Simply put, Soldier Boy is not stronger than Homelander in The Boys, at least not in a straight head-to-head clash, or in terms of brute strength.
Jensen Ackles brilliantly brought Soldier Boy to life in the critically-acclaimed Amazon Prime Video series. The character, a twisted parody of Captain America and the Winter Soldier, is considered the original superhero in the show’s mythos. Being one of the first recipients of Compound V, the chemical which gives supes their abilities in the series, Soldier Boy became incredibly strong and super durable, essentially, y’know, a super soldier.
However, The Boys season 3 displayed that Soldier Boy is not quite as strong as Homelander. When he’s first being discussed by Billy Butcher and Maeve, even the former calls him “almost” as strong as Vought’s flagship jackass.
While Soldier Boy was able to withstand attacks from Homelander, it’s been shown that the Star-Spangled nightmare is still in a league of his own when it comes to brute strength. After all, in their first fight, Soldier Boy was about to be choked out until Butcher intervened. It subsequently took both of them and a super-charged Hughie to hold Homelander down. (In that scene, Antony Starr’s menacing growl was simply legendary.)
Soldier Boy also doesn’t have Homelander’s ability to fly. So, in terms of simply being “stronger,” this puts the old-timer at a serious disadvantage. However, none of this means that Soldier Boy still can’t win in a fight with Vought’s biggest man-child. In fact, the argument can be made that Soldier Boy is still a far superior fighter, despite not being as strong.
How is Homelander stronger than Soldier Boy?
All in all, the show did a terrific job in portraying just how much of a threat Soldier Boy was to Homelander without completely putting one over the other. This just raises the stakes for Butcher and the boys come next season; they might have lost the one person who could truly bring down Homelander. One advantage that Soldier Boy clearly had in The Boys, however, was his superior tactical mind.
Soldier Boy’s powers are far more limited than Homelander’s. The latter can fly, shoot laser beams out of his eyes; while Soldier Boy is an awful reflection of Captain America, Homelander is a homegrown Superman without Ma and Pa Kent. (It’s also kind of funny to remember that Soldier Boy needed a plane to get back to America when his “son” can just pop in the sky whenever he wants.)
After his imprisonment in Russia and going through countless forced experimentations, Soldier Boy gained the ability of generating terrifying energy blasts. These attacks were already dangerous due to their sheer force. Just look at what happened in New York when Soldier Boy blacked out. However, they can also strip a supe of their powers completely. That makes Soldier Boy ten times more dangerous.
On a more pragmatic level, Soldier Boy is a much better tactician than Homelander. This was seen in their famous “Herogasm” battle. Homelander swung wildly at his dear, dear father. Meanwhile, Soldier Boy was aiming for well-placed body shots. The original hero also made Homelander pay for wearing a cape. Can’t believe Vought hasn’t heeded Edna Mode’s advice: “No capes!”
Overall, The Boys portrayed Soldier Boy as the better fighter. In a prolonged one-on-one encounter, he could have a serious chance against Homelander, especially if the opportunity arises to use his energy blasts.
However, it’s difficult to imagine Homelander just waiting for Soldier Boy to power up. It’s important to note each time the latter tried to use his energy abilities against Homelander he had help. Also, let’s not forget that Soldier Boy seems to have his own kryptonite. Novichok has tuckered him out several times. If Homelander knows about this, and has the critical thinking — which is a big ask — to employ this weakness, then he could simply fly superfast and blitz his old man with the gas like Payback did, albeit with far greater ease and success.