While Homelander may be the name that jumps to mind when first version of Soldier Boy was the one who inspired Gregory Mallory to begin the organization, recruit Butcher, and set out on a mission to stop Vought-America's Supes from getting out of control.
Already retired when the series begins, Greg Mallory was formerly the leader of the Boys before the murder of his grandchildren by the Lamplighter led him to abandon his mission and disband the team. It was Mallory who used his CIA s to secure a budget and mission statement for the team, as well as to access a supply of Compound V to make the Boys capable of going head-to-head with Supes. Mallory re-enters The Boys sometime later, warning Hughie Campbell about the sort of man Butcher really is, as well as filling him in on the secret history of the Boys - a history that begins with Soldier Boy.
In The Boys #53 - by Garth Ennis, John McCrea and Keith Burns - Mallory lays out his personal history to Hughie, beginning with his service in WWII. There, Mallory is informed that due to political convenience, the superhero team of 'Soldier Boy and the Avenging Squad' have officially been attached to his battalion. Mallory is unimpressed with their powers and lack of discipline, and almost loses his life when unauthorized reconnaissance organized by Soldier Boy gives away their position, leading to the slaughter of Mallory's men and the original Soldier Boy's team. Soldier Boy actually survives the massacre, despite being gravely wounded, but Mallory is so outraged at the consequences of his actions, he murders the 'hero' with a grenade.
Once Mallory returns to America, he remains outraged by Vought's use of Supes in war and the normal men they got killed. ing up with the CIA, Mallory gradually makes the s to form the Boys, committing himself to making sure that superhumans never again become a part of warfare. This is due both to the disastrous consequences in WWII and a desire to see Vought fail in the mission that meant so many of his men never returned home. Throughout the long years of forming the Boys, it's Soldier Boy who keeps Mallory motivated. In a pastiche of Captain America's time in the ice, Vought keeps creating new versions of Soldier Boy, claiming they're the never-aging original. Mallory watches this process from afar, understanding that while they may not say it, Vought's long-term plan is to turn Supes into lucrative weapons of war, with Soldier Boy's constant presence signifying this dastardly long game.
While Homelander is the Supe who finally led a short-lived superhuman revolt, and Black Noir is the sickening killer who brought him down, Soldier Boy is the only reason there's a specific, dedicated force acting against them both. Without Soldier Boy's disastrous WWII service, Mallory would have never created the Boys, recruited and trained Butcher, or left Hughie the resources to prevent his mentor's massacre of anyone with Compound V in their system.
