The Boys Creator Finally Puts Fans’ Biggest Stormfront Fear to Rest in Vought Rising
Vought Rising rewinds The Boys to the first generation of supes, putting Stormfront and Soldier Boy front and center — and creator Eric Kripke vows the prequel will expose, not excuse, their evil, bucking Hollywood’s villain-rehab trend.
If you thought “The Boys” just couldn’t get more delightfully unhinged, think again. Now there’s a prequel series spinning out of Prime Video’s bonkers superhero universe, called “Vought Rising.” This one’s rewinding the timeline to zero in on the franchise’s earliest crop of so-called “supes”—we’re talking Stormfront, Soldier Boy, the whole rotten founding crew. But before you roll your eyes and brace for a tedious attempt to redeem literal Nazis (because let’s face it, a lot of franchises just can’t help themselves lately), showrunner Eric Kripke wants to set something very clear from the jump.
No Apologies, No Sympathies for Stormfront
Kripke’s already on record about his absolutely zero interest in making Stormfront (played by Aya Cash) seem misunderstood or victimized in any way. The quote is blunt, and honestly, a little refreshing to see in an era obsessed with villain redemption arcs:
'In no way will I ever ask the audience to sympathize with Stormfront. She’s a Nazi, and she sucks.'
Just in case you missed the subtext: there won’t be a sneaky rewrite painting her as “misguided”—Stormfront is still 100% pure evil. I’d call that a relief.
Wait, Wasn’t There Something Weird With Soldier Boy?
Fans started raising eyebrows after a “The Boys” Season 5 episode hinted at some, uh, potentially romantic history between Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) and Stormfront. Would the new series start twisting itself in narrative knots to explain all that away? Kripke, ever the master of the not-quite-spoiler, says nope—what “Vought Rising” actually plans to dig into is Soldier Boy’s feelings for someone else entirely, a character named Clara (also known as Bombsight). Turns out, there’s a pretty tangled web between Soldier Boy, Bombsight, and their mutual bitterness that the prequel is itching to unravel. So, yes, there will be complicated relationships—but they’re not in the business of making Nazis relatable.
Do I Need to Have Watched “The Boys”?
Maybe you’re behind on your antihero media diet, or just not interested in wading through four (soon to be five) seasons of “The Boys.” Good news: Kripke says you can jump in cold with “Vought Rising.” According to recent focus group testing, people with zero “The Boys” knowledge still managed to enjoy the prequel. Sure, there’ll be the occasional callback and a few Easter eggs tossed in for true diehards, but Kripke’s goal is a show that stands firmly on its own two feet. No homework required.
The Essential Takeaways
- “Vought Rising” goes back to the start of the superhero experiment, before Vought’s modern chaos.
- Stormfront is as unredeemable as ever—don’t expect the show to make you root for her.
- The real emotional drama involves Soldier Boy and Bombsight, not some forced Stormfront rewrite.
- You can watch “Vought Rising” with or without ever seeing “The Boys”—it’s designed to play for everyone.
So, if you’re ready for more deranged corporate superhero plotting (minus any attempts to excuse literal Nazi behavior), “Vought Rising” just might be your next binge.