It’s great writing because the way his dad broke him down without laying a hand on him is exactly how Edgar would break homelander down. Both still feeling the effects of the older men in their lives.

You know Butcher feels bad when he bothers to ask what happens next

Jensen ackles is just so good

"Never laid a hand on me" I really liked that change from Butcher's life. You don’t need physical abuse to fuck up someone Edit: You know, I honestly thought this was a kinda simple comment

He has tears in his eyes at the end... never noticed that

GOD his acting is good

It's ironic. A Soldier Boy strived to earn his father's recognition, which he never got. And then Homelander tried to earn his, Soldier Boy’s recognition, which he also did not get. Sick family))

Bro just came in with the Helmeppo level *"I never hit you, not because you're my son but because You ain't worth hitting"*

Not only did he survive a practical death sentence. But he got a superior form of Compound V because he was made essentially immortal. Soldier Boy is over 100 years old but still looks 35

That old man had a comeback for everything didn't he

This is why you treat your sons right. You teach your son. Your guide him. If he disappoints you, you show him how to be better. If he fails, you help him and explain how to improve. And most importantly, you don’t put your own shortcomings onto him. Our sons and daughters must be better than us.

A real man raises his son to grow up confident. A real man doesn't see his son as competition - but as a part of him - the best part of him. One of the greatest impacts in a boy's life is the love and support of his dad. It often determines the course of their lives. Use your power well, fathers - because it matters.

His dad didn’t care either way. He’s either a ‘cheater’, a ‘disappointment’ or Average Joe. You can’t please those who don’t see your potential

"cheated" is a bit unfair, as the survival rate for adults given Compound V is actually incredibly low, so he took a great risk in doing so.

I don’t care what people say soldier boy is far more human then homelander he is atleast capable of expressing how he feels telling is people fucked up shit happened to him rather then cry about it kill half a dozen people then scream and fly a away not a good guy but much closer to redemption then homelander

He cried when he saw Homelander because he saw what his father saw. The old man wasn’t cruel he saw the truth.

One thing I find interesting is how butcher and Soldier Boy had dad with abuse. Butchers abuse focused more on the physical side that’s why he’s such a hard ass and in part is abusive to people around him like Hughie. That’s why when Solider Boy said his dad made sure he knew it Butcher immediately goes to the belt. But soldier Boys dad never touched him instead it was more mental. He never gave his son the attention or credit that he needed no matter how strong or what he did so even when he became the strongest man on the planet this dad still couldn’t give him the attention he wanted from his dad. This turns Solider boy into not only a physical abuser with Black Noir but also a narcissist because he tries to gain attention and praise his farther never did. Almost a worse way to abuse someone than just physical beating a like butcher

Soilders boy dad sounds like the 12 year old calling you a hacker when you beam his ass

That’s why he’s not called Soldier Man

He would have probably been a lovely hero and maybe Homelander would subsequently have been a good hero too if his dad wasn't such an asshole.

So basicly all them have daddy issues 😅

The physical abuse will build anger and resentment towards the abuser, but the wording and constant criticism will build doubt and a terrible self esteem in the abused.

Brother continued the cycle when he called homelander and i quote"a fucking dissapointment"

I feel that. For a long time, my old man and I had a similar relationship. Then he came back with PTSD and retired with 30 years of service. Got prescribed the same meds they gave me. We finally saw each other man to man. I told him everything I needed to say. How much I hate the military and this country for taking my father away from me when I was the one who needed him. Not the military who only saw him as another expendable asset, when to me he was always my fucking hero. He could be sitting across from me at the fucking dinner table but he's still over there, fighting battles no one asked him to be a part of! While I'm forced to be put on medication that stunted my growth and left me with permanent side effects which I'll be judged for. He said he genuinely believes I'm going to be a serial killer. My hero. My father. I was hurt by that for a long time. Then I grew from it. I have a few nieces and an amazing nephew. I asked myself, if my nephew was standing beside me right now, who do I want him to look up at me and see? How would that person act? That little boy saved my soul, and I'm going to do everything I can to be the man I want him to see in me. I'm not my father. I am me. I get to define what that means. I chose to let go of the pain and negativity from my father and my relationship, and since then, we've been bonding better. I don't think I love my father, I'm not even sure I really like him. But I respect him and now I see him more as a mentor. It helps reduce the emotional swelling of expectations on both sides. Edit; The meds they gave him were an eye opener cuz he saw what they did to me. It was so bad it served as an equalizer for us. Nothing quite levels the playing field like watching your son get the shit kicked out of him and then a decade or so later you get the shit kicked outta you too by the same thing.

Soldier Boy: He said i took a short cut. Everyone: Was there another way to become super!?

This is how you know that emotional abuse is way worse than physical.

I really wished that they didn't betray him, even though he was a supe he was probably one of the most relatable people to Billy.

Jensen is a really underrated actor. He really grew into himself as an actor during the 15 seasons of Supernatural. Season 1 he was still pretty wooden, by season 4 he could make you laugh and make you cry. It's nice to see him get to flex his acting chops in a bigger budget, more widely watched show like The Boys. I hope it only leads to bigger and better things for him.

This character was fascinating, so much trauma but he was aware of it, just couldn't beat it.

From Ghost Hunter with daddy issues, to Angel Descendant with daddy issues, to Government Guinea Pig/Super Hero with daddy issues. I'm sensing a theme here.

What's ironic is we never got to see the most realistic person in this show on screen.

"A real man"? Soldier Boy has the voice of a greek god

Says he cheated and yet the father didnt realise he was the reason. Fathers are so significant in the development of the child. The Boys has a line up of characters with trash or absent fathers.

A real man will only take a shortcut if it's the better way

he's probably the most realistic superhero

These two had my favorite dynamic in the show. Two men being two men Men who’ve suffered Lost Fought And cried For anything to stop the pain. But there is only pain.

Being beat was bad enough, but in a fucked up way, some parents do it because they love their kid and the only way they know to discourage bad behavior is through fear. But when you know, your not even good enough for the belt, to be beat, you know they dont love or value you. In those cases, not being beat hurts so much more than if you were. It tears you up inside.

Jensen Ackels is a great actor. Could have played Leon from Resident Evil.

I got the belt plenty, always folded in half. If the old man was really pissed. He’d hold the folded end and give me the buckle too. My ex wife was super manipulative and very emotionally abusive. That shit hurt way worse than the belt and the buckle.

People sleep on Jensen too much. People don't give him enough credit for the caliber of actor that he is, because he is a fantastic actor. He was sort of stuck within the world of Supernatural for so long, and as a Supernatural fan, I didn't mind that at all, but now that it's over and done with, I just hope that he continues to get new roles, because he definitely deserves them.

This is great writing because he does exactly what his dad do to him to Homelander

I love this because Soldier Boy still isn’t a good guy. He’s not evil or anything, but he’s a straight up killer who’s taken out civilians as collateral damage and not thought twice about it. And yet he’s still Human. He’s not as shallow as we are at first lead to believe.

Standard dad dialogues

And then he goes and calls homelander disappointment. Hopefully Ryan will be better than the both of them

You don't need a belt to hurt others. Words can leave as harsh marks, if not harsher.

If my father told me that I was a disappointment, that would have been the longest conversation we ever had.

"Blimey ya don't say" 🤣

Jensen Ackles is criminally underrated

I absolutely love 'Soldier Boy'. These characters are a lot deeper than people would believe. Soldier Boy and Billy Butcher's stories are very real. Young men have fathers like this.

A real man would be a real father

Jensen is a great actor

The fact that people idolize this guy shows how badly people need good role models. Dude had major daddy issues

A real man wouldnt have cheated. True a real man also wouldn't neglect his kid either but I guess his dad wasnt there for that lesson.

Classic emotional abuse

Best written, best performed.. best season.... Soldier boy❤

It's really sad when you sacrifice you body, health and sanity to impress someone you care for, and they will always find an excuse to put you down. Worst part is, I see this happen soo many times where the child who has suffered this treatment, more often than not, has the same behavior towards his kids. It's really a toxic cycle, and I wish there was a way to prevent it for all kids of every generation.

Honestly hearing this you can only imagine his father was a piece of work and don't even know how he was able to get married

Couldn't have picked a better actor

Soldier Boy is the by far the best character in The Boys. All of his lines and scenes are iconic and equal parts funny and terrifying (like when he smoked MM’s tear gas grenade). He’s amazing.

Neglect can do far more damage than physical abuse.

Hope he comes back as a good guy.

This really hits hard when he confronts Homelander.

Anybody else notice a theme amongst Amazon Superhero shows and shite Dads?

There are some people that will never approve of you no matter how hard you try or how great you succeed. These are the people you need to move on from, but sadly, are often the ones people put the most time and effort trying to impress.

Soldier Boy is the only reason I still watch the show

Soldier boy is such a badass for seeing the fragility in homelander and pulling out the disappointment card😂

You see, that's the major difference between him and other these modern villains. He is an asshole by nature, but remembers every bit of mistake and discipline he experienced in life.

He used the Government to fight the Government. He didnt cheat, he beat the system.

Jensen Ackles done a lot, from Smallville, supernatural, and now The Boys. Way to go!

You know, soldier boys kind of a real one for not just removing his head for that. After everything, the thought would be there.

I hope they make this film. Even it’s not real, wanna see this actor

Soldier boy and Butcher had some badass chemistry. It's sad we probably won't see that again

Proof that no matter how good you are your parents say you never do enough

The funny part is his dad was right when he took a shortcut, didn't earn his way into the trials, didn't do shit to earn his abilities he cheated, granted his dad shouldn't have been a massive dick but still

It suprising after generational trauma, homelander became a somewhat messed up but slightly a decent dad

"THE BOYS" WHAT A SHOW THIS IS. 💯

He is a mixture of Captain America and peacemaker

So basically soldier Boy's backstory is just Captain America's story but twisted

Soldier Boy in this franchise is like Thanos in d mcu, the franchises cn stand without them but they give that special effects to the entire story, characters and audience. Was thinking about giving up watching the series cuz Homelander was never afraid of anything,...bt when he came, well show became freaking amazing and intense. Both heroes and villains now fear something dark and twisted

Russians casually giving soldier boy immortality

Jensen is really such a great actor I really hope I see him lead a project again he deserves it! But once a Winchester always a Winchester 😅

My father was a naval commodore who never acknowledged my mental disorders, refused to pay for my medication, treatment, or schooling, and continues to refuse to pay child support even though I’m classified as a disabled individual by the federal government. All because nothing can ever satisfy him. Not even the dozens of women he slept with while he was still married to my mother

His father must be a saint

It's awesome how he said the same thing to Homelander. Great writing.

And a real father would've taught these things to his son instead of only calling him a disappointment

Shout out to South Philly ✌🏾

"My daddy beat me! 😭" "My daddy never beat me! 😭" All I know is, so many people wouldn't be so messed up, if the rod wasn't so spared.

Soldier Boy was the real deal. He kept his part of the deal. Butcher got cold feet.

I love the way he enunciates certain words. You can tell which phrases or words affected him throughout his life.

He’s perfect for the brother role he just got casted in for Tracker.

Ah yes, a real man would've developed super powers on his own, without using drugs

Solider boy fu*kin ruled on this show!

So by his father logic captain American took a shortcut 🤷.

This show is incredible

I really think Jensen Ackles should audition for Batman.

So much could have been avoided had a few fathers not treated their children like complete garbage.

"Said I was a disappointment" What an astounding father Soldier Boy is to carry on the same inheritance straight to his own son. Truly an inspiration 💯

I would never say this type of stuff to my future children.

My nigga Soldier Boy

Soldier boy story shows the reality of people only seeing the negative in you. Even if there's a positive, they don't care, they only care about the things that diminishes you