The Boys Is Ending With Season 5, But Jensen Ackles Says The Run Has A Big Impact On The Upcoming Vought Rising Series

Soldier Boy standing next to Homelander in The Boys Season 5
(Image credit: Prime Video)

The superhero genre is wildly popular, but certain projects stand out among the rest. The Boys, which is one of the best Amazon shows to binge watch, is definitely in that category thanks to its R-rated humor and wildly gory action. Those with an Amazon Prime Subscription have been watching its fifth and final season, but the franchise isn't ending there. A prequel Vought Rising is on the way, and Jensen Ackles spoke to CinemaBlend about how his performance as Soldier Boy in Season 5 impacted the forthcoming spinoff.

The Boys Season 5 has been wild so far, including Soldier Boy coming out from ice and becoming a member of The Seven. Fans are curious to see how the flagship series will end, as well as how it'll connect to Vought Rising. In a conversation with CinemaBlend, Ackles spoke about bringing the character back for the fifth season, offering:

I would say, if anything, how Season 5 went and what I was doing with Soldier Boy there largely affected what I ended up having to do in Vought Rising. You know, this was what I was more familiar with, was playing Soldier Boy in current, you know, modern times and playing him with these guys.

It sounds like his impending work on Vought Rising didn't really factor into the Supernatural star's performance in The Boys Season 5. Instead he just focused on bringing Soldier Boy back to life with this new set of circumstances, after being absent since The Boys' Season 3 finale.

Article continues below
Amazon Prime Video: 30-day free trial

Amazon Prime Video: 30-day free trial
An Amazon Prime membership offers so much more than just streaming. Throw in free, fast delivery, Prime Gaming and Reading, as well as exclusive offers. With one of the biggest libraries of on-demand content, watch Amazon Originals like LOTR prequel, The Rings of Power and superhero hit, The Boys. Trial for 30-days, thereafter pay $14.99 a month, or save 22% by paying $139 upfront for the year.

But what about his work on the prequel series? Later in his same conversation with CinemaBlend, Jensen Ackles explained how wrapping up Season 5 actually informed his work in Vought Rising. As he told it:

So it was kind of business as usual for Season 5, just coming back and reprising what I'd done in Season 3. And trying to course-correct on some of the storylines that now all of a sudden I got thrown into. And then that really gave me an even bigger, I would say, jumping off point to then go back in time and see where it all came from. And why Soldier Boy ended up the way he did.

This makes a great deal of sense. While Ackles will bring the end of Soldier Boys' story on The Boys to life, it helped inform his performance in Vought Rising. Much of the Supe's backstory is still a mystery, and it should be fascinating to see get some much-needed content about how he ended up as the brutal antihero we know him as. You can see the actor's comments below:

We've still got a bunch of The Boys episodes left before its series finale, and it feels like just about anything could happen. Homelander's mental health is reaching a new low, and I have to assume a big conflict with his father is coming. That is, as long as he can procure some V-One and achieve immortality.

New episodes of The Boys air Wednesdays on Amazon as part of the 2026 TV schedule. As for Vought Rising, that's not expected until sometime in 2027.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. 

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.