The Boys season 3 will mark the introduction of Soldier Boy — a superhero that shares more than a passing similarity with Marvel’s Captain America. The Boys began life as a series of graphic novels co-created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. Developed by Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg, the saga was adapted for television and premiered via Amazon in mid-2019. Before the first episode even aired, The Boys was renewed for a second season. Similarly, the show was renewed again for season 3 ahead of season 2’s release. Writing is already underway on the new episodes, with it confirmed that Jensen Ackles will join the cast as Soldier Boy.
Both the graphic novels and the series centers on a unique, self-appointed task force led by Billy Butcher. Comprised of Hughie, Frenchie, Mother’s Milk, and The Female, they focus specifically on holding corrupt superheroes to account. The majority of their journey has seen them clash with The Seven — a twisted amalgam of popular superhero teams like the Avengers or the Justice League. Led by the sociopathic (and Superman-inspired) Homelander, The Seven has an ever-shifting roster. The Boys season 2 sees a newcomer named Stormfront join the team. It’s unclear whether Soldier Boy will become a member or, like in the comics, will be an outside force eager to be recruited. Whatever the case, he’ll almost certainly be a foe rather than a friend for Butcher and his crew. Equally, he’ll continue The Boys tradition of parodying known superheroes, as well as the culture of popularity and celebrity that surrounds them.
As the name suggests, Soldier Boy is primarily a pastiche of Captain America. That is most visually apparent in their extremely similar costumes. Both come in the extremely patriotic colors of red, white, and blue. Their respective suits also have a giant white star emblazoned over the chest. Soldier Boy and Captain America both carry shields into battle. Where Cap’s is round, however, Soldier Boy’s is more of a pentagon shape and instead features the no-less American iconography of an eagle. Going beyond their styles, elements of Captain America’s origin story are used as part of Soldier Boy’s own. Both were enhanced via a serum during World War II.
The results were also borderline identical. Both Soldier Boy and Captain America were gifted super-strength, agility, and durability. Unfortunately, where Cap also gained enhanced mental processing capabilities, Soldier Boy did not. Thus, he is frequently outsmarted, fearful, and finds himself woefully out of his depth. After gaining their abilities, both were put in charge of their own teams. Captain America led The Invaders in the comics and the Howling Commandos in the MCU. Soldier Boy’s World War II team, meanwhile, was named The Avenging Squad. There was also a child sidekick on Soldier Boy’s group, similar to how Bucky Barnes was originally depicted. Unfortunately, because of the assumption that superpowers negated the need for proper tactical training, Soldier Boy ultimately got his team and many other soldiers killed. As such, he serves as a realistic parody of not just Captain America but general jingoistic, militantly-patriotic types with little-to-no actual experience.
Both characters also end up fighting in modern-day. Despite not being the most powerful member and often belittled, both are also viewed as leaders of their present-day groups. Though Soldier Boy is stated as having served as a superhero across the world since World War II, it’s revealed to not be the case. Instead, Soldier Boy is a title handed to a number of different people. That in itself is another similarity with Captain America, as demonstrated recently with Sam Wilson taking up the mantle. Regardless, Soldier Boy still portrays himself as though from another era. Naive to the modern world, more earnest and innocent than those around him, he refuses to even engage in bad language. Such a trait is something Cap has also frequently leaned into. Fans will have to wait and see, however, just how many of the mocking parallels will make it to the screen during The Boys season 3.
