See Jensen Ackles Parody Supernatural On The Boys
He doesn't forget where he came from.
CW darling Jensen Ackles has appeared in so many CW/WB projects that it has almost become expected that he show up with each new show. From playing a villain on the Superman origin series, Smallville, to voicing Jason Todd and Bruce Wayne in assorted WB animated DC projects, Ackles is definitely a favorite among fans. However, his most significant and most adored role by CW fans is the fierce hunter of the unnatural, Dean Winchester. He served as one-half of the Winchester brothers for 327 episodes on the long-running CW hit, Supernatural. Recently, Ackles made the jump from the CW to Amazon when he appeared in Season 3 of The Boys as Soldier Boy. However, if you thought he had left Dean in the rearview, you were probably surprised and delighted when The Boys provided a glorious call back to his most famous role.
On the official Instagram page for The Boys, the series posted a picture of Season 3’s main trinity of protagonists, Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), and Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), standing in front of an open trunk. The post reads, “There is a Winchester in that trunk but it ain’t the kind you’re thinkin’.” Of course, this is a callback in multiple ways. First of all, there is the obvious use of Winchester, which is the name of the character that Ackles played along with his co-star Jared Padelecki, who played his brother Sam for all 15 seasons. You can see the post yourself below.
Now for the more meta-reference. Saying there is a Winchester in the trunk of the car is a call back to the 1967 Chevrolet Impala the Winchester boys drove around in for 15 years. While it is one of the more famous cars on TV (up there with Night Rider‘s Kitt and The Duke’s General Lee), it also had a personality of its own. It served as transportation and a setting for many scenes and conversations, along with an arsenal. In the trunk of Jensen Ackles’ Impala rested every weapon they could have needed to fend off all manner of supernatural beings and monsters who threatened humanity.
This post may have had ulterior motives as well. The Boys showrunner, Eric Kripke, revealed (per Comic Book Resource) that he previously wanted the other half of the Winchesters to appear alongside Jensen Ackles. He spoke about how he would put Jared Padalecki on the show in a heartbeat. Still, the actor was clearly too busy managing his farmhouse in Texas and filming Season 3 of his reboot series, Walker, Texas Ranger. Could this post have served as a way to show Padalecki the kind of fun they are having on set to entice him away from Texas for a reunion with his former Supernatural co-star?
Kripke has a backup plan for a reunion, though. Even if Padalecki is too busy to appear, there is a third Winchester who may be interested. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the patriarchal Winchester, is apparently a massive fan of The Boys and has been in talks with Kripke for an appearance. Does Soldier Boy have a complicated history with his father? If so, we are ready for another father-son moment between Morgan and Jensen Ackles.
