Gen V Season One Fits Perfectly Into The World Of The Boys

Gen V fits in to the world of The Boys perfectly. It is unafraid to dive into blood and gore, as well as political and social issues. It should be noted this review is based solely on the first six episode of Gen V season one.

Creating a spin off series of one of the most well loved series by fans has to come with incredible pressure. Gen V pulls it off, however. Set in the world of The Boys, Gen V follows students of Godolkin University as they discover dark secrets the school is hiding, which should come as no surprise since anything relating to Vought is not to be trusted. 

Gen V works incredibly well because it tells its own story, while allowing it to overlap here and there with events from The Boys. This means cameos do happen, and each time they are fantastic. It never feels as if they are shoved in there just for fan service. They suit the story. They make sense. And they will have fans over the moon with excitement.

Note: This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Gen V would not exist without the labor of the writers and actors in both unions.

This series introduces a lot of new and intriguing characters to the world of The Boys. We are treated to many new powers that were created by the Compound V that parents injected into their children. From being able to control blood, shrink or grow, and control metal — each and every one is fun to watch, especially when it is used in the heat of a fight.

This story takes place pretty much around the same time that The Boys season 3 ended. This is made evident by mention of things such as Queen Maeve’s death and Homelander’s trial. It is also clear that these children know about Compound V and that their parents are the ones responsible for it.

The Boys has never been afraid to tackle political and social issues. In fact, it dives in head first when it comes to shining a light on the problems with our country. Gen V is no different. In this series, one of the powers is a person who can change between male and female (each seem to have different powers too, which makes for some quick decision making during fights and is brilliant writing). 

The thing is, their parents, in particular father, is very stuck on them being male, and does not support them at all. Well, not when they are female anyways. The pronouns they/them are used, and it is eve brought up by Vought how certain demographics are not a fan of this hero. Another smart way to shine a light on issues that are plaguing our country, and hopefully one that is done in a way that will have those who are hung up on this too, realize their faults.

The series itself doesn’t waste any time getting bloody and intense, which should come as no surprise to those who are know and love The Boys. These moments are not few and far between, either. Much like with the series Gen V spins off of, it is not afraid to push things right to the edge of the line, and sometimes even cross it. 

This is what helps to solidify this as easily recognizable as a spinoff of The Boys, but it has enough unique elements to make it its own thing. These kids are in school together, a school for those with powers, making it reminiscent of things like My Hero Academia and Sky High, but clearly much more on the violent and crazy side.

Series can be hard to pull off when you have a lot of characters, but Gen V does this well. Not only is the ensemble cast truly perfect, with not one standing out as the best or the worst, the writing is smart and brilliant. There are shocking and surprising twists that keeps things entertaining and viewers on their toes. 

The character development flows seamlessly through the episodes, as does the plot development. Just when you think you know exactly what is going on, you are shown that you really don’t have any idea.

As noted above, this review is based solely on the first six of the eight episode Gen V season one. Things could fall apart at the end, but we highly doubt that. This series fits perfectly into the world of The Boys and rivals it in terms of pure insanity, bloody fights, and shocking reveals. The characters are just as lovable and of course, fans will be thrilled over the fun cameos that find their way into the show. 

This feels like just the beginning and we cannot wait to see how future seasons of Gen V and The Boys work together to expose Vought International.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

NEXT: The Boys Herogasm Episode Was A Nightmare To Film, Says Eric Kripke

About Gen V

Set in the diabolical world of The Boys, Gen V expands the universe to Godolkin University, the prestigious superhero-only college where students train to be the next generation of heroes—preferably with lucrative endorsements.

You know what happens when supes go bad, but not all superheroes start out corrupt. Beyond the typical college chaos of finding oneself and partying, these kids are facing explosive situations … literally.

As the students vie for popularity and good grades, it’s clear that the stakes are much higher when super powers are involved. When the group of young supes discover that something bigger and sinister is going on at school, they’re put to the test: Will they be the heroes or the villains of their stories?

Gen V Season One will premiere three episodes on Friday, September 29,
followed by weekly episodes, leading up to the epic season finale on Friday, November 3.
All on Prime Video.