Soldier Boy was presumed dead by most of the people within and outside the show, The Boys. The Boys wanted to find out how he died and use the weapon that killed him to kill Homelander. However, they find him alive when they reach Russia and enter the facility.
The Boys Season 3, Episode 5 reveals two distinct things about him. First, he has new powers in the form of energy blasts that he releases from his chest. Second, he hasn’t aged much since the time he got kidnapped by the Russians 3 decades ago.
So how exactly is Soldier Boy alive? Why hasn’t he aged much?
The Russians kidnapped Soldier Boy but didn’t kill him. Instead, they exposed him to radiation which stopped him from aging and gave him the power to release energy blasts from his chest.
In episode 5, Butcher and Marvin skim through video recordings of Soldier Boy being tested upon. The Russian scientists/agents expose him to some form of radiation, shoot bullets down his throat, and even try to pierce his eyeballs with a knife.
While nothing else is revealed, the Boys infer that the radiation somehow made him more powerful. He’s got the all-new power of releasing energy blasts with which he hurt Kimiko. Besides this, he’s not getting old either.
When he escapes from Russia and returns to the USA, he goes hunting. He wants to know who gave him up to the Russians and, as a result, contacts the Legend, the man who covered up numerous crimes committed by America’s greatest supe.
The Legend gives Soldier Boy his suit and shield back and also gives him his ex-girlfriend, Crimson Countess’ address. However, before he gets to her, The Boys reach her and try to get some info on this entire fiasco.
When our hero arrives, Butcher makes a deal with him. He gives him Crimson Countess in exchange for killing his nemesis, Homelander. After all, if anyone can kill the invincible Homelander, it’s Soldier Boy.
However, there’s still a lot left to unpack. On seeing her ex-boyfriend, Crimson Countess tells how he hasn’t aged at all. When he tries to interrogate her and asks how much the Russians paid her, she tells him they didn’t. She further adds how she hated him and his existence.
This could either mean that she gave him up because of her hatred, or someone else was behind the kidnapping. In episode 4, Stan Edgar mentioned how his daughter Victoria/Nadia was so much like him because she had learned to play from all sides.
While this could point toward how she betrayed her father-figure, it could also mean that Stan Edgar knows to play from all sides too. He could’ve been the one behind Soldier Boy’s kidnapping, and in that battle, he could’ve been working with the Russians. Currently, this isn’t confirmed, and we have to see how it unfolds in the upcoming episodes.
Another thing that Soldier Boy’s return means is his battle with Homelander. With Billy Butcher successfully cutting a deal with him, the two will likely go against the new head of The Seven together.
This face-off would be pretty interesting, considering that Butcher and Hughie would be pumped with Compound V24 and have their own superpowers. As Butch said in episode 5, he’s leveled the playing field.
Episode 6 releases on June 23 at 3:00 AM PT, and I can’t wait for more revelations around the supposed death and rebirth of Soldier Boy. You shouldn’t miss the episode either.
About The Boys
The Boys is an American satirical superhero streaming television series developed by Eric Kripke for Prime Video. Based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, which was originally published by DC Comics under their Wildstorm imprint before moving to Dynamite Entertainment, it follows the eponymous team of vigilantes as they combat superpowered individuals who abuse their abilities.
The show is a satirical take on the superhero genre and showcases a world where superheroes are corporatized and controlled by companies. What happens when these superheroes step out of line and rub some boys the wrong way, is the story.
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