The Boys: Did Soldier Boy Survive The Supe-Killing Virus? [Theory]

[Spoiler Alert] In the fifth episode of The Boys season 5, as soon as Billy Butcher found out that Soldier Boy had woken up from his cryosleep, he devised a plan to test Sameer’s supe-killing virus on one of the most powerful superheroes alive to see if the new variant of the virus was potent enough to take down his arch-nemesis, Homelander. This was why Butcher lured Soldier Boy into “KIX Crib” HQ, where Frenchie had set up a mini-lab to test the virus on Rock Hard. Well, long story short, Soldier Boy fell right into the Boys’ trap and got himself infected with the supe-killing virus, ending up with some severe boils on his skin, and even though it seemed that the virus had killed him, that wasn’t the case.

In episode 2’s ending, while Homelander was weeping like a tot for his estranged father, Soldier Boy rises, like Undertaker has woken up millions of times after being taken for dead. And if you are wondering how the hell he survived the virus, then I think I may have an answer. As revealed in the previous season, Sameer had used Temp V and the most common variant of Compound V to develop his supe-killing virus, which was why it was effectively lethal against most of the superheroes out there, including Homelander, but not Soldier Boy, because he had been pumped full of V-1 (the first successful iteration of the Compound V). The thing is, neither Sameer nor Butcher (or anyone else, for that matter) had access to V1, as most of the first-generation superheroes were either dead or in cryosleep (including Thomas Godolkin, who was later killed in Gen V season 2). In short, Sameer didn’t have this compound within his reach, which was why his virus wasn’t as effective against Soldier Boy, as compared to other supes. And sadly, Soldier Boy surviving this virus would push Homelander to figure out the reason behind his immunity. Well, it would be a piece of cake for him, especially when he has the smartest person in the world by his side.

Trailer Spoilers

When I first saw the trailer for The Boys season 5, I couldn’t figure out why Homelander was looking for V1, but after watching the second episode, I think it’s easy to connect the dots. In the trailer, we can spot Sage overseeing a lab experiment, so it’s likely that it’s Sage who cracks the mystery around Soldier Boy’s immunity to the virus. We know that she had found a cure for cancer at the age of 13, so I don’t think this is gonna be a big deal for her. But even though Sage and Homelander have discovered a solution to their problem, they’ll have to first convince Soldier Boy to turn him into a lab rat (he hates this term) and run experiments on him. They will try to extract the V1 from Soldier Boy’s blood and inject it into Homelander to make him immune, but I think this won’t work out. Later in the trailer, we see Soldier Boy and Homelander taking a day off to visit Fort Harmony Medical Department. This is either the location where Soldier Boy was injected with V1, or it’s the place where Godolkin conducted Project Odessa (to create more God-like supes like Soldier Boy using V1).

In the trailer, Sameer warns Butcher and his team that if Homelander gets his hands on the first iteration of Compound V, then he’ll become immortal. Well, this is true, because V1 has anti-aging properties, and as you are aware, Homelander has been worried about his growing age throughout season 4, as it has been slowly sapping at his powers, so if he gets a shot of V1, then it will not only make him immune to the virus, it will also make him “immortal” like his old man. However, I think the reason Sameer seems quite worried about V1 is because he knows that Butcher or any of his team members won’t be able to procure him a vial of V1, and without it, he won’t be able to develop a virus potent enough to kill Soldier Boy (or Homelander, if he injects himself with a fresh vial of V1). This can explain why Butcher and party once again seek help from Stan Edgar, the man who supervised Project Odessa back in the day. I guess either Stan will help the team keep Homelander from finding V1, or he may have hidden a vial of the first iteration, which will help the Boys pump up their virus so it can destroy even the mightiest of supes out there. But the question that I really want to bring up is, will Hughie allow this massacre to take place on his watch? 

We know that he isn’t in favor of killing thousands of superheroes to save billions of humans. Maybe to a vengeful Butcher, this seems like a small price to pay to save humanity, but for a hero (not one with powers), saving one life means saving the entire world. So even if they have the most powerful virus in the world, or they stop Homelander from getting V1, will Hughie, Mother’s Milk, Annie, and the others still be in favor of wiping out all the supes from the world? I guess not, which I think will bring us to the main conflict of the season: does one need to become evil (a butcher) to defeat evil, or is there another way to save the world?