Soldier Boy's Big Reveal In The Boys Season 3 Episode 7 Is An Absolute Jaw-Dropper

Contains spoilers for "The Boys" Season 3 Episode 7

"The Boys" is anything but a straightforward superhero show, so it's only natural that even its most clear-cut plotline becomes something completely different as the season nears its end. The overarching plot of "The Boys" Season 3 involves Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), the incredibly powerful Supe who was Vought's flagship hero before Homelander (Antony Starr) came along. Soldier Boy was betrayed by his team in the 1980s, and has been spending his days as a test subject in a Russian laboratory before the Boys find him and, after a false start that depowers Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), form an uneasy alliance. 

The idea is to unleash the old Supe against Homelander by agreeing to help him find his old teammates in order to reap some bad, old-fashioned vengeance. The plan more or less works, and while the pair's first face-off in the end of Episode 6 proves that Soldier Boy can't do the job alone, Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and Hughie (Jack Quaid) join the fight, and the trio almost manages to defeat the leader of the Seven. 

Episode 7, however, changes everything. As Homelander nurses the physical and mental bruises from the fight and contemplates his legacy, he gets a surprise call from Soldier Boy, who reveals a jaw-dropping secret. Let's take a closer look at what this means.

Homelander, meet your father. Soldier Boy found out that he's Homelander's father from the dying Mindstorm (Ryan Blakely), and Episode 7 ends when he shares the information with his son. Both Supes have openly struggled with their lack of family, so it seems obvious that the pair will team up — and considering their power level, there's little the Boys or anyone else can do to stop them.

The "I am your father" trope is a time-tested jaw-dropper from "Star Wars" to "The Devil's Advocate," but "The Boys" manages to take things to the next level by pulling it between two clearly villainous characters. While the revelation is truly surprising when it comes, it's actually perfectly reasonable and even obvious in hindsight. Homelander, after all, is the product of a long scientific process, and it makes perfect sense that Vought would use their most powerful existing Supe to create an even more powerful one. 

Of course, there's always the off chance that Soldier Boy is just pulling Homelander's leg. Whatever else the old Supe may be, he's proved to be a decent soldier — and since he now knows that he can't take Homelander in a one-on-one battle, it's always possible that he's trying to get his "son" to lower his guard long enough for Soldier Boy to charge up his depowering explosion attack. Since this is "The Boys," it's anyone's guess where the Season 3 finale will take this budding father-son relationship, but the trip will likely be extremely entertaining.