| Soldier Boy | |
|---|---|
| Herogasm and The Boys character | |
 From left to right: Soldier Boy I as depicted in the television series' The Boys and Gen V and Soldier Boy III as depicted the comic series | |
| First appearance |
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| Last appearance |
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| Created by | Garth Ennis Darick Robertson |
| Based on | |
| Adapted by | Eric Kripke |
| Designed by | Laura Jean "LJ" Shannon Greg Hopwood |
| Portrayed by | Jensen Ackles |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Ben (television series) |
| Species | Supe[broken anchor] |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Soldier Boy B.C.L. Red (Big Chest-Laser) |
| Occupation | Superhero (only publicly) Propaganda film actor (formerly) |
| Affiliation |
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| Weapon | Shield Chest-laser |
| Family | Soldier Boy I: Homelander (son; television series) Ryan Butcher (grandson; television series) |
| Significant others | Homelander (Soldier Boy III; comic series) Crimson Countess (Soldier Boy I; season 3) |
| Nationality | American |
| Abilities |
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Soldier Boy is the name of three superhero characters in the comic book series Herogasm and The Boys, created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. The first character introduced (but the third Soldier Boy in the timeline, with his two predecessors having died) is the elected leader of the Vought-American-sponsored superhero team Payback. He is depicted as one of the only "Supes" (i.e. "superpowered" or "superhuman" individuals, often acting as "superheroes") with selfless, benevolent motivations, who detests the use of profanity. However, Soldier Boy annually has sex with Homelander alone at the "Herogasm" orgy, under the mistaken hope that the "test" of doing so will convince Homelander to let him join his own superhero team, The Seven. After his most recent dalliance with Homelander, Soldier Boy is captured by CIA black ops agent Billy Butcher and brutally tortured and murdered by him for information on Homelander's recent activities. The original Soldier Boy is later revealed to have been mercy killed by Mallory during his first mission at the Battle of the Bulge, after his "Avenging Squad"[broken anchor] inadvertently caused Mallory's men to be massacred, and been replaced by the second for the remainder of the war.
In the Amazon Prime Video television adaptation, Soldier Boy (Ben) is introduced in the third season, portrayed by Jensen Ackles. A composite character of the comic book characters, this Soldier Boy is depicted as the first American non-aging Supe, created by Frederick Vought during World War II, whom Mother's Milk deems responsible for his family's downfall. A foul-mouthed "bonafide war hero", while working with the CIA during the Cold War as the leader of Payback, Soldier Boy was betrayed to the Russian government and experimented on for forty years. He is inadvertently freed by the Boys in the present-day while they were seeking the "superweapon" B.C.L. RED to use to kill Homelander, which in actuality is Soldier Boy himself, who, due to experimentation, can now emit an energy beam from his chest (Big Chest-Laser) which negates the superpowers of any other Supes with whom it comes in contact. It is later revealed that Homelander is Soldier Boy's son. Ackles returned in the 2023 spin-off series Gen V, portraying a Supe's imaginary friend Soldier Boyfriend, modelled after Soldier Boy. The character has received a positive reception.