Will Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) return for The Boys season finale?

The season 4 finale of The Boys drops on Amazon Prime Video this Thursday, and fans are reading the tea leaves when it comes to Soldier Boy, the World War II-era superhero played last season by Jensen Ackles. For whatever reason, the show is highlighting the character recently; he was spotted on the front of a magazine that Kimiko was reading in the most recent episode:

Fans also couldn't help but notice that Amazon put together a six-minute reel featuring all of Soldier Boy's best, most vulgar and off-color moments:

With the world of The Boys, Soldier Boy is an icon, the first-ever superhero and still one of the strongest. He was Homelander before Homelander, his violence and abusive personality white-washed by media and history. He's also Homelander's biological father, although Soldier Boy had no idea the company had used his sample to create what was supposed to be an even greater hero.

Homelander seems to have inherited some of his father's more toxic traits. The two came to blows in season 3, which ended with Soldier Boy gassed and sealed in a tube where he remains in stasis. Pointedly, he didn't die, which suggests showrunner Eric Kripke and his creative team are hoping to bring him back at some point.

And they're running out of opportunities. After season 4 is over, there's only one season of The Boys left, so if they want to bring back Soldier Boy, they've got to do it soon. Some fans on Reddit theorize that he will turn up in the season 4 finale. “I think he’ll show up right at the end and then make a real appearance during season 5," one wrote.

We don't know anything for sure yet, but I can see it happening. For one thing, it would close a storytelling loop. For another, if would give Eric Kripke another opportunity to hang out with the actors he worked with on Supernatural, his biggest hit before The Boys. Jensen Ackles played Dean Winchester on that show. On this season of The Boys, Kripke has brought in Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who played John Winchester. And Kripke has said that he wants to bring in Jared Padalecki, who played Sam Winchester. He won't rest until he's united the whole family onscreen, and I wouldn't be surprised if he starts sending out the invitations in the season 4 finale.

We'll find out for sure when the finale airs on Amazon Prime Video this Thursday, July 18.

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