Jensen Ackles Is Unrecognizable In New Images Of The Boys Season 3's Soldier Boy

With the long-awaited 3rd season of Amazon's hit superhero satire "The Boys" set to arrive late this spring, one of the most anticipated aspects of the upcoming batch of episodes is the inclusion of Jensen Ackles as the character of Soldier Boy. Described as one of the original superheroes in the universe of "The Boys," Soldier Boy is a dark take on a Captain America-style figure, a World War II veteran whose brutal exploits in the theater of battle left him with a hefty body count.

Ackles landed the role thanks to a chance phone call with his former boss, Eric Kripke, who is a showrunner on "The Boys" and previously created the hit paranormal drama "Supernatural," which made Ackles a star in the first place. Kripke has big plans for Soldier Boy in "The Boys" Season 3, and he has spoken about his intention to use the character as a way to explore the darker side of American patriotism. The show has proven time and again that nothing is off-limits, so Ackles fans who got used to seeing him as a hero during his time on "Supernatural" should probably be prepared to see him play a much nastier kind of dude. According to Ackles, Soldier Boy is a "curmudgeon" and a bigoted individual.

While shooting Season 3 of "The Boys," Ackles prepared for the role physically as well as mentally, transforming his body to match the brutality of his character. Now, the actor has revealed the extent of his transformation in a new set of photos, and he looks downright unrecognizable.

In a recent Instagram post, Jensen Ackles showed off the massive beard and equally impressive set of muscles he grew for the role of Soldier Boy on the upcoming 3rd season of "The Boys." In the photos, the former CW star stands shirtless in a kitchen, sporting a shaggy haircut and a luscious mane. The actor is nearly unrecognizable under all that hair, save for his signature smile. It appears that, in addition to the facial hair, the "Supernatural" star was hitting the weight room in preparation for the role. Ackles is showing the kind of seriously swole upper-body definition befitting an A-list Vought hero. The post indicates that the beard was grown for the role and will appear in "The Boys" Season 3. The last photo in the set is the cover of a "Soldier Boy" comic, and the post's caption reads, "Thanks iPhone for reminding me what I looked like a year ago today. All prepped and ready for some #soldierboy action!!! Can't wait for @theboystv S3. It's gonna get hairy."

Over on Twitter, the official "The Boys" profile had some fun with the photos, reposting one of the beard pics and jokingly writing, "S3 is actually the story of how everyone moves deep into the woods to become lumberjacks. Soldier Boy and Butcher exchange beard care tips." How Soldier Boy's appearance will factor into the new season is a question that likely won't answer until it premieres in June, but until then, here's hoping Ackles is willing to spill some tips from his beard grooming routine.