The Boys Creator Eric Kripke Talks Soldier Boy, Herogasm & More

(Photo by John Lamparski/WireImage via Getty Images)

Following Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys receiving five Emmy nominations on Tuesday, creator and showrunner Eric Kripke opened up about the exciting news, as well as dropping a few tidbits about the upcoming Season 3.

“Amazon definitely put forward a really badass campaign. And in our internal conversations, we would say, ‘You know, if you scratch beneath the surface of the superhero thing, there’s a lot going on here that feels worthy of some recognition,’” Kripke told TheWrap. “But no, I never expected this at all. I mean, at the end of the day, I was really hoping we’d get some technical Emmys, because my team is just doing incredible work. And that’s what I wanted. This would have been a great day if we’d gotten two or three technical Emmys. So then, when this all happened, I just realized that I’m the biggest Emmy nominee cliché.”

The showrunner, who also created The CW’s long-running Supernatural, then talked about working with SPN alum Jensen Ackles again, who is portraying Soldier Boy in the third season which is currently in production in Toronto as the cast and crew film the season’s final two episodes.

“It’s been awesome. I mean, I love the guy so much. And just to have him read my words again is such a treat,” he said. “I mean, on the first day of dailies, I reached out to him. Funny enough, his very first scene as Soldier Boy was taking place in a s—-y motel room. And so he’s in this s—-y motel room reading my words. And I just was like, ‘This is great. This feels like coming home.’ It’s been awesome. The cast loved him. They saw immediately what a good dude and what a really fine actor he is. And really all of our conversations have been about how to make sure that this is not Dean Winchester. How do we give him a look that feels a little different and register of voice and mannerisms? I think he and I are both really interested in creating a different character. So it’s been a blast. I mean, he’s such a good actor. The metaphor I use is he just has a lot of Crayons in his Crayon box and you can really use all of them to do something, I think, really nuanced.”

Kripke also promised that there will be “very subtle” winks to Supernatural throughout Season 3.

“Remember that Phil Sgriccia, a producing director, is a Supernatural veteran as well. So, you know, I would put it as like, there’s certain shots that he and I are doing as kind of winks that we know what’s going on. There may or may not be a trunk shot or two. That kind of thing where it’s like, I don’t think, anything super-overt. Jim Beaver (who played Bobby Singer on Supernatural) and Jensen don’t have any scenes together. So we are trying to figure out a way to make sure that we can have a little bit of connection between them. So it’s like that kind of thing. It’s all very subtle.”

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kripke spoke briefly about the two timelines the character’s story takes place in since he was originally active during World War I when the Supe was the leader of a team known as Payback. The showrunner confirmed that “there are different time periods, but not in the way you would think.”

“Thematically, we really got interested in the history of the country through this one superhero’s eyes. We delve into a little bit of how we got to the spot we’re in. I think we got inspired by this idea that we have to somehow return America to this great thing that it was in the past, and that it was better then. It’s a nostalgic misconception. It’s always been a struggle, and it’s always been conflict. You’re not supposed to look backwards, you’re supposed to look forward. We wanted to get into that, and having a hero who’s moved through the history of the country like Soldier Boy gave us an opportunity.”

The creator also teased a few “crazy” moments fans have to look forward to in the new season, including the highly-anticipated Herogasm episode.

“Beyond even ‘Herogasm,’ I still think the craziest thing we’ve ever done is in Episode 1,” he teased of a moment in the Season 3 premiere. “That said, ‘Herogasm,’ the dailies are bananas. I’ve been around the block a few times. I’m a seasoned producer. Every single day on those dailies, my jaw was on the floor. I just could not believe how insane those dailies were. It’s just crazy. I can tell you that for anybody who is a fan of the comic and is expecting to see Herogasm, we are delivering it. That is happening.”

Kripke also confirmed with Deadline that the upcoming spinoff of The Boys will begin production in 2022, remarking on the show’s “fantastic actors” and how he has to balance jumping between the different writer’s rooms “every day.” He further explained that the new series is “both in the same universe” as the original, but will be entirely different as it explores these new characters.

“It’s a college show, but because it’s a college run by Vought, nothing is what it seems, and there’s an incredible amount of f—-d-up s— happening. But there’s a lot of heart, too,” he said. “At the end of the day, all college shows are coming-of-age shows, so I think it will be surprising, the amount of emotion that is in that story, with all the usual Boys swagger.”