Jensen Ackles says Vought Rising won’t change The Boys playbook

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Published Apr 1, 2026, 11:31 AM EDT

“They really created such an incredible world”

The Boys kicks off its fifth and final season on April 8, but fans won’t have to say a final goodbye to some of the series' most twisted superheroes. The prequel spinoff Vought Rising brings together season 2's villain, the immortal Nazi Stormfront (Aya Cash); and Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), a dark spin on Captain America who first appeared in The Boys season 3 and has a major role in season 5. The prequel series is set in the 1950s and explores the origins of the Vought Corporation and its program to create superheroes like Soldier Boy.

During a virtual junket ahead of The Boys season 5 premiere, Ackles gave Polygon a taste of what’s in store.

“It was really fun to deep dive into his past and see where it all came from and really flesh that out a bit,” Ackles said. “We didn't change the playbook. These guys with The Boys created such an incredible world and an amazing roadmap. We're not looking to recreate it. We're looking to capitalize on it and to continue it.”

Soldier Boy holding a rocket launcher with another supe backing him up; Soldier Boy is looking sideways towards the camera

Stormfront spent a lot of time in season 2 trying to manipulate The Boys’ primary villain Homelander (Antony Starr). In season 5, Homelander is teaming up with Soldier Boy, who is his biological father. So while Starr won't appear on the show since his character doesn't exist in this era, he's excited to see his two co-stars onscreen.

“I'm going to plug [Vought Rising] for one second because two of my favorite people, this guy and Aya Cash, are leading it and I’d watch the pair of them read the phone book,” Starr said. “But I've heard from a bunch of people that it's going to be great.”

Starr said he and Ackles enjoyed working together on set to craft a messed-up family dynamic between their characters in season 5.

“We both turn up and have our shit pretty locked down to the point that we can be free in the moment, so that we can fire shots at each other and keep up,” Starr said. “It can be really spontaneous and it feels very improvisational even if it's scripted because what's going on in and around the text is always alive and shifting. When you get someone that wants to try and build and work and craft in the same way that you want to, you make the most of it.”

A premiere date for Vought Rising hasn’t been announced yet, but Ackles told Deadline that the plan is for the show to run for multiple seasons. Polygon also spoke to The Boys creator and showrunner Eric Kripke, who didn’t have any updates on the possibility of a third season for the YA spinoff Gen V. The animated anthology show The Boys: Diabolical concluded after one season, though showrunner Simon Racioppa told Polygon he has ideas for more stories set in the series’ world.

The first two episodes of The Boys season 5 will premiere on Prime Video on April 8. New episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays through May 20.

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