worker would be stuck up, moody and doesn't like to talk based on my limited interaction with her. But over time knowing her she is fun, all smiles, cares, doesn't like to be put on pedestal, confiding, great listener and would talk about various topics.

[@mudawott]

@@afiqazman6615 Homelander in season 3 was a constant on screen presence. Unstable and dangerous, riling up the masses. SB probably saw it on the tv as well. Did research? Or more likely. He said it because SB was projecting

[@bronsoncarder2491]

5:55 "Able to say that to Homelander like it's nothing." This is where my analysis and yours differ. I didn't feel like he said it like it was nothing. In fact, it was one of my favorite subtle bits of acting in that scene when he says, "You're a disappointment" through clenched teeth and with a slight growl. It hurts him to say those words. He finally understands that he's a disappointment to his father for the same reason that Homelander is a disappointment to him; they're the same people. The full dialogue there really should be supplied, for context: Homelander: "But, I'm you." Soldier Boy: "Exactly. You're a disappointment." ETA: So, yeah, I finished the video, and throughout it you keep repeating the idea that Soldier Boy and Homelander are fundamentally different... and that's literally the opposite of the point the show made in that final dialogue between them. Soldier Boy both knows that Homelander is exactly the same as him, and accepts that the person they both are is weak and narcissistic. It's the entire reason Soldier Boy turns on Homelander in that scene. Sorry, but I have to disagree with your overall conclusions here. Overall a very well written piece, but I think it misses some of the fundamental messages that the show was getting across. I mean, you even referred to Soldier Boy as "one-dimensional", but it's actually the complexity of the character that gave us the thematic climax of the season, which was the scene I keep gushing about. (Hughie's speech was falling action, the "today I learned" segment lol).

[@jacobsauti3093]

I felt Soldier Boy wanted more for Homelander. HL “Weak? But I’m you.” SB “I know. You are a fucking disappointment.” Meant so much. It showed that he wanted his son to be an actual real hero or a better man than him but instead he turned out exactly like him and it reflected the self loathing SB has for himself

[@KoreaMojo]

I think that was just instantaneous generational trama speaking to his son exactly as he was spoken to.

[@phoqueme]

Legit, that line hits VERY hard, and it was beautifully acted by them

[@BlazerFury01]

@@KoreaMojo I don't think so. He drew the parallel to himself, and homelander shares his worse tendencies.

[@big_2361]

@@BlazerFury01 He called Homelander a weak pussy starved for attention, while he at every opportunity emphasizes that he himself is not a pussy. He didn’t draw any parallels, he was just disappointed in Homelander

[@mc3183]

Exactly, SB looked like he was near tears when he said that

[@Yoriichi_Tsugikuni___]

I swear, every scene after episode 2 where Homelander was in, my tension would go at least at 15

[@helldronez]

my boy even talking with mirror like crazy

[@Gennaropacchiano]

I believe that another thing that differentiates soldiers boy from homelander is him getting the V later in his life. Unlike Homlander, soldier boy knows that, at the end of the day, he's just a dude who got lucky enough to get great powers with his dose of compound V. He's not special, he's not some kind of prophetic saviour or god, like homelander. So unlike him, he actually has it's foots on the ground and does not have the god like complex that homelander has because of his past experiences.

[@peacefulpossum2438]

Great point

[@nabongobong9155]

Another thing that bothers me is the butcher's turned on Soldier Boy at the end. I mean, he could've just said "Wait!! Take Ryan out of here" or something, just take the kid out of the scene and then continue the whole thing. I mean he misses that one chance of finishing what he started just because he could not think of a more logical solution at that moment

[@funionlol1954]

i think that ryan was still mad at him so idk if it would have mattered

[@aljon5947]

??? Butcher said “not the kid” though. Doesnt matter though cuz butcher didnt know Ryan was even there so it wouldve always been too late to say to move ryan out there when homelander and soldier boy are confronting each other already.

[@CorporealNatural1]

bro i heard it in his voice, even his accent muting all the t's

[@benwasserman8223]

Soldier Boy, Homelander and Butcher all represent an endless cycle of men learning toxic beliefs from their dads. Then passing that junk along to their kids, making Ryan’s fate all the more unnerving.

[@Nightman221k]

Makes me think poor Ryan was doomed to be parented with cruelty even if Butcher was his father figure given Butcher's dad was verbally abusive like how Butcher was toward Ryan.

[@josephwilliams1251]

100%! I also have to think the show’s not going to let Ryan take thd fall. The show just seems to want the characters to break away if possible

[@thibaldus3]

Homelander had no dad though. That's why he turned out the way he did. Soldier Boy is leagues above him. Hell, fathers being there to show their boys how to stand tall and not be brought down by society is what many boys lacked for decades.

[@nikostyleonyomamacoochie8513]

@@readhistory2023 You sound like the type of person who ends up being the reason their kids are in therapy in adulthood

[@benwasserman8223]

@@thibaldus3 Well kinda. The finale has Hughie realize he was wrong about his dad, as his seemingly passive masculine behavior was actually a matter of being there for Hughie. Showing love/support, despite how many Soldier Boy types would have mocked it in the open.

[@whodatboi2567]

I believe another way in which the theme of insecurity and a feeling of not being good enough was extended to how Homelander being more his narcissistic self resonated with parts of his fanbase. The show made a not so subtle indicator that the insecurities and powerlessness that Homelander, Soldier Boy, and Hughie felt is in large what a lot of people in the modern age are going through and how the unfortunate trend of people identifying with ultimately horrible people is a power fantasy to satisfy a feeling of lack.

[@ProjektTaku]

is that why I identify with homelander? Although, I also do kinda identify more with a-train and black noir.

[@master-of-mind5881]

What a thoughtful insight I agree.

[@jamesb9894]

Yeah, it said a lot about masculinity. They all have a messed up idea of what masculinity should look like, and by the end Hughie learns from it.

[@cbandit7715]

Yeah the last scene literly reminded me of a trump rally

[@granda3649]

@@cbandit7715 You really need to leave Trump out of your head, he's living in there rent free.

[@flippinjimmy8677]

Jensen ackle's soldier boy was hands down the best part of this season

[@jafarahmad3708]

i liked how when solider boy opens up to butcher about his father he wishes he could have kids because he thinks he would do a better job but he ends up telling homelander the exact same thing his father told him continuing the cycle

[@CourageGraceandKickintheAss]

I'm pretty sure that'd be because Homelander is who he is and it's ingrained in him. That's Not hard to Notice.

[@jafarahmad3708]

@@CourageGraceandKickintheAss just something i enjoyed seeing

[@master-of-mind5881]

SB was a slick addition to the show. Never seen Ackles in anything else but he nailed the part of SB. His voice, mannerisms, physical prowess etc. He absolutely owned every scene he was in. I’m still in tears of laughter after he roasted homelander for being - “a weak, snivelling, pussy.” Best burn ever 🔥🤣😂😅😆 Jensen is gangsta 😎

[@Anonymous-fj2uo]

You should watch Supernatural seasons 1-5. He's pretty awesome as Dean!

[@uchihabomber1296]

Disappointing they didn't have Crank That by Soulja Boy play once the entire season. Or even one reference to one of his songs at least. Huge Missed Opportunity

[@shubhamaaws]

SB was a great character in story. He stood up to his promise to kill HL. Butcher was terrible this season. He act like a fool in finale

[@jeremyroberts8822]

I felt like his decision at the end to turn on soldier boy made sense because he was gonna kill homelander and Ryan and he couldn’t have that cus of the promise he made to Becca. Was it a dumb decision? In the long run yes because like soldier boy said he’s right fucking there and now you blink but made sense for his character. I was actually surprised soldier boy held up his end of the deal especially after that phone call he had with homelander. As horrible as he was, he was also a man of his word

[@joni1405]

@@jeremyroberts8822 The problem is that Soldier Boy's blast doesn't kill the strongest superheroes. Maeve survives a point-blank shot and falls 50 stories and survives; Kimiko got blasted and almost died because she fell on a metal post, but she's also way weaker than Homelander and Ryan. If Butcher had just let Soldier Boy blast Ryan and Homelander, they almost certainly would have survived and just would have lost their powers. They didn't even need to kill Ryan to solve the situation, but Butcher wasn't thinking rationally

[@albumkosong]

@@jeremyroberts8822 nah soldier boys can just killed everyone with the blast, only vaporate their compound v

[@p.h.i.lcongure9168]

@@joni1405 Ryan’s just a kid and definitely not as strong as homelander or even Maeve. He couldn’t even move Maeve when she was holding homelander. His chances of surviving were much smaller

[@A.Mortem]

@@joni1405 I don't understand people who use this argument. Ryan hasn't shown that he is as strong as Homelander yet. You're really gonna risk a kids life on the bases that MAYBE he'll survive? Butcher saw what SB's blasts have done to several different supes and what it does to the environment around him. He saw it kill Crimson Countess and the Twins, as well as several other supes at Herogasm. He saw Kimiko get severally fucked up and she just barely survived and you want him to sacrifice some kid just because maybe he'll live? And to him its not even just some kid, its the last thing he has left of his wife, someone he promised to protect. And the point about how Maeve survived, that didn't happen yet, so its not even something he or anyone else could take into account at the time and even if he did Ryan is just a kid for one and two at this point Ryan has only shown a couple of abilities and none of them attest to him having super durability to survive really much of anything

[@aidanklobuchar1798]

I think you are selling SB's self-awareness a bit short. His calling HL "a disappointment" was anything but flippant. HL: "I'm... you." SB: "I know. You're a fucking disappointment." I think SB recognizes how similar they are and _that's_ why he hates HL so much.

[@Whimzy74]

I loved Hughie's revelation about his father and what real strength is

[@shapeshifter7676]

Unlike Homelander, I think there might be something good, deep down in Soldier Boy and maybe it could be brought up. Maybe with the right development, he could be an actual hero

[@Visplight]

Well, Homelander is straight-up nuts - raised with no human affection in a lab, and living with godlike powers. SB's just a fucked-up guy. You can get therapy for being fucked-up, but there isn't even a roadmap on how to fix what's wrong with Homelander.

[@freezingicy9457]

@@Visplight take away his power's and beat the shit out of him. That's the only way

[@immersivecomics1603]

I really like how much more nuance the show has than the comic. They’ve done such a good job of making Homelander much more three dimensional. If you watch Diabolical and then these episodes it really made his death emotional for me. I like how Noir is an actual character this season with an arc that really broke my heart. I love Homelanders relationship with Ryan and how he GENUINELY loves him even if he is still a terrible person. Just great characterization for everyone

[@ThwipThwipBoom]

As someone who fortunately never watched Supernatural, I can only see Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy, no one else

[@AdventureExploreDiscover]

Sounds like Doctor Erksine was right. “Good become great. Bad becomes worse.”

[@cinderluna]

What an absolute perfect casting Jensen Ackles was. Absolutely killed it

[@l.m.a.9861]

Soldier Boy has to return in season 4. They really did him dirty in the finale. He was betrayed by the Boys even though he actually honored his part of the agreement. That's just not how I want it to end for a such an amusing character like that.

[@bootmanbill2362]

he did honour his part, but the one faction of the boys (MM, Starlight etc) thought hes to uncontrolable and unpredictable to bother teaming up with, and the other faction (butcher) stopped helping him when he saw how he treated ryan.

[@germanwolf2953]

@@bootmanbill2362 so i was a bit confused by that him and hughie did have a convo earlier and I’m pretty sure billy knows too that the Russian music triggers him and he can’t control it (most of the time) I feel like that should be at least enough to say “hey maybe homelander is the bigger threat why can’t we roofie him after he kills homelander” idk it seemed strange to me but yeah billy I get

[@jhinwick5251]

Nah he's iced for the rest of the show unless we get like 2-3 more seasons

[@bootmanbill2362]

@@germanwolf2953 I think Billy’s character wasn’t exactly thinking logically. Ryan is still beccas son and he wants to Fufill beccas wishes of protecting Ryan at all costs. So I think once he saw Ryan get hurt he wanted to protect him and threw everything else out the window

[@l.m.a.9861]

@@jhinwick5251 We likely will get 3 more seasons as the showrunner expressed a desire for 6 seasons. And I think he said SB might return before the end.

[@Pers0n97]

Loved that season, but the only problem I have with it is how it almost didn't advance the plot. Everyone is still planning to kill Homelander and he still has nobody to fear. A good example of how afraid they were to change anything is the fact that the whole "Soldierboy can remove compound V from heroes" isn't permanent. "Oh no I don't have my powers anymore? Welp better take more compound V then!". Why is Maeve even leaving at the end of the season when she could just take more compound V and come back? Why didn't they just let her sacrifice be meaningful and let her die anyway? And if Compound V is so easy to get, why isn't butcher taking some instead of the bootleg version that is slowly melting his brain and potentially preventing him from archiving his goal?

[@LuisSierra42]

They are planning to kill Newman now sir, not Homelander

[@Pers0n97]

@deagleninja To be fair, un both of thos cases he didn't really give his all, especially against Queen.

[@brettbrooks5511]

While it seems they didn't progress the plot forward on the surface, they really did. Maybe not a ton for Homelander or Butcher but look at the rest of the Boys, Huey, Frenchie, MM, Kimiko and Annie. All of them progressed forward because of this conflict with Homelander and Soldier Boy. That progression is likely going to cause conflict with Butcher in the future as it already began to in this season. Butcher got a terminal diagnosis at the end of this season and with how psycho he's been getting, he's definitely going to amp that up. It may not be on the same path as the comics anymore but I have a feeling Butcher is going to kill one or several of the Boys if they try to stop him.

[@brettbrooks5511]

To answer the question about why Maeve doesn't just take more V is quite simple. She doesn't want to. Like Kimiko, she hated what it turned her into. She wanted to die because of the V. But now she's "dead", doesn't have V and can live a normal life with the person she loves. Kimiko only decided to take V again because she wanted to protect her family (ie Frenchie). Now with the argument about why Butcher doesn't take regular V. There are 2 possibilities. Most likely is that he of course hates Supes and would never want to permanently be like them. Secondly it would like just straight up kill him as he is an adult and it's meant for kids

[@a.f9234]

I think Buther still had a standard that's why he wanted to take temp V instead of permanent one so he can kill supes without becoming one of them at the end and he didn't know the side effects yet.

[@Xman42635]

I think the sentient bomb line is a perfect analogy, especially when taken into A-Train's subplot with Blue Hawk this season. The supe that styled himself as a cop used a common excuse of feeling threatened to justify his terrorizing of A-Train's neighborhood. When the people finally got him on a podium to apologize, you can see this particular bomb go off. They do it because they're untouchable, and because any perceived attack on their image is the closest to danger they can come most days. Hollow courage from their powers and fear of being irrelevant is what's become the focus of their survival instinct. That's actually what makes Homelander the most effective sentient bomb out of all of them, because he is terrifyingly stronger than the other superheroes and that wraps every single one of them around his finger. That hollow courage vanishes, especially when reminded that they can easily be killed by Homelander's level of powers no matter who or what they are. Even Homelander isn't immune to that, though, and he spends the entire series shook about Soldier Boy's reappearance up until their final confrontation.

[@TheManOnTheStreetOMG]

I love how unpredictable the finale was honestly. I'm looking forward to the setup for S4 and I hope we haven't seen the last of Noir.

[@nishitd]

What was so unpredictable about it? It was the most boring finale they could have come up with.

[@Random_dud31]

@@nishitd So, you knew from the start that Butcher would betray Solider Boy, and not the other way around?

[@slashfan091]

@@Random_dud31 if butcher let SB hit Ryan with the laser then that would’ve been more unpredictable over “scorched erf…but not right now”

[@jorgezamora3345]

@@firstlast9846 you mean foreshadowing 😱

[@jorgezamora3345]

@@firstlast9846 what is foreshadowing then ?

[@Gorilla_Chaos]

I want to talk about noirs. He’s response to trauma is so painful. One of the few flashbacks we see is him yearning to climb up the ranks. He wants this movie. The one solider boy is dertermined to take. And he does. By force. Noir was beaten for speaking up about Solider boy. Then he decided to work with others to overtake and capture solider boy. One that stole his ability to ever become something better. A beautiful actor. The next eddy murphy. His face was scared, he was beaten to near death. He then shuts down. Forever. No speaking, no faces, no emotions, nothing to hate. He probably despised Homelander. Or maybe he loved him. He never made it know, for a damn good reason. To prevent what happened again. But then he speak up. And ask for one thing. Help getting revenge against the man who made him that way. Who shattered him. And Homelander, still heartbroken, repeated the cycle of violence. He’s no better than his father. And that trauma isn’t confined to you and your family. It hurts everyone involved in your life.

[@LaikaLycanthrope]

Well, Soldier Boy's heyday was before PTSD was recognized as a thing per se; it was called "shell shock", and it was supposed to be something you eventually "got over".

[@troopieeeeee]

i thought the finale was fucking awful but i loved SB this season, Jensen was by far the best part of it

[@erubin100]

idk what happened...there must've been a sudden rewrite or something towards the end.

[@josephwilliams1251]

@@erubin100 i dunno if that’s the case. It felt, to me, like they just didn’t allocate time for the third act that well. I like everything that happened but it felt like it needed one more episode in its third act to connect to where they wanted to end the season

[@ClinicalDecisionYikesYT]

Jensen was the worst part of the season, dragged down the quality of the show and the finale sucked, I agree with you there.

[@dhnation4975]

You guys are better than me. I quit watching after the first two episodes

[@vincenturbina]

@@dhnation4975 why?

[@arrionarchie2120]

soldier boy is the best character and i'm tired of pretending he's not.

[@CourageGraceandKickintheAss]

Amen!!!!!!

[@countpythagoras]

What i really love about the Boys, especially this season, is that it kinda is effortlesly about fatherhood. Sure you could say it is about parenhood in general, but it doesn't pretend role models dont exist. It doesn't pretend that to a boy a father figure hits different. Both Homelander and SB at the end of the day, weren't shaped by their lack or presence of a mother. But by the lack/presence of a father. Hughie's idea of strenght (which tho accurate, it was also used to emasculate and kinda condemn his desire to aqcuire power to protect those he loves. Cause god forbid we have that in 2022) also came from his father. The show is really good at inclusivity without usually making men walking idiots. I admire that

[@marlonmoncrieffe0728]

Yeah, I liked Hughie's revelation too.

[@countpythagoras]

@@marlonmoncrieffe0728 It had issues. If the intention was to condemn what Hughie was doing before that, then it is completely wrong. If the intention was to show that there are more ways to show strength, then sure. It's good. The need to protect your loved ones and feeling useful (by actually being useful) isn't something that should be condemned. And given how Annies best feat of power was shoving SB slightly back, i think Hughie's desire to power up to protect her is more than valid.

[@jackhall4767]

I love the scene of Soldier Boy calling Homelander a disappointment. Cause it kinda reflects back to what Soldier Biy said to butcher, when they were having a chat about their fathers. SB's dad called him a disappointment, and so SB wanted to have a child so that he can prove to his father that he can be better than him... but after seeing his own son, his own blood, the first thing he called him is what his father called him.. A disappointment. It's interesting how season 3 has a small theme about fathers😅 butcher and SB becoming their own fathers.

[@NaiDoesThings]

When the two meet and Homelander says "Weak? I'm you." and Soldier boy responds with "I know, you're a f**king disappointment.", it's such an effective way of showing how he sees himself and how his father effected him.

[@sanchit7100]

When Jensen does a character,it seems he was born to do that role ,i cannot think of anyone as soilder boy now, most badass character till now on "the boys"

[@albumkosong]

More like this version of soldier boy is based on him. The comic version is very different than this

[@sachemofboston3649]

I feel like Chris Evans or Hugh Jackman could have played him well

[@AlexGonzalez-gf4oz]

@@sachemofboston3649 Evans would be interesting, but too on the nose. Jackman seems way too *soldier*. Jensen really sells the idea of the man out of time. He seems old school, but can also fit in the modern world.

[@sanchit7100]

@@sachemofboston3649 may be but my point is Jensen was very comfortable and effortless in playing this version of SB ,

[@yevanasvetya5486]

One thing i really like is how they treat SB's shields. Its thick, making only supes can wield it. And SB used it so brutally.

[@spaghettibird5135]

I think Soldier Boy has more of a connection to Homelander than is suggested here. Right before their final battle, Homelander says “I’m you,” to which Soldier Boy responds “I know. You’re a disappointment.” SB sees Homelander as the part of himself that he hates. He sees how awful that part of him really is. Which is why in the end he develops a real connection to him, rather than just being an extra name on his kill list.

[@bZman]

Soldier boy was an absolute delight. Ackles killed it, I wish he would be in the rest of the show. Idk if it was the good writing or just his performance, but he came across as someone who could have GENUINELY been a hero but fell short and it turned him into a villain

[@CourageGraceandKickintheAss]

Remember He's not dead so there's Hope!

[@bZman]

@@CourageGraceandKickintheAss I do hope he reappears. Ackles was really good in the role and I loved his bored take on the Cap style role while coming across as jaded and old fashioned. Honestly he embodied the Mark Millar The Ultimates version of Cap SO WELL.

[@JohnSmith-ty4yt]

One of the best things about the season was that he was also trapped in the zeitgeist of his time, and the story device they use to explain this was that he was literally radioactive and harmful to those around him because of it. Very nice touch.

[@Dustaroo]

It's surprising Jensen does not get more work than he does. Maybe he is picky or just spent so long on supernatural that he does not have a huge presence in the overall acting world. Hopefully that changes cause he really is a good actor with great screen presence.

[@marlonmoncrieffe0728]

Good actor but he probably knows his range is limited.

[@deannawinsletthughes5958]

He spent 9mos a year in Canada filming Supernatural for 15 years. He would have done movies during his summer hiatus but he got married and had kids. Spending those 3 months off with his family became more important than doing movies in the summer. Now that his schedule has opened up, with SPN ending, he has taken a number of roles … voicing Batman, SB in The Boys and the new sherif in Big Skies. Not to mention one of his favorite roles that unfortunately he doesn’t think will be released due to the horrible tragic shooting incident on the set of Rust. I’m hoping to see him accept a role in the MCU in the current or a future Phase. He wants to be in a real western. He has done some directing on SPN and Walker and producing the new Winchesters series. I’d like to see him in a romcom too. He is really funny. Or horror maybe. He would be absolutely perfect in a modern telling of The Portrait of Dorian Grey….perfection on the outside and evil on the inside. He is currently my favorite actor! He can do anything and make it look effortless. As well as make even straight men swoon.

[@meeee4997]

Yes he's very versatile, he's as good at drama as comedy funny, etc. He really came up with a different vocal style for Soldier Boy and body language. He was on Supernatural for 15 years, so he did not have much time for anything else preferring to spend the 3 month hiatuses with his growing family. He took a single season role on ABC's Big Sky as the new sheriff for next season, sounds like they'll have an interesting mystery coming up. It is just a season long role which probably means he already has plans for next year, hopefully including season 5 of The Boys. He also has 4 animated DC films coming up where he is the voice of Batman (already Batman in last year's The Long Halloween, and he was Red Hood in 2010's Under the Red Hood).

[@Gurianthe]

i really love how the cycles of father-son violence are used in the show without being too "in your face" about it. i really like that the most put together and caring male lead is the guy who was raised by a loving dad. i hope more media starts doing this.

[@EntelSidious_gamzeylmz]

He was by far the most interesting character in the season and they just took the character down in the end It ended with a scene with neuman which is basically the same as last season This felt like those anime filler arcs

[@EntelSidious_gamzeylmz]

Ackles was just incredible in the role btw

[@Lksz-l9k]

@@europeansocialdemocrat this.

[@Pers0n97]

I have to agree here, in the end the fact that this whole season focus on how they need to "find a weapon to kill Homelander", a weapon that turned out to be Soldierboy, to have just butcher do a last second 360 for... no real good reason (like seriously, get your kid out of the way, deal with Homelander THEN deal with Soldierboy instead of fucking up the whole plan and leave Homelander alive) felt like that whole season was just pure filler.

[@EntelSidious_gamzeylmz]

@@europeansocialdemocrat homelander taking over vought had absolutely no consequences ryan corruption arc was sloppy and didn't have any reasons other than "butcher mean" neuman could have done those in the course of a season in which they are fighting against her directly Maeve surviving was dumb (and she is my favourite character lmao) and they keep death bating us, which is again taking away the feeling that anything has circumstances, no one in the main cast dies And now we have the question of if they death baited us AGAIN with noir, or if they just wasted one of the few interesting characters who still have development to go through Most characters aren't going anywhere since they have finished their arc all the way back in season 1 and they are just giving them new character traits for them to overcome Soldier boys team thing is exactly the type of thing which happens in anime filler arcs, new characters get introduced, new characters fight and stuff, new characters die and have no effects whatsoever I can go on and on about how sloppyly written the show is, I just like the social commentary, thats why I prob will watch the next season

[@Pers0n97]

@@EntelSidious_gamzeylmz A good example of how afraid they were to change anything is the fact that the whole "Soldierboy can remove compound V from heroes" isn't permanent. "Oh no I don't have my powers anymore? Welp better take more compound V then!". Kimiko didn't have an arc, she run a lap and came back at the start. And if Compound V is so easy to get, why isn't butcher taking some instead of the bootleg version that is slowly melting his brain and potentially preventing him from archiving his goal? And why is Maeve even leaving at the end of the season when she could just take more compound V and come back? Why didn't they just let her sacrifice be meaningful and let her die anyway?

[@thebigal123]

I thought Jensen Ackles did a great job as Solider Boy, it was a nice treat having him on the show. I hope we get to see more of his character down the line

[@TevyaSmolka]

Jensen ackles as soldier boy was really awesome but also very interesting.

[@nicholasbaker2904]

The slight smile in the last scene shows ryan is heading down a similar path I think. I imagine butchers timeline will end with a finale of him and homelander both coming to and end in a great battle and ryan somehow becoming good bc of it.

[@Strongestintheuniverse0]

The biggest weakness of any character in The Boys is that therapy doesn’t exist

[@sneed.]

lmao ✡️therapy✡️ doesn’t work

[@GabeIG]

Soldier boy was a god tier addition to the boys

[@rasheemthebestfirstone3274]

His suit is better captain american’t

[@uvindukulathunga3860]

Should I say he is a BOY

[@GabeIG]

@@uvindukulathunga3860 good one

[@DanteYewToob]

Jensen Ackles was the perfect Soldier Boy because he has the face of a handsome strapping young man but the eyes of an older and more experienced man. You believe that he’s decades older than he looks and you feel the pain and sadness buried deep down in there but you also believe the smiles and wisecracks because he believes it… he’s been lying to himself for so long that he’s convinced himself which is why he convinced us. Jensen is PERFECT for that… Just like Antony is perfect as Homelander because of those believable psycho smiles!

[@I.____.....__...__]

- 1:50 That's not correct, he _does_ care about collateral-damage; he specifically made a point of saying he didn't mean to blow up downtown New York, that wasn't intentional, he wanted that to be clear. He didn't _used to_ care about collateral-damage, but being tortured for several decades might have beat some empathy into him. 🤷 - 3:02 Homelander is desperate to be loved, yet literally everything he says and does specifically make people hate him. 🤨 - 5:52 It's an unfortunately realistic cliché that someone who is abused or otherwise hurt, turns around and does the exact same thing to others despite being in a unique position to know just how awful it was, they _were_ in those shoes already. 🤦 - 8:25 No, we don't have to wait until next season to learn about Ryan, we already got our answer. Most people think he'll go postal because of that last scene of the season, but that was a red-herring (which is a good superhero name for The Boys). People seem to keep forgetting that he's already made it clear he's not interested in a relationship with Homelander, and more importantly, that at the end of the fight in Vought Tower, when he saw that Homelander was about laser everybody to atoms, he jumped in and "threw himself on the grednade" as it were and offered himself up to be Homelander's son and lead him away to save the others. Ryan isn't going to turn into Homelander, he's going to be the one to defeat him. 😉

[@captainmidnight]

He can say he regrets hurting people all he wants. His actions speak for themselves, and he had no problem putting people in harm's way again and again.

[@thefanwithoutaface8105]

@@captainmidnight Uh, the only times we see him use his powers intentionally was against Crimson Countess and Homelander. The other times his powers went off was due to his PTSD which as we saw he is more than justified in having bad reactions given all the crap he experienced.

[@TheOnlyHeero]

He was the best character this season no question. And they did him dirty in the final

[@erubin100]

at least they didn't kill him off. he could still come back.

[@rasheemthebestfirstone3274]

@@erubin100 I hope he’s in the thing Maeve was in

[@somethingwithultra7231]

They supposedly had him signed up to like season 7 or something. I actually hope the show doesn't go that far since it'll just be stretching it like it honestly already kinda feels to be.

[@CourageGraceandKickintheAss]

He'll be back, sooner than people think.

[@man-sc1us]

Boy oh boy happy to see midnight covering this season, was looking forward to this

[@hollykm]

1:22 Kripke ran the first FIVE seasons, not 4.

[@captainmidnight]

You're absolutely right, and I even had "five" in the script, not sure how I managed to screw that up.

[@hollykm]

@@captainmidnight No worries my guy - still a great vid!

[@Gamfluent]

Villain? I honestly cannot see any action soldier boy did as evil, he fulfilled what was asked of him till the very end, he even put hughie in his place which was very much needed, had they never betrayed SB he’d have ended two current problems

[@abhisheklama1393]

Soldier Boy did have that talk with Butcher regarding his father and how he was always distant, emotionless, etc. Soldier Boy was, infact, so affected by this that he tried to make scenes in his schools, which were all basically a cry for attention. He wanted his father's approval so much that he signed himself up for Compound V trials, and even when he became the world's first perfect Supe, his father shunned him saying he took a shortcut. All this is brought to light again when he tells Homelander that he's a "weak, sniveling pussy, starved for attention." SB sees his own weak past self in Homelander at that point. He hates Homelander because it's like looking into a mirror for him. So that line "you're a fucking disappointment" is actually him saying it to his own past self. Tbh, that line was full of emotion and not something he "just said." I think that was the most emotion SB showed after his encounter with Crimson Countess where he says "I loved you" to her.

[@scoopidywhoop7484]

He seemed more like a good guy with major flaws rather than a bad guy with minor strengths.

[@TheCaliforniaboy1]

I just knew the moment Jensen cracked a joke or got fully emotional in Supernatural that would be major star once SPN ended. We were spoiled to him stay so long for SPN without some producer snatching him up for their films.

[@tricky-vixen]

Just one thing: Stan Edgar wasn’t Homelander’s father figure, it was Dr. Vogelbaum - who also told Homelander that he was his (Vogelbaum’s) greatest failure!

[@SpottedHares]

Vogelbaum was Hollanders father figure, Stan Edgar was his daddy. He said so him self.

[@margarethmichelina5146]

And both of them see him as a "fail product".

[@graphosxp]

“I am an invisible man. No I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allen Poe: Nor am I one of your Hollywood movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids, and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, simply because people refuse to see me.” ― Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man Rest in Peace Noir, in the end you became my favorite character.

[@Balt21Raven]

Homelander is reflexively aware of the problems he had with his background and childhood and is at least trying to address them with Ryan, even if he is doing a very incomplete, self-serving job, the boy will not have the same level of damage as Homelander does. Soldier Boy is just a more functional, just as violent but slightly more predictable variant of Homelander. At the same time, Soldier Boy, as a more functional person, is less dangerous minute-to-minute than Homelander.

[@kevinlittrell3407]

Assuming the last Diabolical episode is canon, I think Homelander is also nice to Black Noir because he knows Black Noir could’ve easily have ratted out on Homelander’s botched mission. I think because of that, Black Noir was probably the ONLY person that Homelander could genuinely trust. (Before the soldier boy situation of course.)

[@thesilentsociety3252]

Yea, the last episode has been confirmed canon

[@scroopynoopers9824]

This is the first time anyone's ever said "Soldier Boy" this frequently while discussing a 'superman' without saying "crank dat" What a time to be alive.

[@thorbag8695]

BLASPHEMY! Soldier Boy WAS A HERO! Many years ago, I had the privilege of being in his battalion during the war. I lost my legs during an invasion of Normandy. He carried me out of there and saved me life. Today, I have two grandkids. Soldier boy is a hero, don’t smear his good name. Rest in peace soldier boy.

[@Rose_Bride]

One _incredible_ quality of your videos is how concise they are...and in SUCH a short amount of time! Many of your analysis videos are _"only"_ about 10 or so minutes long (on average). Yet in those 10 minutes you are _surprisingly_ thorough. I admire your ability to give such succinct discussions; at the same time, I must confess that this often leaves me feeling just the _tiniest_ bit -dissatisfied?- frustrated upon reaching the end of the video. Because while you speak _so_ eloquently and are an absolute GREAT at getting your general point across in that short span of time, it leaves me wanting to see *more;* makes me wish the video were longer so that I'd have *MORE* to digest and contemplate... or maybe that you would have compounded your points by exploring _another_ aspect of the character (which admittedly "might" have added an *additional* 10 or so minutes to the video run-time/analysis...something which, (now that I think about it) you might actually be trying to _avoid._ Please, PLEASE don't take this as a flame or rant. In fact, I sincerely apologize if I come off sounding "angry" or "critical", because this was _definitely_ *NOT* my intention! I PROMISE this is nothing more than the ramblings of a depressed individual trying desperately to keep herself afloat and occupied and (consequently) consuming your content WAY "too fast" and wanting _more._ 😑

[@arilorentz6486]

That Cosby joke about the him making some “strong drinks” is gold

[@marcoslaureano5562]

Soldier Boy is the spinoff series we DESERVE - AND that Jensen Ackles deserves because he OWNS that role.

[@reginthehoneybadger8957]

I might sound crazy but I almost feel like butcher could be added as the third comparison. He also is at the top of his respective food chain, leads a group, represses his feelings, has father issues, and often is physically violent to those around him even those who are his team mates. Yes he might be the most morally justifiable of the three but I think it would be worth noting. TLDR “Butcher is also like homelander and Soldier boy in many ways but also has some key differences”

[@jon_ovo3653]

“This is it everything you wanted…he’s right Fu*king there and now you blink!?” Best character this season I swear

[@jamesbloke3697]

"Noir was never a threat to Homelander's image itself" *Diabolical Ep 8 flashbacks intensify*

[@cngotham4111]

I would also like to add the black Noid helped homelander in the beginning of his career when he killed several innocent people black Noid helped him out of the situation. That's a big reason why there friends this didn't happen in the boys but in the animated show called diabolical one of the episodes was confirmed to be connected to the boys universe which was the one I just describe.

[@lelouche25]

Nah man, Soldier Boy got done dirty. He's a douche don't get me wrong. But he kept his word to Butcher and they all turned on him. That said, he legit regrets killing people. He was gonna let the twins go before his PTSD got the better of him. So I think while he's an immense jerk, I think he wasn't complete train wreck like Homelander. He could be controlled, unlike Homelander.

[@EmoryM]

We were told a lot of bad things about Soldier Boy but we weren’t shown, I’m still not sure how bad he was. I’m supposed to trust Black Noir’s hallucinations?

[@JoshSweetvale]

Yeah. CIA old lady gave the same account.

[@jonfreeman9682]

Well Soulja Boy is the best new character so they need to bring him back again. His jokes are hilarious... Now Bill Cosby that's America's Dad but boy he knows how to make a punch with kick. He really this season awesome. The ending was bonkers. Totally unexpected. Did not see Homelander killing Noir coming and thought Soulja Boy would team up with Homelander but nice twist Butcher teaming up with Homelander.

[@steveclapper5424]

There was a touching moment when Homelander was talking about knowing his face. It had not occurred to me that Homelander was the only person who knew what Noir looked like and had a feel for him, the only person that did. I hated the way they ended Noir a character that we hardly knew at all had just been fleshed out and killed in the same motion.

[@Klokinator]

He really should have been the one to attack Soldier Boy in the end. Coming out of nowhere to charge him and fling him out the window would have been a badass ending. Too bad they quite literally had five brand new B-team writers do the SEASON FINALE. Idiotic move.

[@eriktrp]

Noir got roasted by Soldier Boy then fleshed out by Homelander

[@Tommyboyy99]

So glad you brought up the parallel with Tony talking about Gary Cooper, that's exactly what Soldier Boy reminded me of

[@ChemicalXII]

"Soldier Boy is the realest in the game. I thought Homelander was cool. But Homelander is like a T-Rex, Soldier Boy is like Godzilla. Homelander was right there and Butcher blinked. Team Solider Boy. - - Soulja Boy should make a guest appearance. The first rapper to do a song with a superhero that's not a superhero with the same name. - - Butcher is the cuckold mascot. They try to present Hughie as the softest character, but the softest character is Butcher. Hughie is the 'everyman' character trying to rise to the occasion. - - Black Noir & MM have the same enemy. - - Homelander is like a Chrysler 300, Soldier Boy is like a Bentley. Homelander is the version of the thing the child wants that the mom says is at home, Soldier Boy is the exact thing the child wants. Homelander is K-Pop, Soldier Boy is Hip-Hop. - - Soldier Boy had both the things Scarface said 'you' have in this world.".

[@cowetascore8476]

I think it was hard to have a bang-up ending when some of the previous episodes were so good. It was a little flat at the end, but it certainly didn't lose me.

[@ytuser_3122]

I’ve never seen Supernatural, but I really want to after seeing Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy, he KILLED it as this selfish and reckless Captain America hero!

[@rasheemthebestfirstone3274]

You are so lucky you can watch it from the start I started to watch it when I was 11 or 12 I need to finish the last season

[@Golecom2]

You forgot Butcher childhood and how his father abused him and his brother. And how became so violent by the traumas of abuse and his brother suicide. And how he sees Hughie as his little brother and the only part of humanity he had.