 |
This Article Contains Spoilers -
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. If you do not wish to know vital information on plot / character elements in a story, you may not wish to read beyond this warning: We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. That is all. |
  |
This article's content is marked as Mature The page contains mature content that may include coarse language, sexual references, and/or graphic violent images which may be disturbing to some. Mature pages are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. |
|
| “ | Which one of you wants next, huh? Thought so. You think you can be me? You're not a movie star. You're not shit. I see you getting out of the line again, trying to “move on up”, I will put you in the f**king ground! Understood? | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy demonstrating his abusive nature towards his team and mostly to Black Noir. |
| “ | I mean, goddammit. We were ten and one, you know? I led the 116th onto Omaha Beach. I was in the f**king Eagle's Nest. I fought for this country! I fought for this country. And what did I get for it? Forgotten. Left to rot by my own team. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy ranting to Hughie Campbell. |
| “ | You're a f**king disappointment. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy disowning his son, Homelander. |
Benjamin, better known as Soldier Boy, is one of the two main antagonists (alongside Homelander) of Season 3 and a minor character in Season 4 of the 2019 Amazon TV adaptation of the comic book series The Boys. He is set to return as one of the main protagonists in the prequel series, Vought Rising.
Known to be America's first ever superhero, as well as it's greatest and most popular at the time, he is an extremely powerful and highly aggressive Supe who served as the leader of his own superhero team Payback. He is also the archenemy of both Mother's Milk and Black Noir respectively, as well as the biological father of Homelander after it had transpired that Soldier Boy's generics were used to create the latter himself. It is assumed by the public that Soldier Boy had fought for justice and liberty for all, especially as he led Payback to command their fellow American troops in battle during World War II and in many other warfare activates that culminated with his supposed disappearance during a botched operation in Nicaragua in 1984 - with the cover story being that he heroically sacrificed his own life to save America from a nuclear power plant meltdown.
In truth, however, he was a dangerously abusive and rather egotistical individual who proved to be nothing but awfully corrupt throughout his time as a hero. This was most notably the case with an incident in which Soldier Boy was responsible for the deaths of Mother's Milk's family members in the 1980's upon punching a criminal's vehicle onto Mother's Milk's family home. Because of his immense power and reputation, he felt worthy of absolute praise from the entire world to the point of considering himself as a dedicated war hero from then onwards. Eventually, Soldier Boy was betrayed by his team for his constant abuse towards them; during an operation in Nicaragua, he was sold out to the Soviets in Nicaragua and was brought to Russia, where he was tortured and experimented on for decades to come. However, he was rescued by the Boys in 2022 to aid them in taking down Vought International as well as killing Homelander once and for all.
He is portrayed by Jensen Ackles, who also played Dean Winchester and Michael in Supernatural, Jason Teague in Smallville, Tom Hanniger in My Bloody Valentine 3D, and also voiced Jason Todd in Batman: Under the Red Hood.
Personality[]
| “ | You know what I do when I'm sad or scared? F**king nothing! Because I'm not a f**king pussy. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy expressing his toxic masculinity to Hughie. |
| “ | Okay, first off: I don't have shellshock, f*ck you. Second: This is what I'm talking about. This... Is being a soldier! | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy denouncing his repressed trauma to Hughie. |
Soldier Boy is a well renowned superhero among the public, as Vought's cover-up made him a symbol of patriotism, heroism, and bravery due to his service in the United States and "sacrifice" in stopping a nuclear meltdown. In reality, Soldier Boy was an arrogant and prideful individual whose celebrity-like status and power made him believe that he was above everyone else. He also possessed a macho-like violent personality, as he held sexist beliefs due to his womanizing behaviour, and he believed that every woman he encountered loved him. Soldier Boy also likely cheated on his then-girlfriend Crimson Countess multiple times, as he told Butcher he assumed he had “a few kids” out there in the world. Due to being a product of the 1930's, Soldier Boy also constantly utilizes outdated expressions in his speech, such as referring to PTSD and marijuana as "shellshock and "reefer," respectively. His position made him reckless in certain situations, which is displayed when he unknowingly aimed a bazooka at a munitions dump in Nicaragua. Additionally, he showed himself unable to deal with anyone talking down to him, as shown by his response to Grace Mallory's statement that women didn't really fall for his charm.
His relationship with his teammates also showcased his ruthless, intimidating, and self-serving traits. He emotionally and physically abused them (even his own girlfriend, Crimson Countess) for the smallest of slights, or for the sake of simply displaying his superiority. This volatile and temperamental behaviour was shown when he sabotaged Black Noir's attempt at being a movie star; when Noir confronted him for this, Soldier Boy responded by brutalizing him while degrading Noir for his aspirations. His actions would lead his "friends" to hate him completely, as they were willing to betray him to the Russians just to get rid of him. However, despite his violent and abusive nature towards his teammates, he did display kindness to his sidekick Gunpowder, as Soldier Boy took him under his wing, and while he occasionally physically slapped Gunpowder around, he wasn’t half as bad to him as he was to the rest of Payback; his relatively kinder treatment of his teenage ward may likely be a manifestation of his desire to be a father, but one who didn't repeat the emotional cruelty of his own father. Other than Gunpowder, his brutal treatment of his other teammates and his perception of their surrendering him to Soviet agents as a "betrayal," create another superficial similarity to his genetic offspring, Homelander, who similarly abuses, bullies, and torments teammates, yet when faced with resistance, irrationally perceives it to be baseless betrayal.
Upon escaping from Russia and returning to the United States, Soldier Boy became deeply embittered as he was unable to adjust to the modern world and feeling abandoned. Being tortured by the Russians for decades also caused him to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which is triggered by Russian music when he hears it. He has turned his anger into vengeance, deciding to hunt down his former teammates for betraying him to the Soviets in Nicaragua. Despite being imprisoned for decades, Soldier Boy's ruthlessness remained, evident in how he brutally murdered Mindstorm. His need for revenge also made him selfish, as he was willing to leave Butcher behind to find Mindstorm, and he punched Hughie due to his interference.
He experiences intense denial about his own shortcomings, as despite suffering post-traumatic stress, he rejects the *accusation* of "shellshock," under the belief he is too manly to suffer anything; this denial is likely an overcompensation born from his father's heartless insults and lack of affection. He also showed delusional perspectives, as he made claims about fighting in wars for America. However, he was never actually allowed to be an active participant, but rather only a propaganda piece who acted in fictional recreations; his claims may simply be lies to feed his ego, or him remaining programmed to the Vought media machine, or even that decades of being contained and tortured by the Russians had caused him to genuinely confuse his acting roles as involvement in the events they replicated. While sometimes he admits that he is just an actor, other times he still rants about his achievements and bravery in events he wasn't in, thus showing it is either all lies or periodic dissociation.
While he was nowhere near the levels of Homelander or the Nazi Stormfront in terms of bigotry, he did display some racist inclinations, such as answering MM's statement of avenging his family with "which one?" implying the negative stereotype of African American men being promiscuous and irresponsible fathers, or in his tirade against Black Noir including a mocking impersonation of stereotypical accents, although his taunt to MM might also just be him asking which family in general he murdered and his tirade against Black Noir might’ve been simply to bully him in general, thus making his racism ambiguous. He also held contempt for Russians, however, this was based on him living during the Cold War, as well as the understandable resentment he held against the Russian scientists that performed nightmarish experimentation on him for decades. He also used some racist terminology like "camel jockeys." Soldier Boy displayed surprise at seeing a homosexual couple in public, but he wasn't disgusted, seeming indifferent in conclusion; that said, he tended to pepper his insults with homophobic remarks - though, like his attitude towards Russians, it was more revealing him being a product of his era. He held a narrow view of gender roles, as for example he found fathers wearing papooses as "not real men," but part of it was likely based on the rigid interpretation of masculinity that he absorbed from his father's sexism and callousness.
Despite being a terrible person, Soldier Boy can show honor. He generally takes no sadistic pleasure in killing people and prefers to avoid intentionally hurting innocents and bystanders. He also shows mercy and restraint, having offered to spare the TNT Twins from his vengeance if they told him who was the mastermind behind Payback's betrayal. He also merely punched Hughie when he insulted him rather than killing him, and calmly reminded him that he warned him to keep his mouth shut; likewise when Hughie betrayed him by taking Mindstorm to undo the spell on Butcher, with the plan of setting him free afterwards, Soldier Boy only punch Hughie again, if harder. He was even a man of his word, honoring his promise to kill Homelander for Billy Butcher even when he found out the former was his own son. Solider Boy also shows a sympathetic and insecure side to him; not only does he actually suffer from PTSD because of his torture in Russia, but as it turns out, his egotism and superiority complex come from the emotional abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, and it's still shown to affect him to this day.
Solider Boy even claimed that he truly did love Crimson Countess, even wanting to have kids with her someday so he could raise them better than his father raised him; meanwhile, he rationalised his adultery because he didn't love the women he had sexual encounters with, so it didn't "count" as cheating, since he believed he only loved Crimson Countess, and that consistent love equated to loyalty and commitment for him. He even stated that, had he known that Homelander was his son, he would have happily given up his fame and allowed him into the spotlight as his successor.
Ultimately, Solider Boy proved himself to be a hypocrite of sorts, having insulted and tried to kill Homelander for being a "weak sniveling pussy starved for attention" and emotionally abusing him like his own father had done to him; albeit, it is arguably less hypocrisy and more projection, with him applying his father's abuse towards his own artificially spawned offspring being an indirect indication that Soldier Boy, on some level, agrees with his father's negative opinion of him. Prior to attempting to kill Homelander, Soldier Boy became emotional, almost breaking into tears, while expressing regret that he wasn't around to raise Homelander properly, thereby hinting that despite his commitment to killing his twisted son, he was incredibly remorseful for it; another factor could have been self-pity, due to depression caused by his own father's abuse and realisation that he was only ever a pawn for Vought. This was emphasised when Homelander said "But I'm you," which Soldier Boy emotionally acknowledged, then ending with "You're a f**king disappointment." Regardless, he displayed no pleasure, joy, or even relief upon knowing he had to kill his usurper.
Overall, Solider Boy is less of a monster than he is just an arrogant and immature jerk who suffered significant emotional abuse and neglect from his father that broke him, and his attempt to compensate his insecurities with power only enabled another controlling force, Vought, to groom him into an arrogant fool that allowed fame to go to his head. His trauma of being trapped in the containment box drove him to overcharge his radiation power with the intent to commit suicide, regardless of collateral damage; while it failed to cause his death and luckily other deaths, the fact that he would risk dying to avoid being imprisoned again reinforces how significant his PTSD had grown.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Vought International made the public believe that Soldier Boy was a super-powered being who grew up in poverty and volunteered during WWII to fight for his country. However, the truth is that his real name is Ben, and he lived with an emotionally abusive and wealthy father who viewed him as a disappointment and unworthy to be called a man. To prove himself a man and make his father proud, Ben volunteered, among others, to be experimented on by Dr. Frederick Vought, who was testing Compound V on various test subjects to make superheroes fight in World War II.
This led to Ben becoming Soldier Boy, who soon enough joined the war and allegedly killed German soldiers by the dozen, and as a result, he was hailed by America as a hero. However, this is then revealed to be largely a fabrication, as due to how much he was worth to the company, Vought-American used him mostly for war propaganda instead of actually letting him fight the Nazis, as when he went to Normandy, Germany, it was two weeks after D-Day for the photo-op, even though he claims to have taken part in the landings. He was also responsible for the establishment of National Super Hero Day on April 28th as a way to honor all the heroes at the time. However, despite being a hero, his father still ridiculed him for "cheating" due to him using superpowers to fight in the war.
Leader of Payback[]
Due to his slow aging, he remained a superhero for Vought for decades and even founded Herogasm in 1952, an annual sex party involving superheroes where he and Stormfront, then known as Lady Liberty, would take part. He eventually became the leader of a superhero team called Payback, where he would fight crime alongside Crimson Countess, Gunpowder, Swatto, Mindstorm, Black Noir, and the TNT Twins.
However, Soldier Boy did have some troubles during the 1960's and 70's: he sprayed a fire hose on minorities in Birmingham, shot up anti-war demonstrators at Kent State University, and may have been involved in the Assassination of JFK at Dealey Plaza. On July 12, 1982, in Queens, New York, he and Swatto reportedly assaulted a homeless man in a park for unknown reasons, and also during the 80's, Soldier Boy was also responsible for killing Mother Milk's family as he was chasing a criminal attempting to flee in a getaway car only to punch the car onto the family home of Mother's Milk, killing his family members as a result.
Soldier Boy did not have a good relationship with his teammates, with the exception of Gunpowder, whom he took under his wing. He would frequently threaten and abuse his teammates, including his then-girlfriend, Crimson Countess, whenever they questioned his authority. It was also rumored that Soldier Boy molested Gunpowder under his care, which the latter denied but did admit to Soldier Boy slapping him around. Noir received the most abuse as he was (presumably) second only to Soldier Boy in popularity and was trying to rise up the ranks and become a high-tier supe, which Soldier Boy hated. Soldier Boy's fear of being outshoned culminated in him sabotaging Black Noir's attempt to get the lead role in Beverly Hills Cop, with Eddie Murphy getting the role instead.
After beating Gunpowder during a team training match, Soldier Boy was confronted by Black Noir about what he did, and when Black Noir refused to drop the issue, Soldier Boy savagely beat him, to the rest of Payback's horror, and threatened to kill Black Noir if he tried to rise higher again. Due to his abuse, his teammates began to despise him for his toxic nature. In the year 1980, Jonah Vogelbaum called Soldier Boy in for an experiment with genetics. For the process to work, Soldier Boy was asked to masturbate and ejaculate into a cup so Jonah could study his genes. What Soldier Boy didn’t know was that Vogelbaum used his sperm to create an offspring.
Operation Charly[]
In 1984, Vought sent Payback to Nicaragua to participate in the secret CIA operation Charly, where the agency funded drug trafficking with the Contras to fight against the Soviets. During the operation, Soldier Boy displayed reckless behavior alongside Swatto and was reprimanded by their case officer, Grace Mallory. Unbeknownst to Soldier Boy, the rest of his teammates hatred of him grew to the point they were willing to betray him to the Soviets just to get rid of him.
The camp was attacked by the Russians, and during the battle, the rest of Payback (except for Gunpowder, who was oblivious to the plan, and Swatto, who was killed) ambushed Soldier Boy. During the battle, Soldier Boy pressed Black Noir's face into a burning car and smashed his shield into the ninjas head twice, taking out a chunk of his brain. Eventually, Mindstorm was able to freeze Soldier Boy, who was then drugged by Crimson Countess, and Payback proceeded to hand him over to the Russians, who took him to a secret facility. Having lost America's prized superhero, Vought and the government decided to cover up his capture by telling the public he was killed, stopping a nuclear meltdown.
During the following decades, Soldier Boy was experimented on by the Russians, who documented his great durability to anything they tortured him with. The Russians also experimented with radiation, which caused Soldier Boy to develop immunity to it but also the ability to generate radiation at will. This in turn caused Soldier Boy to become even more dangerous, as now he not only had all of his former powers but also possessed new ones too. Additionally, Soldier Boy's "heroic sacrifice" made him a hailed figure in the United States, with Vought placing a statue of him in front of the building's square. Vought's newest creation, Homelander, also idolized him, as he admitted that he looked up to Soldier Boy and watched all of his films.
Season 3[]
Hearing rumors of a superweapon that could kill Homelander, the Boys traveled to Russia and discovered a secret facility where Soldier Boy was being held. He was released from his pod by Billy Butcher, but then proceeded to use his energy blasts against the Female, causing her to lose her powers. Escaping from the facility, Soldier Boy managed to find a way to return to New York by smuggling himself onto a commercial airliner, finding himself shocked at the modern world. While walking through the streets, his trauma is triggered when he hears Russian music, resulting in him releasing his radiation powers and causing the deaths of nineteen people. Without any place in the modern world, Soldier Boy then decided to confront his former teammates for their betrayal, but first met with the Legend to get his equipment and Countess' location.
Reaching her home, Soldier Boy encounters Butcher once again, who makes a deal that he can confront Countess in exchange for a team-up. He agrees and confronts Countess, learning from her that everyone hated him and that she never loved him. Despite confessing his love for her, Soldier Boy activates his powers and kills Crimson. Leaving the wreckage, Soldier Boy walks away with Butcher and Hughie Campbell to form their alliance. At a motel, Butcher and Hughie further develop the deal by agreeing to help Soldier Boy find his former teammates, but he must help them kill Homelander. While waiting for Butcher to get the location of his former teammates, Soldier Boy rants to Hughie about America's failure in Afghanistan and that he has nothing.
Once Billy returns to the location of the TNT Twins, the three head to Herogasm, an event where supes have sexual encounters with others. At the event, he is confronted by Mother's Milk but is able to continue due to Butcher's intervention to confront the twins for their betrayal. Wanting to know who formed the deal with the Russians, the twins state that it was Black Noir, but he refuses to believe this due to Noir's loyalty to Vought. Upon hearing Russian music, Soldier Boy then activates his powers, killing the twins and several people and causing mass destruction to the mansion. Reuniting with Butcher, the two are confronted by Homelander, who had previously sent the Deep to learn what he could from the twins.
Soldier Boy fights against Homelander but is briefly overpowered until Butcher uses his heat vision and strength to fight against his archenemy. The two then continue to fight the supe alongside Hughie, who uses his teleportation ability to distract Homelander long enough for Soldier Boy and Butcher to subdue him. Despite holding him down, Soldier Boy is unable to use his powers due to the charge-up, causing Homelander to knock them off and escape. The group left the mansion and started their search for Mindstorm, who had secluded himself due to not being able to control his ability to read minds. Soldier Boy then has his villainous deeds as well as his current status exposed to the world by Starlight, who then quits the Seven.
In the woods, Mindstorm ambushes the trio and entraps Butcher in an endless nightmare, but Soldier Boy refuses to stay behind as he wants to find his former teammate. During their search, Soldier Boy and Hughie encounter a priest and nun needing car repairs, but the former suspects they are controlled by Mindstorm; while arguing, he doesn't fire when Hughie begs him to stop, though once the nun attacks viciously, he executes them both (which is still callous since they were innocent victims of Mindstorm). Later on, Soldier Boy attacks Mindstorm after spotting him speaking with Hughie, whom he proceeds to punch due to his interference. Confronting his former teammate, Soldier Boy demands to know how Black Noir was able to get Vought's approval to betray him, and he learns from Mindstorm that they created a child from his semen. Shocked and angered, Soldier Boy brutally kills Mindstorm and leaves the area.
Returning to the motel, Soldier Boy contacts Homelander and reveals that he gave his semen to Vought back in the 1980s and that the child was born in the spring of 1981. Soldier Boy then explains that the child turned out to be a boy with superpowers, thus revealing that he is Homelander's biological father, lamenting that he would have voluntarily conceded the spotlight to him had he still been around. The very next day, Soldier Boy, Billy Butcher, and Hughie head out to New York City to kill Black Noir at Vought Tower, who, unbeknownst to them, joined forces with Homelander to take down Soldier Boy. Hughie, however, gets left behind at a random gas station by Butcher, who knocks him out and leaves him there to prevent him from taking any more Compound V to save his life, as any more Compound V doses could kill him.
Soldier Boy and Butcher stop by his apartment to prepare for the attack on Black Noir at Vought Tower. As they wait, both Butcher and Soldier Boy briefly bond after revealing to each other their bad relationship with their abusive fathers. Soldier Boy reveals his hesitation to kill his son Homelander, as he had always dreamed of raising a son differently than his own father did. Billy Butcher, however, tells him to keep his word and kill Homelander, to which Soldier Boy reluctantly agrees.
Butcher has an encounter with The Boys later on, as they are not happy with Butcher for teaming up with Soldier Boy over them. They try to use intimidation to get Butcher to stand down, but are forced to back down themselves when Soldier Boy enters the room. The two then lock The Boys in a vault and, accompanied by Queen Maeve, head to the tower to kill Noir and Homelander.
When they arrive, Homelander confesses to killing Noir, much to Soldier Boy’s surprise. After finding out that his son is a screw-up just like him, he disregards his former hesitancy to kill his son and prepares to blast him into oblivion. He almost does as Homelander closes his eyes, thinking it’s the end of the line for him, when Soldier Boy’s grandson Ryan Butcher blasts Soldier Boy against the wall with his heat vision to protect his dad. Angered by this, Soldier Boy rams into Ryan and sends him flying into a bookshelf, knocking him out.
Homelander rushes to check on his son as Soldier Boy goes rogue and prepares once again to blast both his son and grandson to pieces. Butcher then betrays Soldier Boy, as he promised his late wife Becky that he would protect Ryan at all costs. Butcher then fights Soldier Boy as Maeve fights Homelander. The Boys then appear, having escaped the vault, and assist Butcher with fighting Soldier Boy. However, no matter how much they attack Soldier Boy, The Boys are incapable of overpowering him.
They finally manage to hold Soldier Boy still as Mother’s Milk attempts to put the crazed Supe back to sleep. Soldier Boy’s determination gets the better of him as he refuses to be put back into a coma and begins to charge up. He then grows so hot that The Boys are forced to let go of him. Everyone is now looking at Soldier Boy, knowing they are all about to die when he explodes. In a last-ditch attempt to save the day, Maeve tackles Soldier Boy out the window and sacrifices her powers to stop Soldier Boy’s explosion from killing everyone. In the end, Maeve is left powerless and presumed dead by the public; Homelander is still at large, and his popularity is even increasing further; Butcher is dying from all the injections of Compound V with only a year to live; and Soldier Boy is put back into a sedation containment unit in the CIA’s custody.
Gen V[]
Soldier Boy appears as Cate's imaginary "friend," saying that she had a crush on him when she was young and was thinking about him when she used the pillow for masturbation purposes. The manifestation only holds memories that Cate knew when she imagined him as a teenager; thus, he isn't aware of his real counterpart's return and public condemnation. He warns Marie, Jordan, and Andre to escape before she enters a vegetative state and then disappears before he can tell the most important thing for them to escape.
Season Four[]
After the 25th Amendment removed Robert Singer from power, his replacement was Speaker of the House, Calhoun, who was an obedient follower of Homelander. The new President of the United States acquired top secret information due to his new security clearance; as such, Calhoun took Homelander to a secret CIA base where Soldier Boy was still being kept in the same containment he was unconsciously trapped in after his defeat from overloading his radiation powers during Queen Maeve forcing him to plummet from the near top of Vought Tower. Homelander stares at his father with pain and disbelief in his eyes; signifying Soldier Boy will play a major role in the upcoming fifth and final season.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
| “ | You were the only one that was nearly as strong as me. | „ |
| ~ Homelander to Soldier Boy |
- Superhuman Strength: Soldier Boy is currently the second most powerful superhero on the planet only surpassed by his son and successor Homelander. During his heyday in the 1940s to 80s Solider Boy was regarded as the greatest hero under Vought international. During the Nicaragua incident, he displayed enough strength to take on several trained soldiers at once and overpower them without any visible signs of effort. He was able to send one through a wall of corrugated metal and backhand another with his shield with enough force to catapult him hundreds of feet away. He was also able to easily overpower the entire Payback team in melee combat and nearly kill Black Noir. His shield is extremely heavy, so much so that normal humans are unable to even move it, yet Ben himself can effortlessly wield it one-handed. According to Mother's Milk, he is strong enough to lift and throw a full-sized car like a child's toy. A true testament to his strength was his ability to match Homelander in a brutal hand-to-hand brawl, the first time ever witnessed in the show, where the two initially appeared evenly matched, trading staggering blows, dealing considerable damage to the surrounding area, catching Homelander's fist in a test of strength and throwing him around like a rag doll. Homelander himself remarked that his initial evaluation of Soldier Boy's strength concerned him, and even before actually facing him in combat, he was likewise concerned about having to fight him. During his fight against The Boys, he was able to overpower Kimiko with ease, effortlessly thwarting her ambush attempt. He also defeated a V24-empowered Butcher in melee combat, using his superior strength to knock him unconscious.
| “ | As you know, the subject's skin has demonstrated remarkable durability. Which includes internal tissue. | „ |
| ~ Russian Scientist |
- Superhuman Durability: Soldier Boy is durable enough to withstand assault rifle rounds fired at point-blank range in his mouth, burning by oxy-acetylene flame, cutting by power-saws, and blades being struck against his eyes. Indeed, Russian scientists spent several decades performing experiments to test his durability, and ultimately failed to harm him. During his fight against Payback, he was able to withstand direct attacks from each of its members, including an explosive blast from the TNT Twins. Another astonishing feat of durability is Soldier Boy's ability to withstand punishing attacks from Homelander with no visible wounds or signs of injury, being the only person to have ever done so. He endured many punches and being thrown into walls, each time getting back up to counter with his own attacks. Although, while not breaking skin or bruising, Homelander's attacks did have enough force to eventually stagger Soldier Boy and knock him down. This encounter showered that Soldier Boy's durability is on par or even superior to Homelander's, considering Homelander was left with a bruise for the first time while Soldier Boy had no wounds. Benjamin is also capable of withstanding his own nuclear explosions without taking any damage, though he appears to feel intense pain when using them, as he was visibly wincing when preparing to blast Homelander and when he was going to detonate in Vought tower. Later, when Black Noir was preparing to fight Soldier Boy by sharpening his blades, Homelander commented that they could not pierce his skin, revealing that even if they were wielded by an inhumanly strong Supe such as Noir, they would still prove useless. During his fight against The Boys, he was able to withstand multiple Heat Vision attacks, first from Ryan, then from both Homelander and Butcher. Soldier Boy even survived a direct, prolonged laser-blast to the face from Butcher, which only left a small cut on his cheek.
- Toxin Immunity: Soldier Boy appears to be very resilient towards harmful substances and poisons. When he drank one of Bill Cosby's roofied drinks, it didn't knock him out and he mistook it as a very strong drink. While in Russian confinement, he managed to withstand ingesting sulfuric acid cocktails and his body is also completely immune to Halothane gas, being able to casually inhale and exhale the substance as if inhaling from a cigar or cigarette. He was also merely knocked out by Novichok, which is one of the most dangerous toxins in the world. However, when The Boys attempted to later subdue Soldier Boy, even Novichok appeared to have little effect on him, implying that he had also built up a resistance to it.
- Radiation Immunity: He can withstand being exposed to 20 sieverts of radiation, far above the lethal radiation dosage for humans. He can also withstand the amount of radiation produced by his own body, which has been compared to that of a nuclear reactor.
- Psychic Immunity (Tentative): During his fight with Mindstorm in Nicaragua, Soldier Boy was apparently able to resist the telepath's mind control, even though Mindstorm was later able to influence Butcher without any difficulty. This implies that Soldier Boy may have some level of resistance towards mind altering powers. However, when ambushing Mindstorm during his revenge mission, Soldier Boy was quick to wrap Mindstorms face with a bag so he couldn't make eye contact, implying that despite his level of resistance, he could still succumb to his powers.
- Superhuman Speed and Reflexes: While the full extent of his speed has not been seen, he is quick enough to take on several soldiers at the same time. When Grace's group was attacked, he reacted instantly to shield himself before an enemy soldier began to open fire. His reflexes and speed allowed him to match Homelander in a physical brawl, evading many of Homelander's initial attacks and quickly countering with his own. During his fight against The Boys, Soldier Boy was able to effortlessly thwart an ambush attempt by The Female, grabbing her by the neck as she attempted to take him by surprise, all without even looking at her.
- Superhuman Senses: Given his similarities to Homelander, it is possible Soldier Boy has increased hearing, as he seemed to pick up on something Billy Butcher and Hughie couldn't hear during their search for Mindstorm. However, this could have also been his increased paranoia, brought upon by smoking heavy amounts of marijuana.
- Superhuman Stamina: Soldier Boy can fight his enemies for prolonged periods of time without getting tired or wearing out. This is proven in his fights against Homelander, The Boys and Payback.
- Superhuman Endurance: Soldier Boy’s pain tolerance level is extraordinarily high. Even if he does bleed from the fights he gets into, he’ll barely feel a thing. This is proven when Butcher cut Soldier Boy’s face with his heat vision, and he kept on fighting like nothing happened.
- Regenerative Healing Factor: Though highly resistant to most forms of damage, Ben did receive a cut on his cheek after being subjected to a prolonged Heat Vision blast by Billy Butcher. However, when he was later recaptured and imprisoned by Grace Mallory, the wound on his cheek had already disappeared.
| “ | The Legend: I thought I was staring at a ghost, but it was him. He had a f*cked-up beard, maybe, but he hadn't aged a day. Hughie Campbell: Wait, so he doesn't get old? Like Stormfront? The Legend: We kept that under wraps. Though it got a little fishy when he starred in that Love and War picture with Phoebe Cates. He was 63, she was 19. |
„ |
| ~ The Legend when he saw Soldier Boy still looking unaged to Hughie. |
- Longevity: Despite having been born in 1919, Soldier Boy appears to not have aged at all since World War II, as he is still in his physical prime and has the appearance of a man in his mid-thirties. Utilizing previous knowledge, it can be presumed that Soldier Boy is immortal possibly due to Compound V.
- Radiation Generation: After being exposed to high levels of radiation while being experimented on by the Russians, Soldier Boy's body appears to have started producing radiation on its own, this ended up effectively turning him into a walking nuclear reactor. Because of this, his body now emits high levels of radiation at all times. Due to this, there is a chance that his radioactive physiology makes him immune to both cold and hot temperatures. However, the amount of radiation that his body creates can also be affected by his emotional state. This can be seen when Hughie's Geiger counter recorded increased levels of radiation when Soldier Boy was venting about his past, getting very emotionally distressed in the process. When Benjamin's PTSD is triggered, his emotional state can get out of control, causing him to lose control over his powers. This makes Soldier Boy extremely dangerous as the explosions he generates are capable of destroying entire city blocks. When The Boys attempted to put Soldier Boy back to sleep, his fear of being imprisoned again overwhelmed him, and he generated so much radiation that he started smoking. Thanks to the high levels of nuclear radiation flowing through his system, Soldier Boys is also capable of gaining the advantage over Homelander in terms of raw power.
- Radioactive Aura: Due to the high amounts of radiation that he emits at all times, being near Soldier Boy for prolonged periods of time can likely cause radiation poisoning.
- Radiation-Infused Energy Blasts: After gaining the power of a nuclear reactor, Soldier Boy now possesses the ability to fire tremendously powerful blasts of radiation-infused energy from his upper torso. He can release the energy as a forward-facing beam which lasts several seconds before his energy is depleted. He often scythes the beam by changing his direction as the beam discharges, creating a wedge-shaped or omnidirectional wave of destruction. The beam is incredibly destructive, powerful enough to completely vaporize a normal human, reduce another Supe to a charred corpse, fling a Supe as durable as Kimiko through a concrete wall, and destroy multi-story buildings with ease. When he unleashed it at Herogasm, the beam was strong enough to nearly destroy most of the TNT Twins's home, as well as kill a dozen attendants, which included Supes. An even larger blast, which he attempted to detonate inside Vought Tower, would have been powerful enough to destroy the entire skyscraper and kill almost everyone inside.
- Disempowerment: It appears that Soldier Boy's ability to produce radioactive beams of energy is powerful enough to burn the entirety of Compound V from the bloodstream of a Supe, effectively killing them or, in the case of Kimiko, Maeve and the attendants of Herogasm who survived, turning them back into normal human beings. This did not prevent them regaining their powers, as shown when Kimiko later regained her powers after being injected with Compound V again. It is also shown that if a Supe had powers that temporarily altered their form and then had their powers removed by Soldier Boy, they would be permanently stuck in this form afterwards. This was shown in the case of Termite, who was stuck in his shrunken form after the Herogasm explosion.
Abilities[]
| “ | When Oppenheimer was flailing with the bomb, Doctor Vought already had practical applications of Compound V tested in the field. Heroes like Soldier Boy, killing Germans by the dozen. | „ |
| ~ Stan Edgar to Homelander. |
- Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Since World War II, Soldier Boy has been depicted as a skilled fighter thanks to his military training and has been known to have killed dozens of German soldiers, though given that a lot of his military service was propaganda films, it is debatable whether he actually killed any actual Nazis in combat. During his time in Nicaragua, he possessed enough skill to fight and quickly overpower half a dozen special forces soldiers, using a combination of hand-to-hand combat and shield attacks. Despite having been subdued for almost forty years by the Russians and having not fought anyone during that time, aside from his escape attempts, Ben's fighting skills did not seem to atrophy. When Soldier Boy returned to the present, he proved a formidable opponent against Homelander, the first time the latter seemed nervous about facing another Supe. With his near century of experience in actual combat, Soldier Boy was able to fight and, at times, overpower Homelander by evading and countering his attacks. Eventually, Homelander's superior strength and speed allowed him to regain the upper hand, nearly defeating Soldier Boy through raw power. During his fight against The Boys, he defeated a V24-empowered Butcher in melee combat, who was himself a highly trained combat veteran.
- Shield Expertise: Soldier Boy is well skilled in wielding his near-indestructible shield. While it can be a source of defense, Ben also incorporates his shield as a blunt weapon to bash opponents with. Such is the strength and skill with which he wields it, that Soldier Boy can cripple even highly durable Supes with his shield, having used it to shatter Black Noir’s skull. Even Homelander, the most powerful Supe in all of existence, was shown to be stunned briefly when he was struck with the shield and Soldier Boy's strength.
- Knife Proficiency: Ben is highly skilled at using combat knives. He is also very proficient at throwing knives, being able to hit Mindstorm in his eye from a far distance without hitting Hughie, who was in close proximity to Mindstorm.
- Expert Marksman: Soldier Boy is an expert in using guns with great accuracy. He shot both a brainwashed priest and a nun in the head, with the latter having used Hughie as a human shield. It has also been implied that Soldier Boy was the man who shot JFK.
- Singer: Ben is also a capable singer. He performed the song "Rapture" by Blondie, during his guest appearance on Solid Gold. However, according to The Legend, he is not a good singer.
- Acting: Soldier Boy has participated in the production of many films and anti-communist propaganda, such as Red Thunder. Many of these films are considered classics, meaning that he is likely an actor of at least decent skill.
- Intimidation: Soldier Boy is very imposing and makes everyone around him feel frightened. Right after being released by Butcher, everyone, including Butcher himself, couldn't move from their places, with Mother's Milk sweating and losing his temper while remembering when his family was murdered by him. Even Homelander feared Soldier Boy and continued to remain wary of him after their first battle. When he was the leader of Payback most of all his teammates were afraid of him due to the abuse, he inflicted on them and being the strongest member of the team.
- Indomitable Will: Soldier Boy is absolutely fearless as he has been alive for over 100 years and has fought real life Nazis. Soldier Boy himself has stated that he fears nothing. He can however be intimidated by certain things like being put back into a coma, as he will do anything to prevent it from happening, even blow up an entire building and everyone in it.
Weaknesses[]
Psychological:
| “ | Hughie Campbell: What happened in Midtown? Soldier Boy: I don't know. |
„ |
| ~ Soldier Boy explains why he exploded in Manhattan. |
- PTSD: Soldier Boy is traumatized by the Russian torture and experiments he endured for almost forty years. One of his known triggers is a Russian song called Escape, which was played while he was being experimented on. When reminded of his trauma, he is emotionally overwhelmed and tends to lose control of his powers, particularly his new energy blast power. Furthermore, he refuses to admit to having PTSD (what was called "shell shock" in his time). As a coping mechanism, The Boys supply him with heavy amounts of Cannabis to calm his nerves and block his triggers. This seemed to work, but also increased his paranoia as a side effect.
Biological:
- Radiation Detection Equipment: After gaining the power to create blasts of radioactive energy, Benjamin's body now constantly emits high levels of radiation. Because of this, it is possible to detect him by using radiation detectors, a good example being when Mother's Milk was able to tell when he was approximating their location by using a Geiger counter.
- Requires Time to Build Up Energy for Discharges: It can take considerable time for Soldier Boy to generate sufficient energy to discharge his radiation-infused energy blasts. It took approximately eight seconds for him to build up the discharge that was aimed at Frenchie. This allowed Kimiko sufficient time to move Frenchie out of the way, although she was struck herself, and the build-up for the discharge that killed Crimson Countess took even longer. This delay also allowed Homelander enough time to escape before Soldier Boy was able to fire his energy beam at him. The build-up for the discharge he prepared to try and kill The Boys and Homelander was the longest yet, giving Maeve enough time to tackle him through a window and detonate mid-air.
- Blunt Force/Limited Durability: Though almost invulnerable, beings of equal or greater strength, namely Homelander, can physically harm and likely kill him. Additionally, while none of the testing the Russians put him through actually harmed him, the destructive tests were clearly uncomfortable at best and painful at worst. While he is able to survive his own radioactive bursts, having not shown any sign of a scratch after unleashing them each time, he has often appeared to be in pain on occasions when he used it, most notably when he was about to blast Homelander. Also, Butcher suggested that a fully-fledged nuclear warhead could have the sufficient force to kill him. Butcher's heat vision was also able to leave a wound on Soldier Boy's face, showing his skin can be cut with enough force.
- Substance abuse: Since his younger days, Ben was implied to be an alcoholic due to stealing Manhattan cocktails from his dad’s collection of alcohol. In his adult years, he sniffed cocaine, smoked weed and did other kinds of drugs to keep himself at bay which would only worsen his behavior and cause him to hallucinate. Furthermore, this drug abuse would serve as a weakness since it’s not effects alter his behavior and triggers aggression. After escaping Russia, Ben was given hefty bags of marijuana to calm his post-traumatic stress, but this would bring back the same effects and it led to kill a priest and a nun out of a delusion that they were under Mindstorm’s mind control, although his suspicions are proven to be correct, which makes him reckless.
| “ | Novichok. Russian nerve agent. Expose you or moi to Novichok, our nervous system shuts down. Multiple organs fail. Painful death. But for Soldier Boy, it's a nap. | „ |
| ~ Frenchie explaining the only thing able to knock out Soldier Boy momentarily. |
- Powerful Toxins: Despite his resistance towards most chemical substances, extremely powerful toxins can still affect him. It has been suggested by Frenchie that Soldier Boy was knocked out by the Russians using the Novichok nerve agent, which can kill normal humans in less than a minute. The Boys later attempted to use such a gas to subdue Soldier Boy, but he was able to break free before its effects could be proven.
Equipment[]
- Hero Costume: Soldier Boy wears a military green protective masked suit with what appears to be a Kevlar vest. This suit is strong enough to withstand the full force of his radioactive explosions. The suit is similar to a soldier uniform and contains a variety of American symbols, reinforcing Soldier Boy's image as a "patriotic soldier". After reclaiming it after escaping from Russia, he discontinued wearing his mask.
| “ | Hands off the f*cking shield. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy ordering Hughie to get his hands off his shield. |
- Shield: Soldier Boy wields a brass, golden-colored triangular shield in the shape of the Vought American logo as his main weapon of choice. He usually uses it to bash his enemies and block attacks. The shield is quite durable, as it was able to break through Black Noir's skull and withstand the Heat Vision of both Butcher and Homelander, though a prolonged burst of Heat Vision from Butcher as well as repeated shotgun blasts from Mother Milk weakened it to the point that a punch from the V-empowered Butcher shattered it. It is also extremely heavy, as Hughie wasn't even able to budge it when he tried to lift it. Even after the shield was shattered into pieces, Soldier Boy still picked up some of the shattered pieces and attempted to use them as a weapon.
- Combat Knife: Benjamin carries an eagle headed combat knife on his right hip. It can be used as both a melee weapon and as a throwing-knife.
- M1911: The pistol Soldier Boy carried while hunting Mind Storm was an M1911. It was the standard issue sidearm for American military personnel until the adoption of the Beretta 9mm pistol in 1985.
- M1 Submachine Gun: Soldier Boy has been depicted wielding a M1-variant Thompson submachine gun on a commemorative statue of his likeness, hailing back to his glory days in World War II. Which was erected after his purported death.
Quotes[]
| “ | Soldier Boy: If you hurt a hair on either of their heads... I'll kill every last one of you Commie bastards! Yuri: One man against the entire Soviet army; who do you think you are? God? Soldier Boy: No. God would have mercy: I won't. |
„ |
| ~ Soldier Boy in Red Thunder. |
| “ | Wrong. It's free. And I'll stand by our Mujahideen brothers until the end! | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy in Red Thunder. |
| “ | What do you say, Gunpowder? Give them the Fourth of July? | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy to Gunpowder. |
| “ | Ah, well, didn't realize they made case officers as pretty as you. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy to Grace Mallory. |
| “ | You know, if you were a little nicer, maybe you'd find a man, instead of out here playing Captain Lesbo. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy to Mallory. |
| “ | You're that asshole from the lab. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy to Billy Butcher. |
| “ | Yeah, why the hell do I need a team for? The last one handed me to the Reds. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy to Butcher. |
| “ | I loved you. All those years that they burned me, and that they pumped me full of poison and I held onto the hope that you would come and you would save me. Because I still loved you. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy professing his love for Crimson Countess shortly before killing her. |
| “ | Mother's Milk: You killed my family. Soldier Boy: Which one? |
„ |
| ~ Soldier Boy's sarcastic response when Mother's Milk confronts him about killing his family. |
| “ | I deeply regret the deaths of those innocent people. Unfortunately, cold-blooded criminals like the robbery suspects I stopped that night have no regard for human life. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy's response on the Milk family deaths. |
| “ | Butcher: All we ask in return is that you add one more name to that list. Soldier Boy: Who? Butcher: A right c*** named Homelander Soldier Boy: I've seen pictures, who is he? Butcher: He's the new you. Soldier Boy: No one's the new me, pal. |
„ |
| ~ Soldier Boy and Butcher strike a deal. |
| “ | I read up that we were ass up in Afghanistan. The fuck is up with that? Those were the good guys. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy to Hughie on America's war in Afghanistan. |
| “ | It's my thing. I founded it in '52. Me and this other Supe, Liberty. Man, was she a firecracker. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy on co-founding Herogasm with Stormfront. |
| “ | Hiya, kids. That poop chute’s had a workout, huh? Looks like the Lincoln Tunnel. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy confronts the TNT Twins. |
| “ | Buddy, you think you look strong? You’re wearing a cape. You’re just a cheap f-cking knockoff. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy meeting Homelander for the first time and calling him a copy paste of himself. |
| “ | And you might want to gargle my ball sack. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy to Hughie. |
| “ | How hard did Butcher suck your d*ck, that you miss him that much? His mouth must feel like a Hoover Deluxe. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy mocking Hughie's worries about his partner, Billy Butcher. |
| “ | What's black and white and red all over? | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy after killing a priest and a nun who were being controlled by Mindstorm. |
| “ | What? That's impossible. | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy's response upon learning that Vought gave Black Noir to greenlight since he was being replaced. |
| “ | I beat my meat into a cup. Turns out... Vogelbaum made a kid. Born Spring 1981. A boy. You know what the b--ch of it is? If they'd have just kept me around, I'd have let you take the spotlight. What father wouldn't want that for his son? | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy to Homelander, revealing that he is his father. |
| “ | Soldier Boy: Actually, my father owned half the steel mills in the state. I went to boarding school. Got kicked out of boarding school. Because I was a f**k up. But he made sure I knew it. Butcher: Used the belt, did he? Soldier Boy: Never laid a hand on me. He couldn't be bothered. Said I was a disappointment. Not good enough to carry on his name. So, I went to his golf buddies in the war department, and they got me into Dr. Vought's Compound V trials. I became a superhero. Strongest man alive. F*****g ticker-tape parades when I came home. Butcher: And what did the old man say then? Soldier Boy: Ah. He said I took a shortcut. That a "real man" wouldn't have cheated. |
„ |
| ~ Soldier Boy and Butcher bond over their traumatic childhoods. |
| “ | Soldier Boy: What about you? You got kids? Butcher: It's complicated Soldier Boy: I always assumed I had a few out there. Somewhere. I always wanted them. Because I thought I could do it better than my father did. Butcher: Homelander ain't yours. Not really. Soldier Boy: He's the only blood I've got left. Butcher: It don't matter. You didn't name him, didn't raise him. Vought grew him in a f*****g test tube to take your place. He's the f*****g reason they left you to rot with the Ivans. Look, mate. We had a deal. |
„ |
| ~ Soldier Boy begins to rethink killing Homelander until Butcher reminds him of their deal. |
| “ | Soldier Boy: It's a shame that I've missed so much. I wish I could've raised you and taught you, father to son. Homelander: Me too, but it’s ok. We’re not alone anymore. We have each other. Soldier Boy: Maybe if I'd raised you, I could've made you better. And not some weak, sniveling pu**y, starved for attention. But there's no fixing that now. Homelander: Weak? I'm you. Soldier Boy: I know. You're a f***ing disappointment. |
„ |
| ~ Soldier Boy to Homelander, deciding to kill his son for being a disappointment. |
| “ | Soldier Boy: What the f**k are you doing? Billy Butcher: Not the kid. Soldier Boy: I thought you said blood didn't matter. Thought that was the whole f**king point. Billy Butcher: He's my wife's son. Soldier Boy: Wait, Homelander f**ked your wife? And you wanna save the brat? The hell's wrong with you? Billy Butcher: I made a promise. Soldier Boy: So this is it. Everything you wanted, he's right f**king there -- and now you blink? Billy Butcher: Stand down. Soldier Boy: F**k you! You're weaker than he is. |
„ |
| ~ Soldier Boy scolds Butcher for betraying him. |
| “ | I'm not... going back... in that... f***ing box! | „ |
| ~ Soldier Boy refusing to be imprisoned again. |
| “ | Andre: You're a Russian agent is what you are! Marie: Andre! Bigger shit going on right now! Soldier Boyfriend: What the hell are you talking about? Jordan: Turns out you were radicalized by the Russians. Soldier Boyfriend: F**k you! I'm no godless, dickless Commie! I’m red-blooded. But not commie red. Red-white-and-blue red. I fart “The Star-Spangled Banner.” |
„ |
| ~ Soldier Boyfriend in Gen V. |
Trivia[]
- Soldier Boy is a villainous parody of the Marvel comics superhero Captain America and antihero The Winter Soldier.
- Just like Captain America, he fought in WWII, uses a shield and became a hero before "dying" only to be found alive decades later and be placed in the modern world.
- And much like The Winter Soldier, he was kidnapped by foreign enemies and experimented on as a means to be used as a super-powered weapon against the United States.
- Similarly, Captain America's MCU replacement John Walker/U.S. Agent also beat a man to death with his shield.
- Soldier Boy being credited as "Homelander before Homelander" due to him not only being Homelander’s predecessor and father but because they are very similar in personality and character, although Homelander was considered to be far worse than Soldier Boy.
- In the comics "Soldier Boy" was is legacy title which is given over generations or whenever one of them dies, and in total there were three Soldier Boys, with the Amazon version of the character combining traits from the first and third.
- From the first version which was the main one used to adapt the character they used the backstory that he fought in WW2, his green suit, his connection to Mallory and his bravery that the third version lacks.
- From the third version it was only taken his connection to Payback.
- In an interview, Jensen Ackles mentions having outright refused to do one particular scene involving Soldier Boy, stating: "As a father of three, and a son and a husband and a self-respecting human being, I can't do this. I didn't know where my line was, but you found it". It's still unknown what exactly were the contents of the scene as neither Jensen nor showrunner Eric Kripke elaborated on what it was, but it's highly speculated that it might have been something to do with the implied sexual abuse of Gunpowder.
- Soldier Boy's role as Homelander's biological father and sperm donor in the TV series is based on the role Stormfront had in the original comics.
