Jensen Ackles' Second-Biggest TV Role Is The Exact Opposite Of Dean Winchester

If you want an actor with range, look no further than Jensen Ackles. The actor is keeping busy these days with new projects, but for more than a decade, Ackles cut his teeth in an Impala fighting monsters. Cast as Dean Winchester, Ackles is a major reason Supernatural went the distance and thrilled fans alongside co-star Jared Padaleki. And in his next TV role, Ackles will do his best to bring the polar opposite of Dean Winchester to life.

Who will be the cause of Ackles turning heel? We have The Boys to thank. Amazon's hit hero drama cast the Supernatural star as Soldier Boy, and the unhinged antagonist could not be more different from Dean. After all, when it came to the family business, Dean would give anything for his brother, while Soldier Boy wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on his own blood.

In fact, we know Soldier Boy would not hesitate. He's got a thing for filicide.

Dean Winchester Goes Too Far For Family In Supernatural, But Soldier Boy Acts Like Family Means Nothing

When The Boys made it official that Ackles was joining the case, the buzz began in earnest when Prime Video confirmed the actor would portray Soldier Boy. After all, the role is a dark one, and it takes the star places not even Supernatural would wander. From cold-blooded assassinations to mass murder and vigilante torture, there are no boundaries Soldier Boy calls sacred. To some degree, the same can be said about Dean Winchester, but Ackles' beloved role only went dark for the sake of others.

All you have to do is revisit Supernatural season two to see how far Dean will go for his family. When faced with Sam's untimely death, Dean made a deal with the Crossroad Demon to revive his brother at the cost of his own soul. The deal was made selfishly as Dean could not imagine life without his brother, damning friends and victims who got caught in the crossfire. From sacrificing Kevin Tran to killing Amy Pond on the down low, Dean will go to great lengths to keep his family safe. However, the same cannot be said for Soldier Boy.

If anything, Soldier Boy will go to any length to annihilate his family. Raised in a tough military family, Soldier Boy did not have a keen view on family even before he was exposed to Compound V, and this trauma grew over time. As you can imagine, this story left Soldier Boy irate when he learned Vought used his DNA to create Homelander, a revelation that gave Soldier Boy a son out of nowhere. Their first meeting goes south quickly as Soldier Boy mirrors his own father immediately, and the conflict ends as Ackles' character tries to kill Homelander. And if that were not bad enough, Soldier Boy shows a similar distain to Ryan when the older hero meets his grandson.

Vought Rising Is An Opportunity To Show A Different Side To Soldier Boy

From his very first scene in The Boys, Ackles' guard is up, and Soldier Boy is quick to shed blood. There isn't a gentle bone in the character, but Amazon will soon get the chance to add nuance to Soldier Boy. Prime Video will bring Vought Rising to fans in 2027, and the prequel promises to unpack the hit comic created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. When the show goes live, Vought Rising will show Soldier Boy's early missions, giving audiences a chance to see how Vought turned the man into a monster.

Described as a twisted murder mystery in the 1950s New York, Vought Rising will put Soldier Boy center stage with Stormfront. The show will not concern itself with Homelander or any modern beats found in The Boys, freeing up space for some much-needed character exploration. Soldier Boy wasn't born a killing machine, and despite his difficult childhood, the character first signed up for Compound V with some sense of altruism. Prime Video's much-anticipated prequel will bring that version of Soldier Boy to life, and you can bet it will tug on the heartstrings of The Boys' biggest fans.