Iceman heats up: X-Men's Shawn Ashmore will play Lamplighter in Season 2 of The Boys

Season 2 of The Boys is going to be extra spicy with the addition of X-Men's Shawn Ashmore. Amazon confirmed today that the Iceman actor will (ironically) be taking up the post of flame-powered Lamplighter, a character that was mentioned several times — but never physically introduced — last season. A former member of the Seven, he's a flawed Human Torch archetype whose fiery abilities led to the tragic deaths of Mallory's grandchildren and initial break-up of the Boys.

"When he enters their lives again, he dredges up painful memories, pokes at their raw nerves, and changes everything," reads the official announcement. Fans might recall that Lamplighter's vacancy in the Seven is what opened the door for Annie/Starlight (Erin Moriarty) to join the team of pretentious Supes in the first place. Ashmore's casting is a fun little wink to the audience that perfectly fits into the subversive DNA of The Boys.

“I watched the show before I was cast, so I sort of knew [Lamplighter] and I was wondering about this character," Ashmore said in a statement to a select few outlets. "What was fun for me stepping in is that a lot of the mythology and the backstories are already built, and I was asking myself: 'Who is this character? What is this character?' There's going to be a preconceived notion of who this character is based on his actions, based on how people talk about him. What the show does well with everybody, including Lamplighter, is peel some of those layers back."

"We were thrilled that Shawn — who is, let’s be honest, an OG superhero — wanted to play the crucial part of Lamplighter," added showrunner and executive producer Eric Kripke. "He brings so much depth, menace, and world weary humanity to this former member of the Seven. And Shawn is a really good guy. We’re grateful to have him join our bloody little family."

Here's your first look:

Credit: Prime Video

Ashmore is just one of the newcomers joining the ultra-violent and swear-filled world of the show based on the comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. Aya Cash ("Stormfront"), Goran Višnjić ("Alistair Adana"), Claudia Doumit ("Victoria Neuma"), Cameron Crovetti, PJ Byrne, and Patton Oswalt will also be popping up this season as supporting players. Giancarlo Esposito, who briefly appeared as Vought CEO Stan Edgar in the Season 1 finale, has been upped to a regular.

As for the main lineup, Karl Urban ("Billy Butcher"), Jack Quaid ("Hughie Campbell"), Laz Alonso ("Mother's Milk"), Tomer Capon ("Frenchie"), and Karen Fukuhara ("Kimiko") return to play the Supe-busting team that gives the project its name. Antony Starr ("Homelander"), Chace Crawford ("The Deep"), Jessie T. Usher ("A-Train"), Dominique McElligott ("Queen Maeve"), Nathan Mitchell ("Black Noir") reprise their roles as sadistic and self-absorbed members of the Seven.

Shantel VanSanten ("Becca Butcher") Malcolm Barrett ("Seth Reed"), Colby Minifie ("Ashley Barrett"), and Laila Robins ("Grace Mallory") round out the super ensemble.

The first three episodes of The Boys Season 2 drop on Amazon Prime Friday, Sep. 4. After that, the remaining five installments will premiere on a weekly basis. In addition, Aiysha Tyler (Archer) is set to host a special aftershow, Prime Rewind: Inside The Boys, that kicks off Friday, Aug. 28 with a recap of the first season. From there, Tyler's deep dive series will explore new episodes, all the way through to the Season 2 finale on Friday, Oct. 9. A third season was confirmed at Comic-Con@Home.