We've known for a while that The Boys co-showrunner Erik Kripke was bringing Supernatural veteran Jensen Ackles into the fold for Season 3 as the character known as Soldier Boy. Now we have our first look at the man in costume, or as the Boys official twitter feed put it, "He's the f'n Captain now, America"...
Solider Boy in the Boys mythology was the first supe, battling nazis in World War II in a very Cap way. Though this being the subversive superhero show, there is, of course, more to the story than that...
The suit was designed by Laura Jean Shannon and concept artist Greg Hopwood, and Shannon explained their thinking: "Soldier Boy is the original bad ass. 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."
And Kripke had this to say: "When I cast Jensen as Soldier Boy, the first thing I said was, ‘I’m most excited for you, because of the amazing process you’ll go through with LJ, our Super Suit designer.’ It took six months but the experience surpassed Jensen’s expectations. LJ has made a work of art that tips its hat to the WWII Soldier Boy from the comics, while taking it in a sleek new direction. And if you think the photos are cool, just wait till you see Jensen in action. It’s one of my very favourite suits. Also, now you can quit clogging my Twitter notifications with demands to see it."
Amazon has yet to announce when Season 3 will premiere, though hopefully later this year isn't out of the question. As for when there might be Ackles-inspired on the Empire Podcast, chances are good for this Friday.