Tara McCauley May 11th, 2021 - 11:50 PM
Season three of Amazon’s meta-superhero commentary The Boys will introduce Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) as the inaugural celebrity superhero, Soldier Boy. Though this World War II veteran is depicted as clean-shaven in the comics, Ackles shared a first photo of himself in front of his trailer rocking a beard and shaggy hair, via UPROXX.
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According to UPROXX, Ackles first flaunted his quarantine facial hair on social media a few months back, making Tuesday’s post from The Boys set a confirmation that this beard was grown for the show specifically. TV Insider calls Ackles “nearly unrecognizable” as this look deviates vastly from his “clean-cut” appearance as Supernatural’s Dean Winchester, the monster hunter that he famously played for fifteen-seasons at The CW. Ackles’ post-Supernatural addition to The Boys, marking a reunion with executive producer Eric Kripke (Supernatural, The Boys), was announced last August.
UPROXX suggests that Ackles scruffy appearance on set goes deeper than just putting a visual distance between his well-known Dean Winchester role. As a former soldier, celebrity hero and leader of the Avengers parody group Payback, Soldier Boy intentionally draws comparison to Marvel superhero Captain America. UPROXX posits that, while Soldier Boy appears clean-shaven in the comics, the bearded Ackles may be a specific visual reference to Chris Evans (Captain America: The First Avenger, Knives Out) as Captain America in Avengers: Infinity War.
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According to TV Insider, the season three premiere of The Boys is entitled “Payback”, suggesting that Ackles has a vital role to play in his debut season. While sharing Ackles’ photo, showrunner Kripke exclaimed “BUCKLE UP MOTHERFUCKERS” on Twitter.
Enter #SoldierBoy. BUCKLE UP MOTHERFUCKERS.#TheBoys #TheBoysTV #SPN #SPNFamily #Supernatural @TheBoysTV @PrimeVideo @SPTV @JensenAckles pic.twitter.com/8q3QOX6faa
— Eric Kripke (@therealKripke) May 11, 2021
Though Kripke had previously shared a glimpse into season three’s production back in February, Tuesday’s behind-the-scenes photo gave the first look at Ackles’ highly-anticipated character. Amazon has not yet provided a date for the return of its dark superhero hit, but UPROXX remains optimistic for a late 2021 release.
