Gen V Review | The Boys Spinoff Is Super Unhinged

If you haven’t seen The Boys, you don’t know what you’re missing out on. The Boys is a brilliantly written R-rated superhero satire that simply has no limits. It’s full of over-the-top gore, phenomenal pop culture references and commentary, as well as numerous superhero sexual interactions that many comic book movies and TV series are too scared to tackle. The Boys isn’t afraid of going too far; it’s not in their vocabulary. The show has delivered many of the most shocking, grotesque, and hilarious TV moments of the past decade, and has accrued a mass audience.

So when it was announced that a show titled Gen V would serve as a spinoff series set in the world of The Boys, fans were instantly consumed by excitement. That’s without mentioning that the show will essentially give the X-Men The Boys treatment, with the show centering around a school full of super-powered individuals.

Ever since its announcement, fans have been clamoring to find out more about the show and its set of compelling characters. It promised a captivating story, as well as some gut-busting and over-the-top scenes, and thankfully, Gen V is another super-powered success from the world and the team behind The Boys. It sports everything we love about The Boys, from its exceptionally written and layered characters and some hilarious meta commentary, to many dark moments that push the limits.

While it’s rooted ever so deeply in The Boys universe, Gen V feels different enough to stand out on its own. Sure, Gen V delivers a bucket load of jaw-dropping cameos and Easter eggs. However, unlike many superhero movies and shows where cameos are used just for the sake of it, the cameos in Gen V all have a purpose, and they all have a fantastic payoff.

Welcome to Godolkin University

Set in the disturbing world of The Boys, Gen V follows tortured super-powered teen, Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), who harbors the ability to control blood. Her dream is to become the first Black woman in The Seven, the world’s most famous team of superheroes, essentially the Justice League, or the Avengers, of The Boys universe.

Her journey begins at the most elite superhero school in the world, Godolkin University, a school where the likes of A-Train and The Deep began their journeys into becoming two of the world’s most famous superheroes. However, it isn’t long before Moreau begins to face some of the dark secrets of Godolkin University, and after a mentally troubled supe runs amuck at the school, Marie and her new allies must find out what is going on and stop it before It’s too late.

A Stellar New Cast of Supes

Prime Video

Gen V introduces many instantly lovable characters who are sure to become fan favorites. In true The Boys style, the show includes many disturbed super-powered teens, all of whom hold some tragic backstories. The show then layers these characters even more, by allowing them to grow in some truly compelling ways across the length of the series. Whether it’s through true acts of heroism, epic battles, or digressions into their vulnerabilities and interpersonal issues, each character gets a chance to grow.

Easily among the best is, of course, Marie Moreau, who boasts a pretty gruesome but badass superpower. Likewise, her trauma and drive to become a truly heroic supe makes for one of the most kind-hearted characters in The Boys universe, a feat we can’t say about many characters. Andre Anderson (Chance Perdomo) and Cate Dunlop (Maddie Phillips) are also captivating characters hell-bent on discovering the dark secrets held beneath Godolkin U.

However, easily the three best characters are Jordan Li (played by both Derek Luh and London Thor), Emma Meyer (Lizzie Broadway), and Sam (Asa Germann), who never fail to steal the show every time they are on-screen. Whether it’s with their wit, their emotionality, or awesome powers, these are without a doubt three of the best characters in the entire The Boys universe.

Related: The Boys: Ranking The Characters In the Series By Power

Great Satire and Real-World Issues

Prime Video

One of the many reasons we love The Boys so much, is for its much-needed genius satirical takes on the superhero and entertainment industries, along with many other real world issues and pop culture moments. Whether it’s a political critique of populism and fascism or just a funny takedown of ‘the Snyder Cut’ bros, the team behind The Boys have offered some endlessly hilarious satirical takes. Thankfully, Gen V is no different. The series takes a no-holds-barred look at teenage life, with the show tackling vlogging, TikTok trends, and of course party culture and the college industrial complex.

Yes, we can praise The Boys for its absurdist, over-the-top, and incredibly graphic situations. However, we can’t forget that the show actually deals with many serious issues, and Gen V is perhaps the franchise’s best attempt at this. Throughout the series, Gen V tackles issues of gender, with Jordan the gender-swapping supe, as well as parental pressure, body-shaming, and social media. The show’s writers, including Gareth Ennis, Evan Goldberg, Lauren Greer, Craig Rosenberg, and Eric Kripke, truly understood what teens in our modern world deal with, and they detail it effortlessly.

Related: The Boys: What Made This Departure From Superhero Fare So Popular?

Jaw-Dropping Cameos

Prime Video

With its emphasis on a younger generation and different themes, Gen V easily stands on its own as an exceptional R-rated superhero show. That said, the show is filled with the similar bloody charm that made us fall in love with The Boys in the first place. That’s not a criticism by any stretch, as keeping it set in the familiar disturbing world of The Boys instantly brings a sense of warm recognition to the show.

Never letting audiences forget they are in The Boys’ universe, Gen V will constantly throw clever cameos at its audience, with the likes of A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie), and Adam Bourke (P.J. Byrne) just to name a few. It’s fantastic seeing these characters back, adding another layer of excitement to the show. That’s all without forgetting a truly amazing cameo later on in the season that will have fans jumping for joy, and then being frozen in a state of shock. We won’t spoil more, but suffice it to say, Gen V is a tremendous success for The Boys franchise.

Gen V will premiere its first three episodes on Prime Video September 29, 2023, with new episodes streaming weekly.

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