As we continue to count the days until the release of The Boys Season 3, one more reveal has officially been dropped for fans: a first look at Jensen Ackles in the role of Soldier Boy. Ackles' appearance in the upcoming third season of the Amazon series has been long-teased for fans. Although photos from the set previously posted by showrunner Eric Kripke and star Karl Urban revealed the actor sporting a bushy beard, this is the first time we're getting an official photo of Ackles in action.
The images were teased initially when a verified Twitter account for Vought International mysteriously appeared. Kripke took to his own feed to slam the fictional corporation for "trying to whitewash their image with a twitter feed, starting with their old hero #SoldierBoy" and encouraged fans to follow and "harass" the account. Meanwhile, Ackles merely confirmed that "real images" would be "coming soon," with a sneak peek at the character's shield released over the weekend.
Speaking with Variety about the suit, costume designer Laura Jean “L.J.” Shannon said, "Our goal was to highlight a bygone era of overt masculinity and grit. With that pedigree we dove headfirst into baking in an all-American quality grounded in a military soldier’s practicality with a heavy dose of old school cowboy swagger. We knew that the actor had to have Steve McQueen looks and chops with a John Wayne attitude — luckily Jensen Ackles embodies all of that."
In the original comics by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, Soldier Boy is a character whose backstory is shrouded in mystery. Back in 1944, he was injected with the perfected formula for Compound V, going on to kill German soldiers in a way that Steve Rogers would never. At one point, his path crossed with that of Lady Liberty's (later revealed to be Stormfront). Given that Aya Cash is not currently contracted to reappear in Season 3, however, we likely won't get a reunion between Soldier Boy and Stormfront — but maybe there's a chance for flashbacks.
The Boys Seasons 1 and 2 are now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, with Season 3 currently filming. Check out the official images of Ackles in character below:
