Homelander has reigned as the leader of The Seven for years, effectively displacing Soldier Boy as the world’s Apex Supes. According to public records, Soldier Boy lost his life trying to save a nuclear power plant from melting down in Nicaragua in 1984. But, in The Boys Season 3, we learned that not only was this narrative not true, Soldier Boy is still alive and was actually experimented on by the Russians for years. Then, in Episode 6, titled “Herogasm”, the two most powerful superheroes in the world had a go against each other and we saw an interesting turn of events. Herogasm reached its climax (get it?) just as Soldier Boy’s energy blast leveled the entire house and killed dozens, including his intended targets, the TNT twins. Upon their meeting, Anthony Starr’s Homelander expressed admiration for Soldier Boy. The twisted egomaniac version of DC’s Superman told Soldier Boy that he was his hero growing up, saying that he was the only one who could relate to his strength. After exchanging some words, the two duke it out with Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher and Jack Quaid’s Hughie Campbell joining in to help Soldier Boy against Homelander. The trio eventually pins Homelander, giving Soldier Boy a chance to take the tyrant out with a massive energy blast only for Homelander to wriggle his way out and fly away to safety. We’re not going to lie, seeing Homelander struggle like that was surprising. It’s also heavily hinted in the episode’s ending that Homelander is struggling to cope with getting injured for the first time. It’s impossible to overstate how important this is. Homelander is nigh-invulnerable and he is a test tube baby. He was born with his powers and didn’t go through a normal childhood. Do you remember when you first scraped your knee? Your first reaction was probably either to cry or lash out. Judging by Homelander’s personality, he’s more of the latter kind of person. Unfortunately, when Homelander lashes out, he can take down entire cities or the world if he wanted to. This, then, brings us to our question, what will Homelander do now knowing that someone is literally as strong as him? Will his egotistic “other” self tell him to take down Soldier Boy as soon as possible? If that’s the case, we’re curious to find out if he’ll succeed. This is a difficult question to answer. In the comic books, Black Noir killed Homelander and that was only because Black Noir is literally just a copy of Homelander. Herogasm showed us that there is a gap between Soldier Boy and Homelander. At the same time, we know that Soldier Boy hasn’t gotten a full grasp on how his new powers work and if the Russians gave him more powers. His nuclear blast, for example, is easily the most destructive power we’ve seen in The Boys. If he can get a grip on it, Soldier Boy has a good shot at taking out Homelander. Keep in mind, Soldier Boy wasn’t raised in a lab. He was a homeless man who signed up for the program in exchange for food and shelter. He also would have grown up right in the middle of the Great Depression. This would make him scrappy, stoic, and someone who just won’t back down without putting up a fight. Plus, he’s fought in multiple wars and seen a lot of fucked up shit. Unlike his new and improved counterpart, Soldier Boy probably knows how to deal with people who are just as strong if not stronger than he is. We can’t say this about Homelander, who usually just powers his way through everything and everyone. Make no mistake, Homelander is more powerful than Soldier Boy, but can he take him out in a fight? We don’t think so. Besides, unlike Homelander, who probably wants all the credit for himself, Soldier Boy isn’t above asking for help. If these two powerhouses ever meet again, we doubt it will be just the two of them. And, with Homelander pretty much all on his own now, Soldier Boy has a good shot at toppling Vought International’s tyrannical ruler with the help of the titular group.
