While The Boys gears up for its fifth and final season, the franchise is far from over. The spotlight is shifting to Soldier Boy, with actor Jensen Ackles set to reprise the role in the upcoming prequel series Vought Rising.
Opening up about the project, Ackles revealed that the show will explore a very different side of Soldier Boy, one that audiences haven’t seen before. Unlike his disoriented presence in the modern timeline, the prequel places him in his prime. “Now we’re getting to see him be relevant, getting to see him in his actual environment where he feels like this is where he belongs. He’s the top dog,” he said, adding that the series will unpack the experiences that shaped the character. “We get to kind of peel back the layers of what truly happened in that time.”
Set in the 1950s, the show will retain the core tone of The Boys while shifting into a period setting. Ackles described it as something that will feel familiar in structure but distinct in execution. “It’s going to feel familiar… because I think that’s taking what really works with The Boys and trying to do something a little bit different with it, certainly as a period piece,” he explained. Reflecting on Soldier Boy’s earlier portrayal, he added that the character was previously “an analogue man in a digital world", often out of place in the present day—a contrast that the prequel aims to reverse.
The actor also confirmed that the creators are thinking beyond a single season. “When they pitched it… I don’t think I let them finish the sentence before I was like, ‘Yes!’” Ackles shared, noting that “the intent is to have it be a multi-season show".
Meanwhile, the parent series is heading toward a high-stakes conclusion. Season 5 of The Boys, premiering April 8, sees Homelander (Antony Starr) tightening his grip on the world. Key members of the group, including Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso) and Frenchie (Tomer Capone), find themselves imprisoned, while Annie January (Erin Moriarty) attempts to rally resistance. Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) returns with a dangerous plan involving a virus capable of wiping out Supes altogether, setting the stage for a dramatic endgame.
Beyond Vought Rising, the universe continues to expand. Paul Grellong will serve as showrunner for the prequel, while a separate project, The Boys: Mexico, is in development with Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal attached as executive producers. The college-set spin-off Gen V recently wrapped its second season, paving the way for the main series’ finale, whereas the animated anthology The Boys Presents: Diabolical is unlikely to return for another instalment.