Why Gunpowder From The Boys Looks So Familiar
"The Boys" are coming back! Amazon Prime Video offered fans a new look at the satirical superhero's third season earlier this week with a story-driven trailer. The brand new footage teased an unhinged Homelander (Antony Starr) veering even more into mania, the titular Boys becoming superpowered, and Jensen Ackles' Soldier Boy, a riff on Marvel's Captain America.
Soldier Boy isn't the only new superhero who is set to grace the limelight in the third season of the critically-acclaimed series. Supersonic, Gunpowder, Blue Hawk, and Crimson Countess are all new additions to "The Boys." Details are slim on these brand-new heroes, who more than likely will create havoc alongside the rest of the superpowered beings. Eagle-eyed fans will remember Gunpowder, in particular, has been briefly mentioned throughout the series: A retired member of the superhero group Payback, Gunpowder's powers include manipulating the properties of ammunition. According to IMDb, Gunpowder is set to appear in every episode of Season 3, which could make him a pivotal player in The Boys' battle against Vought, the media conglomerate behind the corporatization of superheroes.
While Gunpowder hasn't prominently appeared in the promotional footage for the upcoming season, fans who have done their digging will be surprised to know that the gun-toting hero is played by none other than Sean Patrick Flanery.
You first saw Sean Patrick Flanery as Indiana Jones
After Indy and his dad rode off into the sunset in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," creators George Lucas and Steven Spielberg teamed up for another adventure — this time on the small screen. In 1992, ABC launched "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," an educational series which used Indiana Jones' childhood adventures as a framework to distill historical information in a palatable, exciting way. The series followed the adventurer through various formative moments, notably as both a child and a teenager.
Sean Patrick Flanery first hopped onto the scene in 1987 with the comedy film "A Tiger's Tale," where held a brief role. After a few appearances on television films, Flanery was tapped by Lucas to play a teenaged version of Indiana Jones from age 16 to 21. The star stepped into the role of a young Harrison Ford for 22 episodes. The series was ultimately canceled, despite Lucas' intention to see Indy reach at least age 24 (via New York Times).
With a fifth "Indiana Jones" film currently in production, Flanery has expressed interest in stepping back into the franchise. While he hasn't been contacted, he still believes Ford is the definitive Indy. "I mean, to me, Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones. You know what I mean? They've got my 20 bucks at the theater every time they put one of those out. Absolutely," the Gunpowder star told PopCulture.com early last year. It remains to be seen if "The Boys" star will return to the iconic property when it returns next year.
He played another Powder before Gunpowder
After Sean Patrick Flanery wrapped up his time as Indiana Jones, he landed one of his earliest lead roles in "Powder." The film, which hit cinemas in 1995, saw Flanery playing Powder, an extremely intelligent and hairless Albino man who has the ability to read minds and perform supernatural activities. Because of his abilities and strange nature, he is kept hidden away from the world by his grandparents, which forces him to become reclusive and introverted. After his guardians die, he is taken to an orphanage, where the world begins to learn how powerful and profound he can be.
While the film received mostly mixed reviews from critics — it sports a solid 50% on Rotten Tomatoes – it's worth noting that The Austin Chronicle favorably compared the film to the stories present in Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone." Funnily enough, Flanery would later go on to headline an episode of the 2003 "The Twilight Zone" revival (via IMDb). The outlet praised Flanery, calling him riveting as the awkward and shy titular character and went on to discuss how "Powder" operates as "a modern fable, and at the heart of it, a rather depressing one at that."
As fate would have it, Flanery is set to run as a different powder in the upcoming season of "The Boys," but names aside, the two roles probably won't be too similar.
The Boys star was a vigilante in The Boondock Saints
Despite being one of Sean Patrick Flanery's most notable appearances, many will be surprised to learn that "The Boondock Saints" wasn't an instant success. The action thriller was originally being developed for Miramax Films, where it was pegged to be a vehicle for A-list stars like Sylvester Stallone and Bill Murray (via Den of Geek). The production company later abandoned the project, though it was later scooped up by Franchise Pictures, who gave the film a limited theatrical release in 1999. Strangely, the foul-mouthed and gory action film found its calling on home video, where it became a cult favorite among viewers.
The film follows two Irish-American brothers (Flanery and Norman Reedus) who become vigilantes in Boston after they brush up against Russian mobsters. In hot pursuit is an FBI agent (Willem Dafoe) who believes the brothers are part of the same vicious cycle of violence that they wish to rid.
A decade later, in 2009, Flanery and Reedus, alongside original writer-director Troy Duffy, returned for the long-awaited "The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day." The film failed to capture the same allure as the original. "There's a good reason why it's taken Duffy this long to secure funds for a sequel to his D.O.A. meal-ticket," The New York Press (via Rotten Tomatoes) harshly wrote of the sequel. "It was never funny in the first place." Despite the sequel's negative reception, a third entry is already in the works, with "The Boys" star ready to return as a vengeful Bostonian.
He was a key player in Dexter's season finale
Though it has stumbled throughout its run, "Dexter" is remembered as one of the key shows during the so-called Golden Age of Television (via The Atlantic). The series, which first popped up on Showtime in 2006, followed a police forensic analyst who moonlighted as a serial killer who kills other serial killers. The series got increasingly more complex as time went on and eventually wrapped up with Season 8 in 2013 ... only to return for a limited revival series last year titled "Dexter: New Blood."
Sean Patrick Flanery appeared in what was once touted as the show's final season as Jacob Elway, the head of a private investigation company who hires Dexter's (Michael C. Hall) sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) after she departs from the police force. Elway dominated Season 8 as a looming force attempting to capture Hannah (Yvonne Strahovski), a killer and Dexter's love interest. Despite his best efforts, Elway fails, though he remains the final surviving member from the show who knows that Dexter's son Harrison (Jadon Wells) is alive.
Prior to the show's return, a fan theory on Reddit suggested that Flanery would return as Elway to hunt down Dexter. Those who have seen "New Blood" will know that the "The Boys" star didn't pop up, effectively rendering Season 8 as the curtain call for the private investigator.