If we can learn anything from the extremely dark first two seasons of Amazon's The Boys, it's that heroes, villains, and justice don't exist as separate concepts—at least not in the way that America wants us to believe. Case in point: The very R-rated trailer for the third season of the show, which is a montage of some extreme The Boysisms. (I.e. the explosion of several bodies, new superpowers, and our new favorite voice AI, the one and only Giancarlo Esposito.)
Since it's been quite some time since Season Two ended, let's think back for a minute. Stormfront gets her shit rocked by Queen Maeve, Kimiko, and Starlight before getting (mostly) vaporized by Homelander's son. (Meanwhile, Chace Crawford's The Deep has cut ties with his Fresca-chugging cult.) But even though one powerful Nazi has been defeated, America's issues run much deeper. In Season Three, The Boys promises to explore the horrible origins of Vought, The Seven, and its close relationship with America itself.
Now, the new kid in town, Jensen Ackles, has opened up about his role as Soldier Boy... which is something you'll definitely want to read. When you're ready, here's everything we know so far.
What Will The Boys Season Three Be About?
The Amazon adaptation of the comics by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson uses the original characters and world of the source material, but twists it into a unique, new story. And in Season Three, as show creator Eric Kripke told Entertainment Weekly, "The Boys will explore the Seven before the Seven."
This means the show will introduce Soldier Boy, the first Captain America-esque supe, and his original team called Payback. The team consisted of Stormfront, Eagle the Archer, Tek Knight, and Chrimson Countess. We glimpse Soldier Boy in the new trailer, beating the snot out of someone out of frame.
"One of the reasons that we're getting into Soldier Boy [in season 3] and that team, Payback, is we're interested in exploring a little bit of how we got here," Kripke told EW. "Through the history of the supes, we can tell a little bit about the history of America and how we ended up in the current fraught position that we're in. Soldier Boy gives us an opportunity to do that."
Played by Supernatural's Jensen Ackles, Soldier Boy is described by The Boys wiki as having "no qualms about hurting others or abusing his powers, but unlike most other Supes, his patriotism and dedication to his job wasn't just an act. He maintained a very innocent approach to his role, not realizing the depravity around him."
With the introduction of Soldier Boy, Season Three of The Boys will dig into the imagined mythology of WWII-era America.
“Certain politicians like to pitch this somehow idyllic ‘good old days’ where everything was perfect and calm. That is complete and utter bullshit," Kripke told EW. "It was never that way. So, by exploring the history of Vought in the history of America, we get to make some of those points. There was never an America when they say ‘Make America Great Again.’ It was always a struggle. That's the point. It's a struggle to make things better."
As for Ackles, the poor man apparently had to film a superhero orgy scene, which is apparently a thing. Here's what he told USA Today about the whole experience. "I’m not necessarily a modest person, by any means, but I do remember walking onto the set, and let's just say that I felt the need to stare at the ceiling more than I've ever felt in my life," Ackles said. "Avoid eye contact, just don't look down and you might get through this day."
Elsewhere in the trailer, we see Karl Urban's Billy Butcher snagging himself some superpowers—laser vision and super strength, to be precise. The classics. Homelander still looks to be out of his damn mind, with everyone around him saying he seems... off. Also, we see Esposito giving some creepy wisdoms from behind a desk, which we're always here for. It looks like the whole cast will be returning, too: Jack Quaid (Hughie), Erin Moriarty (Starlight), Antony Starr (Homelander), Chace Crawford (The Deep), Dominique McElligott (Queen Maeve), Laz Alonso (Mother's Milk), Jessie T Usher (A-Train), Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko), and Giancarlo Esposito (Stan Edgar). And yes, we'll see more of Aya Cash's Stormfront, likely in the form of flashbacks to Payback days. But, who knows, since we didn't see her fully die, she might still be around somewhere.
When Will Be The Boys Season Three Release Date?
Amid all the pandemic-related delays, Season Three of The Boys will drop its first three episodes on June 3. From there, The Boys will release one episode a week until July 8.
