In the penultimate episode of The Boys' final season, Homelander stopped his father, Soldier Boy, from heading down south by choking him out and placing the veteran Supe back in stasis.
Given the pivotal role he'd played up until that point, the expectation had been that he might return in the finale. Instead, Kimiko unleashed power-sapping abilities similar to Soldier Boy's during the Oval Office battle, leaving Homelander a weak, pathetic, regular old human.
Much to the chagrin of some fans, The Boys Season 5 spent a lot of time laying the groundwork for the upcoming prequel series Vought Rising. That included an appearance from Bombsight and hard-to-ignore hints about Soldier Boy's past with the Nazi Stormfront (it was, after all, what Clara would have wanted).
In an interview with ScreenRant, The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke was asked about the decision not to include Jensen Ackles' fan-favourite character in the show's final episode.
"I think we told his story that we wanted to tell in this season," he explained. "And part of it, I can only be very annoyingly coy to say that because we're deep into Vought Rising and we know what that story is. We know where that goes; a lot will make sense that might not make sense to the viewers at this exact moment, but hang in there, it all will."
"I think it is the appropriate place to land it because again, The Boys is about The Boys, and part of the job of the season was wrapping up other people's supporting players' stories, so that on that final episode, we could really focus on the main characters," Kripke added.
In a separate conversation with Deadline, the writer was asked whether Vought Rising could play out across multiple timelines, perhaps shedding light on what becomes of Soldier Boy in the present day. To that, Kripke simply replied, "No comment."
He continued, "I mean, I don’t think the finale episode itself sets up Vought Rising. I think what we saw of Soldier Boy and meeting Bombsight and some references to some of the other original Supes, is about the only setup we’re doing. But how’s this for a vague tease; I will say that, we have a few surprises and tricks up our sleeve in Vought Rising."
It's hard to imagine Vought Rising not shedding any light on what happened to Soldier Boy, though we can safely assume he's being kept on ice by Stan Edgar, who is back in charge of Vought.
Vought Rising will star Ackles as Soldier Boy and Aya Cash as Stormfront. They will also serve as producers. Joining them in the cast are Elizabeth Posey as Private Angel, Will Hochman as Torpedo, and Mason Dye as Bombsight.
Paul Grellong is the showrunner and executive producer. Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Ori Marmur, Ken Levin, Jason Netter, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Phil Sgriccia, Jim Barnes, Mark Winemaker and Michaela Starr also serve as executive producers on the series.
The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, in association with Kripke Enterprises, Point Grey Pictures, and Original Film. A premiere date for Vought Rising has not been announced, but it's coming to Prime Video in 2027.