I'm finishing up my rewatch of season 3 of The Boys before I begin my SPN rewatch (got 2 more episodes left) and watching Jensen's performance as Soldier Boy just absolutely floors me.

It floors me because I've seen antis time and time again claim that Soldier Boy/Ben was essentially Dean in a superhero suit, that Jensen has one note acting, that he watered down the character by refusing to do scenes that made him uncomfortable (especially by one anti blog in particular who claims to be an acting expert, you know the one), and that his acting is very bland.

But in studying his performance because I'm studying the character (for writing purposes), these people couldn't be more wrong. I will admit that the only time I got a semi-Dean vibe from him was during the scene where Soldier Boy tells Butcher about his father. Which doesn't surprise me because Jensen himself said he leaned into the Dean/John dynamic for that scene.

But otherwise, I don't see anywhere where their claims hold any water. I mean, have you actually watched his scenes?

This scene is so important. Annie is getting ready to face off with this guy and even though she knows he's dangerous (after seeing he results of one of his explosions up close and personal), but she has no idea how dangerous, not really. This isn't Dean. This isn't Beau. This is the dangerous side of Solider Boy and had Hughie not intervened, there's a good possibility shit would have gone even more sideways. Especially, with Ben coming off of the confrontation with Countess, her hitting him where it hurts the most (meaning she tapped into one of his biggest insecurities. That explosion wasn't an accident (like NYC or even at Herogasm with the Twins). Ben didn't black out here. That's shown to us by there being no Russian trigger, despite him learning that Countess and his team handed him over back in 1984 and didn't even get paid for it.

I mean, look at this expression right here. His body is moving but his eyes don't. He's getting into position, ready to take out the next threat. Only when Hughie steps in and Annie's eyes dim does he step away, assessing her as not a threat. This is the weapon that is deadly enough to take on Homelander and no matter where you stand on Jensen as an actor, he pulls it off here.

The physicality he utilized in this role speaks volumes. And it's not about Soldier Boy being a Supe or being in a suit or having to look pissed off all the time (minus the few times he's amused). It has to do with how he embodies that character, carries him, and if he pulls it off. Spoiler alert: he did.

This scene exemplifies exactly what I'm talking about. I have watched it countless times and this part of it always sticks out to me every single time. Look at that expression, look at the eyes. Ben is not going all out to sell this belief let's call it to Hughie. He's giving him a look that says "this is the truth and you better believe it or else". He's not smiling for news cameras or doing propaganda or greeting fans of his movies decades prior. He's not selling the Soldier Boy is America's Greatest Hero image here. He's subtly threatening Hughie, and this is where he begins to have an issue with him. Because Ben wants to see himself as the good guy, something Kripke, Jensen, and the cast have talked about in promoting the season. In his own mind, he is the good guy; he's a legend in his own mind so to speak. He's bought the hype about himself. And anyone who doesn't see him that way is an enemy aka a threat.

It doesn't mean he doesn't know he's doing things that aren't right (as we saw in those outtakes of the 'Don't-do-drugs' commercial). He's very self-aware but he justifies it to himself because he's Soldier Boy and almost like Homelander always says, he can do what he wants. Not necessarily that he has a god-mentality that rivals Homelander's but everything is justifiable in his mind because he's a Supe, or more precisely the Supe, and he's protecting his country. And it also keeps that insecurity of being a disappointment at bay that he has from his childhood. It's all layered into his make-up so to speak. So not only is Hughie a threat (not physically obviously but to Ben's image of himself) but is also bordering dangerously close to reminding him of the very thing he hates: a mirror that reminds him that maybe his dad was right about him (not saying he was, I'm saying this is potentially what is running through his mind). So not only does it share a brilliant parallel between Hughie and Annie when it comes to Soldier Boy that eventually plays out beautifully in the Tower Scene in the finale, but it also is sewn into the issue between Hughie and Annie this season in their own relationship.

But the way Jensen plays that scene is phenomenal because if you watch it, you realize if Hughie says one wrong thing, he may be in trouble.

Which is then continued in this scene:

In this scene, Hughie is mentioning there's a lot of people inside Herogasm and here we get Ben's reaction to Hughie saying that. Then he tells Hughie as long as the people stay out of his way they should be fine. But again, watch how he says it, his expression, focus on his tone, his body movement. He clearly is not happy that Hughie says this (it literally is a continuation from the hotel room scene) and again has that subtle threat vibe, even with Butcher standing there (because let's face it, to him, even with temp V, Butcher is no threat). And of course, we all know the slap scene and the punch scene that happens later. Not only does Hughie get switched out for Ryan later on who Butcher ends up protecting from Soldier Boy, but it all plays out beautifully as all of the connections, overt and subtle, unfold throughout the season.

But back to Jensen's performance. There is so much to appreciate in how he fully embodied this character. And that's not saying it through an AA haze of "omg he's so hawt!" or "omg did you see his ass?" That's appreciating the amount of work that he put into this role when the cameras started rolling. He literally became Soldier Boy and he embodied him even outside of the suit.

As an actor, Jensen is very nuanced. He consistently adds in these little things that help make the character even more multi-dimensional than what is written on the page or what is called for int he scene and how it's blocked. This is why there is a certain small group of people on here that repeatedly talk about Jacting Joices, it's not just related to Supernatural or Destiel or Dean. It's about Jensen as an actor, as a performer, and how much he actually pours into these characters he plays. Whether it be the way he moves (or walks), or the expressions he uses, his eyes (yep, he does that too, see above), with his hands, even down to the way he delivers a line. All actors do this in their own way obviously, lean into physicality as well as their performance, but he definitely has his own unique style that I just don't see anyone else replicating. I think there's a reason so many people say no one else could have played Dean the way he could have for example. And if you watch his characters, really watch them, you'll see what he does each and every time. Even smaller characters like Jason from Smallville or Tom from My Bloody Valentine or Alec from Dark Angel. It's all right there on the screen.

So I guess my whole long point is I don't get why antis rip him apart when it comes to this role of Soldier Boy (other than being antis I guess) or say he can't act or that has no idea how to properly analyze his character because he actually did put a ton of work into this specific character (as well as all the others he's done) and you can clearly see it as you watch his scenes in the show. While I wish we could have seen Homelander and Soldier Boy go at it a bit more, and see Soldier Boy truly unleash that Alpha-ness of being the original Supe like had been talked about in promotions and interviews, it doesn't diminish that this character was fascinating and he brought it to life from the script in a way that complemented his own unique style as a performer.

tl;dr Jensen crushed Soldier Boy and Ben (yes, two different characters to embody actually) and I cannot wait to see more of him in any future Boys-related visual story telling, on the show or others.

EUGH

there's so much low-hanging fruit to pick from, (full offence)… the icon (doubly so), theboysposting, parricide enthusiast, law student… but it's that you made an Instagram for me 😔

(also I'll never forget the ironing-your-socks thing)

tonight eveybody is picking on me so hard 😔😔 like i recognise the 'im 20 red flags in a trenchcoat' and that i asked for this but the scalping im receiving......

i will defend myself on account of the sock ironing thing and furthermore posit that whoever DOESNT iron their socks is the real freak. as for the instagram, i was pressured into it!!! I dont even know how to use it properly 😭😭

wait there’s a frenchie on ofmd head in my hands

🍓 hi pls be nice to me

your theboysposting lately has really brightened my day it’s always fun to log on and see what’s up lately in jackles news. you’re very on top of things that i otherwise would have missed out on!

Just had a random thought. I know it's not going this way at all in The Boys but wouldn't it be funny as shit if JDM ended up being Soldier Boy's/Ben's asshole dad? Like he gave Ben shit for taking the Compound V as a shortcut but then talked his military buddies into giving him some when he started getting older? And then,,,surprise. Four generations of Supe strong-as-fuck assholes for Butcher and Co to deal with.

Like I said, it's not going that way but how Kripke would that be?

Thinking about The Boys as one does. Not sure why this thought popped into my head. 😂

If you have ideas for names, please feel free to reblog with those additions.

My brain sometimes 😂

Who do you think has a filthier mouth?

This guy

Or this guy?

This is purely for science.

Finally saw the Gen V cameo. Gotta say it didn't feel like Soldier Boy to me at all. Like there was a huge disconnect that they tried to fill up with the most vulgar things they could have him say. His whole rhythm, tone, and movements all felt extremely off from his portrayal in The Boys. Even the "I fart the Star-Spangled-Banner" and "It was pretty romantic" lines felt off. Like they felt more like Jensen with a tint of Dean ("I'm red-blooded. But not Commie red. Red, white, and blue red") than they did Soldier Boy. (his tone even sounded like a mix of Dean and Beau most of the time suffering from a cold; and would Soldier Boy really know what a "fuckboi" is or who the Jonas Brothers are? He didn't even know "internet" or "GPS") It was like they were trying to shove something into a box where it didn't belong, if that makes sense.

But saying all of that, I wonder if it felt this way because it was supposed to, since we were technically in Cate's mind and this was her "imaginary friend". So maybe it was supposed to feel off? And that's why we get the messed-with Captain America theme that we do when he arrives? 🤔

One of the things I love about this last battle scene from season 3 is all of the connections being displayed. Between Homelander and Soldier Boy. Between Butcher and Soldier Boy. Between Hughie and Annie. Even between Maeve and Soldier Boy.

Here is where Butcher tells Ben that Ryan is his wife's son. I love that they waited until after Ben proves he's willing to kill Homelander, that they reveal this information through this scene between the two characters.

And then of course we get:

And to me, this is so important. Not only is it a truly heroic exit for Maeve, not only does it bring her story full circle (because when we meet her, we see she's anything but a hero though she hates that), but we also get the one LGBTQIA+ figure aka progress taking out/removing the toxic/sexist/racist original Supe aka the old. And that's important because we saw:

"Show Our True Colors" plus multi-color stripes shown reminds me of "These Colors Don't Run" with American-color stripes. Very purposeful imagery showing Maeve to be the antithesis to Soldier Boy in every way. Even wrapping these contrasts in subtle parallels like both of them picking on Hughie. Granted, Maeve hasn't liked Hughie since she met him and Ben has his own reasons for not caring for Hughie, but it also plays into the whole Starlight connection as well. Maeve saves Starlight (and company) from Ben, while he went head to head with Starlight. Maeve even thanks Starlight for saving her later on. Contrast and connection.

Maeve represents progress for Vought (more appropriately, they use her for it thanks to Homelander outing her) and the world so it absolutely made sense for Ben to not only see her picture, to see the poster of the movie Dawn of the Seven, but also to see this gay couple walk past him.

Because in Dawn of the Seven, Maeve's character is in love with a woman and this film is then used by Vought to promote their open embracing of modern times (while also used to to give a story on what happened with Stormfront).

And you can even see this type of connection in this scene:

You have two women, one a WOC, and a Black man being the ones to hold Soldier Boy at first.

And then you have:

Maeve making the choice to protect the next generation, which is also compiled with her coming full circle in her own journey because she wasn't able to save that little girl on the plane. Here is where she's redeemed while also being the one to oust Homelander (to an extent) who is basically the modern Soldier Boy and Soldier Boy all in one. For her to have Starlight looking at her in that moment and then for her to see Butcher and then Ryan, she makes her choice.

Which is also why it's so interesting to see the contrast in her decision regarding Ryan compared to Soldier Boy's decision when his grandson reacts to him about to hurt his dad.

Out of everyone, they both share wounds on the same sides of their faces, both from Homelander and Butcher respectively, who both have heat vision. Because not only do Homelander and Butcher have their own connections and parallels as well as contrasts, but all of that stuff for the characters are present during this sequence.

And even going back to Butcher's reveal to Soldier Boy about Ryan being Homelander's and Becca's son, to me, that line of "Wait, Homelander fucked your wife? And you want to save the brat?" is very indicative of old vs modern/progress. Butcher isn't Ryan's biological dad but he's protecting him because of a promise to Becca (and it's strongly implied that he's come to care for him in his own way). Granted, Soldier Boy doesn't know the circumstances of Ryan's conception but he most likely thinks Homelander and Becca had a good old fashioned sexcapade so to him this is a big no-no and why he can't understand why Butcher wants to protect Ryan. You touching another guy's wife isn't cool but a child conceived from that, the husband wasn't expected to raise that kid.

So it all makes sense why they chose Maeve to be the one to save everyone from Soldier Boy and sacrifice herself, not only for her exit and so her story could become full circle. She also represented progress and the modern day for Vought Supes compared to the first and oldest Supe and the outdated past.

So many connections throughout this scene, this season, even when it comes to the contrasts between certain characters. Love it.

So they paralleled Starlight to Butcher for Hughie in the end of season 2 there a little bit. Granted, they mentioned Lenny (to make sure they made it clear who Hughie is to Butcher basically), but still it's interesting that they actually have Butcher and Starlight bonding slightly while trying to save Hughie.

They really did that, huh?

I see you, Kripke.

I know this show isn't for everyone and it can be really fucked up at times (I will NEVER watch My Octopus Teacher after this last season, thanks Kripke) but damn is this show fucking great. Seeing all of this has me seriously consdiering a rewatch of all three seasons:

Finally catching up on s3 of The Boys. Just watched the first 15 minutes of episode 1...

Yeah, that's about what I'd expect from Kripke.

I have not seen the latest episode yet but couldn't help checking out this scene that everyone was talking about:

There's my boy, just out here killing it. No pun intended.

Loving this so much. I really think Jensen is doing a great job with this character. I'm not that surprised tbh, every character he has played so far has always caught my attention and always has me wanting to learn more about them and their stories as a whole. And I look forward to every single one of their scenes and interactions with other characters. No matter how good or bad his character may be or get.

I am beyond thrilled that he is portraying this character. I already love The Boys for itself, its incredibly talented cast, and the story in general. Jensen's SB is just extra icing (as well as Laurie Holden being Crimson Countess) added to the phenomenal cake. Such good stuff.

Can't wait to see more, though ngl, I may skip Herogasm lol. I'm sure I'll see enough gifs here on Tumblr to get the, uh...gist of things. ;-)

Me: *finishes season 3 of The Boys*

Also me: *discreetly removes My Octopus Teacher from my watchlist*

Started watching The Boys for Jensen as Soldier Boy upcoming in season 3

Stayed for the show, the cast, and all of its brilliance

Holy hell Batman, what an incredible show. I actually regret not checking it out sooner.

*sees people worrying/complaining that Jensen might not have much screen time in season 3 due to it being an ensemble cast*

Me:

Yeah, no disrespect to Jensen, but I'm alright with that.