The Boys Season 5, Episode 7 just convinced me that one Soldier Boy theory is correct ahead of Jensen Ackles’ Vought Rising prequel — and it could make the spinoff more interesting. SPOILERS ahead for The Boys Season 5, Episode 7. In its latest installment, The Boys takes Soldier Boy out of the equation yet again. This is probably for the best, as the series finale should focus primarily on the feud between Homelander and The Boys. Soldier Boy is a distraction the last episode can’t afford, especially with so much else to wrap up in its hour-long run.
However, if Soldier Boy is absent from the series’ final episode — and showrunner Eric Kripke told Collider he’s had his final scene — it will prove one theory about him true. This would open the door for a Vought Rising twist that could alter the spinoff series’ premise. It would give the next show a larger scope and enable Amazon’s franchise to expand beyond Soldier Boy’s story. That’d be good to see, especially following Gen V‘s disappointing cancellation.
After The Boys Season 5, Episode 7, I’m Convinced Soldier Boy Will Survive the Series
The Boys Season 5, Episode 7 sees Homelander turning on Soldier Boy after he tries to leave Vought Tower for good. Unable to cope with his father rejecting a relationship again, Antony Starr’s supe chokes him until he’s unconscious, then puts him back in his cryo chamber. It sounds like neither Homelander nor The Boys will release him. And unless something happens to Vought Tower while he’s in it, this proves one theory about the character correct: that he’ll survive the Prime Video show.
This notion has been circulating on Reddit, and it’s looking more likely now that Soldier Boy is back in cryo. Of course, leaving Soldier Boy alive presents all kind of problems and possibilities for this universe. It means that another high-level threat will continue to exist, even if Homelander is successfully defeated. For the people living in The Boys‘ world, that wouldn’t be ideal…though it’d be great news for the franchise’s future.
Soldier Boy’s Survival Means Vought Rising Could Be Part Prequel & Part Sequel
If Soldier Boy survives The Boys Season 5 finale, Vought Rising could be much different show than we expected. The Soldier Boy spinoff is currently being pitched as a prequel, which will tell the backstory of Ackles’ character and his original team. That’s why Season 5 introduces us to Mason Dye’s Bombsight and teases supes like Private Angel and Torpedo. Soldier Boy’s survival would lay the groundwork for Vought Rising to unfold in two timelines, however. It could be both a prequel and a sequel, flashing back and forth between Soldier Boy’s past and present.
This would make sense of Soldier Boy’s heavy inclusion in The Boys Season 5, revealing that the show was setting up a new villain to take up Homelander’s mantle. Stan Edgar believes the Vought machine will continue, and Soldier Boy clearly wants The Seven. Perhaps he’ll become the new face of the company following Homelander’s demise. A future timeline like this would also give Vought Rising greater stakes, since we won’t know the outcome of its second narrative. The past timeline is set in stone, so a later one would add tension to the story.
What a Sequel Timeline in Vought Rising Could Mean for The Boys Franchise
Vought Rising being a prequel and a sequel would be good for Soldier Boy’s story, but it would also present new possibilities for The Boys‘ greater franchise. With just an hour left of the show, it’s safe to assume there will be some unfinished business in the present-day timeline. The series can wrap up Homelander’s and The Boys’ narratives in the finale’s runtime, but it probably can’t deal with the aftermath of all that’s happened. It also won’t be able to give Gen V‘s characters a proper send-off, especially with them featuring so little in this outing. Vought Rising could rectify all of this, showing what the world looks like after Homelander’s fall and expanding on the surviving characters.
Do you think we’ll see Soldier Boy again after The Boys Season 5’s timeline? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
