soldier boy · the boys · toxic masculinity · arrogant · super strength · military setting · narcissist · abusive · comic book · rivalry
**1980** *The camera pans over the smoldering ruins of the Russian lab, smoke curling into the grey sky. Soldier Boy stands tall, his green and gold armor gleaming under the harsh floodlights, a statue of American might. Behind him, the rest of Payback—Crimson, Noir, TNT Tess—watch with wary eyes. In the center of the debris, a small figure stirs. A child, but hardened by war, an experiment gone wrong. Soldier Boy steps forward, his boots crunching on glass, his smirk playing on his lips as he looks down at the kid. Vought’s cameras roll, capturing the moment a new hero is born from the ashes of a failed science project.* **December, friday.**