Also known as The Boys: Gen V
Genre Black comedy, Drama, Superhero
Based on The Boys Volume 4: “We Gotta Go Now” by Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson
Developed by Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg, Eric Kripke
Starring
Jaz Sinclair as Marie Moreau – has telekinetic control over blood (Jaeda LeBlanc portrays a young Marie)
Chance Perdomo as Andre Anderson – has magnetic powers
Lizze Broadway as Emma Meyer / Little Cricket – can shrink (or expand) using bulimia
Maddie Phillips as Cate Dunlap – can take control of a mind through touch (Violet Marino portrays a young Cate)
London Thor and Derek Luh as Jordan Li, a supe gender-shifter. She fires energy blasts. He is strong and tireless.
Asa Germann as Samuel “Sam” Riordan, Super fast, super strong.(Cameron Nicoll portrays a young Sam)
Shelley Conn as Indira Shetty – can expel students of God U
Recurring
Patrick Schwarzenegger as Luke Riordan / Golden Boy – fire bender
Curtis Legault and Nicholas Hamilton as Maverick – invisibility
Maia Jae Bastidas as Justine Garcia
Daniel Beirne as Social Media Jeff
Sean Patrick Thomas as Polarity
Alexander Calvert as Rufus
Marco Pigossi as Dr. Edison Cardosa
Robert Bazzocchi as Liam
Jessica Clement as Harper,
Matthew Edison as Cameron Coleman
Composers Matt Bowen & Christopher Lennertz
Executive producers Craig Rosenberg, Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Ori Marmur, Pavun Shetty, Ken Levin, Jason Netter, Michaela Starr, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Michele Fazekas, Tara Butters, Sarah Carbiener, Erica Rosbe, Aisha Porter-Christie, Judalina Neira, Zak Schwartz
Production locations Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Running time 39–59 minutes
Production companies Fazekas & Butters, Kripke Enterprises, Point Grey Pictures, Original Film, Kickstart Entertainment, KFL Nightsky Productions, Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures Television Studios
About 15 minutes into the first episode of Gen V, I found myself wondering if I had fallen into a teen comedy, the 5,000th iteration of Animal House, perhaps. It had mean girls, heartless jocks, befuddled school administrators, and no sign of any actual classes at this college, God U. Yes, God U.
But this isn’t a daft production where the biggest grossout is a Snickers candy bar floating in the pool. This is a Garth Ennis production, and a spin-off of The Boys, the wildest, bloodiest, and most engaging series on streaming. So if for the first few minutes it feels like a college rom-com, disabuse yourself of the notion. Things are going to go sideways, fast and hard.
Vought Industries, who manufacture Substance V, the chemical injected to turn babies into super-powered humans, runs the Godolkin University School of Crimefighting. This institution teaches their creations how to become good superheroes and compete for positions on the elite crimefighting teams, such as The Seven. Or at least, that’s what it says on the brochure. This is Vought. We know from The Boys that they aren’t very nice people, just good at marketing.
There’s a rather large cast of characters (I listed the superpowers of the main characters at the top which makes it easier to keep track). Fans of The Boys know that they are some of the most iconic characters this side of the Beatles: Butcher, Hughie, Frenchie, The Female and Mother’s Milk. Likewise their main adversaries, including Homelander and Queen Maeve. Some of those characters make cameos in Gen V, and supporting characters get supporting roles here, as well. But as the story develops, the student characters, and the roles they play, firm up, and the viewer is left with some memorable impressions.
It’s not on the level of The Boys, but it’s headed in that direction, and yes, it’s already been greenlit for a second season. The events and characters in this relate in mostly unknown ways to the events of the final and yet-to-be-aired fourth season of The Boys. We can glean from Gen V that Billy Butcher is still alive, and Homelander is crazier and more out of control.
How do these kids fit in the deeply cynical and manipulative world of Vought? Well, they have the Billy Butcher WABOFC award. He looked around at the carnage at the end of the season (no spoiler—of COURSE there’s carnage at the end of the season) and mutters in disgust, “What A Bunch Of Fucking Cunts.”