The Boys' Eric Kripke Knew Fans Would Want This Supernatural Easter Egg In S3
Jensen Ackles joining "The Boys" Season 3 as Soldier Boy meant a big "Supernatural" reunion. "The Boys" creator Eric Kripke is also the mind behind the long-running CW series where Ackles portrays Dean Winchester.
On "The Boys," Ackles plays a much different character in Soldier Boy, a Captain America-like super soldier kept on ice for decades only to wake up in a modern world. The difference between Captain America and Soldier Boy is that the former is a hero who adapts to his new setting, and the latter is a menace who shoots first and asks questions later.
Along with Ackles, Jim Beaver is among the cast of "The Boys." On "Supernatural," the actor portrays Bobby, a mentor to the Winchesters. On "The Boys," he plays Secretary of Defense Robert Singer. Though Kripke couldn't find a way to fit Soldier Boy and Singer into the same scene, he did add an Easter egg for "Supernatural" fans, showing Soldier Boy react to a Singer poster after he's awoken from his decades-long slumber.
"They're technically in the same scene in that Singer is up on a stage and Homelander has that vision of Soldier Boy, but there's no interaction," Kripke told Variety. "I specifically went back into Episode 5, and I wrote that moment of Soldier Boy reacting to the Singer poster for this reason. I was like, they're going to kill me if I don't have some acknowledgment that they're both in this universe together."
On top of this, there is the chance for another "Supernatural" reunion down the line.
John Winchester is also in The Boys family
Also joining the cast of "The Boys" is Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who portrays John Winchester, the father of Dean and Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki), on "Supernatural." Morgan is portraying a mystery role in "The Boys" Season 4.
There is no official word on whether Jensen Ackles is returning to "The Boys," but if so, Eric Kripke would have three "Supernatural" alums to mess with. Ackles, however, teased a possible Soldier Boy comeback on Instagram.
In a December 2022 Instagram post, Ackles said his Christmas wish was to suit back up as the character and that he couldn't wait to do it again. In August of the same year, he also commented on an Instagram post from "The Boys" lead Karl Urban (Billy Butcher), saying he was on his way back to set to share a drink with his former cast. The actor will at least be reprising his role for the spinoff "Gen V."
According to Kripke, scheduling is the issue that pushed Morgan's appearance on "The Boys" into Season 4 as he was a preoccupied portraying Negan on "The Walking Dead" and "The Walking Dead: Dead City." Luckily, they found a way to make it work for "The Boys" Season 4. The actual role for Morgan remains a mystery, but Amazon revealed it will be a recurring guest star role.