The Boys Universe Timeline Explained: Where Does Vought Rising Fit?

The Boys ended its run earlier this week with Butcher’s war against the supes finally concluded, but Eric Kripke and Prime Video aren’t done with the world they built, for Vought Rising is coming. It is currently in post-production and due in 2027, and is a prequel set in the 1950s. It stars Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy and Aya Cash as Stormfront. It is a twisted murder mystery, per Kripke’s own description at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 (via The Verge), about how Vought became, well, Vought. 

In a franchise centered around superheroes being more of a marketing tool than a virtuous endeavor, taking it back to its roots has an undeniable appeal. Here’s where it all fits.

But first, here is all we know about Vought Rising in a nutshell:

Field	Details
Title	Vought Rising
Platform	Prime Video
Premiere Date	2027 (exact date TBC)
Showrunner	Paul Grellong
Lead Cast	Jensen Ackles (Soldier Boy) and Aya Cash (Clara Vought/Stormfront)
Plot	A twisted murder mystery set in 1950s New York City exploring the dark origins of Vought International — how superpowered assets were shifted from the battlefield to the walk of fame, and the early exploits of Soldier Boy and Clara Vought, the woman who would eventually become Stormfront.

The 1950s Setting: Vought Before the Seven

The show is set in New York City. Specifically, the 1950s version of it, all Red Scare paranoia and postwar boom. Vought-American was incorporated officially in 1950. But, at this stage in the story, it is still mainly a defense and research company (rather than a Marvel-like entertainment conglomerate, it becomes in the end). The Seven don’t exist yet. The branding, the streaming service, the movie studio, the superhero movies… none of it. 

Instead, the story features Compound V (and presumably V-One) as well as a handful of unstable superheroes. The name of the first episode is “Red Scare.” It can be interpreted in two ways: either as an indication of the setting or as a thesis statement. The term ‘Red Scare’ refers to the widespread panic in the US about communist infiltration.

Vought’s Origins: Nazi Science to Corporate Empire

The founding mythology of Vought, laid out across The Boys, is one of the show’s more pointed pieces of work. Frederick Vought, we learnt, was a Nazi scientist appointed by Hitler as chief physician at Dachau in 1939. It was there that he developed Compound V through experiments on prisoners. 

His first successful subject was his own wife, Clara. She would eventually become Stormfront and fight The Boys. By 1944, Frederick realized Germany was losing World War II. So, he defected to the Allies. He made his way to the United States, and he received a presidential pardon from the then-Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

Vought-American was founded as a corporation in 1950 as a pharmaceutical manufacturer and defense contractor. The whole satirical machinery of the series depends on this origin story of American superheroes: a story about how the entire history of superheroes has been created out of literally laundering Nazi science. 

Soldier Boy and Stormfront: Who They Are Before We Meet Them

Jensen Ackles returns as Soldier Boy — here going simply by Ben — and the first trailer for Vought Rising shows him clean-shaven, younger, in a new green-and-gold suit, still reaching for something. “I want to fight for the flag, I want to be a hero,” he says.

In The Boys, Soldier Boy is a relic and a weapon. His mythology long since swallowed the person. In the show, the character hasn’t yet spent decades as the undisputed top dog. The experiences that shaped his worst tendencies are finally being put on screen. 

Aya Cash returns as Clara Vought. Her sinister smile is already fully operational. As mentioned above, she was Frederick’s wife and his first successful Compound V subject. She is the founding product of Vought and the original proof of concept.

How Vought Rising Connects to The Boys‘ Main Timeline

It’s not plot-based continuity that ties Vought Rising to The Boys (which concluded its five-season run with a divisive finale), but rather architecture; these are the choices that underlie all that follows in the years to come. Homelander exists because of Soldier Boy’s DNA. The Seven exists because of the model being tested in this decade.

The very specific brand of fascism explored in The Boys over five seasons of its existence has its seeds in this exact moment. Vought Rising is the origin story of the entire machine. 

Watch the trailer for Vought Rising below:

The following are answers to a few questions you may have about Vought Rising:

Already deep in The Boys universe or just getting started? Tell us what you think about Vought Rising in the comments below.

Vought Rising will premiere sometime in 2027 (exact release date is yet to be announced).