A Pilot For ‘Vought Rising’ Was Just Jammed Into ‘The Boys’

InnovationGamingA Pilot For ‘Vought Rising’ Was Just Jammed Into ‘The Boys’ByPaul Tassi,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. News and opinion about video games, television, movies and the internet.Follow AuthorMay 07, 2026, 10:13am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.BombsightAmazonWhile we’ve had plenty of Vought Rising integration into this final season of The Boys, last night’s episode, otherwise a very solid one, was so overloaded with plugging that prequel show it practically felt like a backdoor pilot.A backdoor pilot is an episode that explores spinoff/new characters as a test for another series, usually by going hard on their storylines. However, Vought Rising already exists and is being positioned as the future of The Boys franchise after the main series ends. And this isn’t happening in some random time period; this is one of three final episodes in the entire series.The entire storyline has now hinged on the lead of Vought Rising, Jensen Ackles Soldier Boy, who ultimately gives Homelander the immortalizing V1 he seeks due to what his old flame, Clara Vought, would have wanted, a relationship that will be a fixture of the new show.We also saw a second big character from Vought Rising introduced, Bombsight, who possessed the V1 to try to give to his own love, Golden Geisha, whom he wanted to live with forever. She wasn’t up for that. We haven’t seen a young Golden Geisha cast in Vought Rising yet, but it stands to reason she’ll be there.Golden GeishaAmazonMORE FOR YOUThis might all be okay if we did not have two hours left in the series, and this feels like a commercial for an entirely new show. I maintain that Soldier Boy has totally taken over this season, pulling focus from both The Boys team and Homelander himself. This crowded space has shoved previously big characters like Starlight and Hughie almost entirely out of...