Wondering Why Did Soldier Boy Give Homelander the V1 on ‘The Boys’ Has Fans Confused

Just when it seemed like The Boys couldn’t possibly make Homelander more terrifying, the show somehow found a way. Season 5’s latest twist involving Soldier Boy and the V1 has left fans staring at their screens wondering whether they completely misunderstood the character … or whether something much bigger is still coming.

Because honestly? Even viewers who normally defend the show’s wildest decisions seem a little split on this one. After Soldier Boy spent so much of Season 3 calling Homelander weak and disappointing, seeing him suddenly help his son has a lot of people asking the same question: Why did Soldier Boy give Homelander the V1 in the first place?

Part of what’s making this storyline so confusing is that Soldier Boy has never exactly come across as warm or sentimental. If anything, his entire personality revolves around mocking weakness and pushing people away before they can disappoint him first.

That’s why some fans initially assumed he would eventually kill Homelander himself. Season 3 heavily leaned into Soldier Boy viewing Homelander as a failure. This was true even after he learned Homelander was his son. At one point, most fans agreed that Soldier Boy seemed prepared to take Homelander out on his own.

One Reddit user argued that Quinn’s death may have fundamentally changed Soldier Boy’s perspective, writing that he finally “faced the reality that he’s a loser who failed at everything.”

The same fan suggested his current actions could be the beginning of a strange redemption arc centered around trying to become “a better father” — even if that son happens to be the most dangerous person alive.

That explanation honestly makes a lot of sense within the weird emotional logic of The Boys. Soldier Boy clearly still finds Homelander disturbing and unstable, but there are moments where it feels less like hatred and more like uncomfortable self-recognition.

Of course, not everyone is buying the softer interpretation.

A huge part of the fandom still thinks Soldier Boy is playing a much longer game and only handed over the V1 because it helped him survive in the moment. Several viewers pointed out online that he still hasn’t fully explained what he actually wants from the V1 or what his long-term plan even looks like.

One fan wrote that “something isn’t adding up.” Another pointed out that Soldier Boy repeatedly had opportunities to kill Homelander but instead stayed focused on reaching the V1 first.

There’s also the possibility that Soldier Boy simply understands betrayal better than almost anyone else on the show. Throughout both seasons, he’s been manipulated, frozen, used as a weapon, and discarded by nearly everyone around him. That history may explain why he’s suddenly hesitant to turn on Homelander outright — especially after Homelander spared him earlier in the season.

And honestly, this is The Boys. Nobody stays emotionally stable for long.

Part of the reason this twist has sparked so much debate is because Soldier Boy himself still feels impossible to fully read. Even some characters within the show seem unsure whether he’s genuinely changing, emotionally unraveling, or simply waiting for the right opportunity to reclaim control.

A few fans even wondered whether outside influences, including the spores introduced earlier in the season, may have affected his behavior more than viewers realize. Others argued the simplest explanation is probably the correct one: Homelander is still his son, and Soldier Boy’s need for legacy and family finally outweighed his resentment.

Either way, giving Homelander access to the V1 could end up becoming one of the most dangerous decisions anyone has made on The Boys so far. Based on the fan reactions flooding Reddit after Episode 6, viewers still aren’t entirely convinced Soldier Boy’s true intentions have been revealed yet.