The arrival of Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy pretty much guarantees that The Boys is taking a deep dive into the history of Vought International when the show returns for its third season on Amazon Prime. But even as the series winds the clock backwards, fans shouldn’t expect its trademark satire to slow down. During a recent interview with Deadline, showrunner Eric Kripke revealed what he hopes fans take away from the upcoming season.
The show obviously intends to keep its focus on supes. However, Kripke explained that his team is tackling a much more loaded concept this year: the myth of American exceptionalism. And Ackles’ character provides the perfect means to be able to do that.
“We’ve been certainly a political and satirical show,” said Kripke. “We were really interested in exploring both the recent history of Vought, the company in the show. But also through that the recent history of the United States… We got really interested in the myths we tell ourselves, to feel that we’re righteous, really exploring America itself as a myth.”
“A big element of the comics actually are flashbacks to World War II and Vietnam,” continued Kripke. “I always really loved it because you got to see how the superhero phenomenon didn’t just affect the present, but how it affected parts of the past as well. And so we have this character, Soldier Boy, played by Jensen Ackles. And he’s been around since World War II and was the first Vought superhero. Through him and through his story, we’re able to explore a lot of the history of the country, really.”
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Kripke also discussed how the new season will reflect more contemporary political debates as well.
“I’d say in previous seasons the boogeyman for you to be scared of used to be, ‘The terrorists are coming to get you,’” added Kripke. “And now it’s sort of metastasized into, I think, a much more ominous, “Your neighbor is coming to get you.” And that’s scary to me, how politics are turning us on each other. So, we want to explore what it means to be in America, really.”
According to Kripke, filming on The Boys season 3 is “just over the halfway point” by a few weeks. Amazon still hasn’t announced a release date for the new episodes.
Are you excited to see what Kripke and his team have in store for the new season? Let us know in the comments down below!
Recommended Reading: The Boys Omnibus Vol. 3
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