The Boys Season 3 Deleted Scene Would Have Changed A Major Soldier Boy Moment

• Television
• Superhero Shows

Soldier Boy has become one of the most crucial characters in "The Boys," which is no wonder considering he's getting his own spin-off prequel series. He's one of the oldest supes, one of the strongest, and also an immortal being. He's a clear parody of Captain America, but significantly more messed up in the head. 

And he could have been a lot different if a single scene hadn't been deleted.

Back in Season 3, when Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) was introduced, there was a scene in which he confronted his former girlfriend, Crimson Countess (Laurie Holden). After discovering that it was Crimson Countess who sold him out to the Russians — resulting in Soldier Boy being experimented upon and frozen for decades — Soldier Boy murders her. It's a brief moment when Soldier Boy doesn't really emote but just stares silently before letting out the briefest hint of his long-held grief and anger. 

Speaking with Digital Spy, Ackles explained that the original scene was longer. "I think they had to cut it down for time or whatever," the actor said. "But it got pretty heated, that conversation, and Soldier Boy gets really verbally explosive. They cut that out."

Ackles continued, "And I think it probably serviced the scene better, because he does stay calm now, throughout the whole thing. And then it's just boom. I think it works just great the way they cut it together." It's a small change, but one that significantly alters Super Boy's character in Season 3 and, therefore, his trajectory in the show. Soldier Boy quietly just murdering his former lover is quite different than him going into a heated conversation and then killing Crimson Countess in a fit of rage.

Soldier Boy is a fascinating piece of Vought history

"The Boys" is not really a subtle show — especially when it comes to Homelander acting just like the current president of the U.S. Pretty much what you see is what you get in terms of characterization, so when Soldier Boy arrives on screen and is just an emotionless monster, that's who we are stuck with.

Jensen Ackles does a great job as Soldier Boy, but the character is too stoic. Sure, it's in no small part due to Soldier Boy being a parody of Captain America, a very serious character who suppresses all emotion to project an image of stoic machismo of the Greatest Generation. "It's the first time that he's facing anyone from his team," Ackles explained. "How come nobody came and looked for him? What went wrong? How could you hang me out to dry like that? Obviously, he doesn't get the answers that he was hoping for. But he wants some answers. He wants to know what the hell happened."

If we had seen the longer version of the scene where Soldier Boy kills his former lover in a fit of rage, showing that he is actually vulnerable and emotional beneath his tough exterior would have changed the character. Especially once we learn that Soldier Boy is related to Homelander, this show of vulnerability would have done a lot to draw parallels between the two men. It would also have done more to deepen the characterization of Soldier Boy rather than just make him a calm and calculating misogynistic bigot who happens to be immortal.