Gen V: A Preview

Gen V, a spinoff of The Boys, premieres September 29th on Amazon prime.  Why do we care? What is this show about?  Besides this show being a creation of our overlord Eric Kripke, a few of our favorite Supernatural actors and producers have their names tied to this project, including on very familiar face that constantly gets this site in a tizzy.  But the real reason we’re previewing this show is we’re starved for entertainment and shows to review around here, and if someone is taking the twisted and extreme themes of The Boys and extending it to a new universe, it’s worth a look.  

The Premise

Welcome to the new generation of superheroes, all with abilities spawned from Compound V, experiments that their corrupt parents forced upon them at a young age.  Needless to say, they all come to this situation with issues.  The best and brightest of this hero generation can attend elite school Godolkin University, alma mater of A-Train and Queen Maeve, where they can strive to be the heroes of the future, and possibly one day become one of The Seven.  It’s a coming of age story for supes, but this is also The Boys universe, which means there will be plenty of sex, violence, gore, scheming, corporate greed, moral dilemmas and personal agendas.  Good times!    

For anyone that watches The Boys, I think it’s an understatement when I say it heavily plays with antihero themes.  Everyone is an antihero in some way, even the people your are rooting for.  There is good and evil, but…mostly evil.  Take that theme and put it in a college setting and you’ve got both potential and one twisted reality.   How twisted?  Let’s start with the name of the university – Godolkin University, aka God U!  Another hilarious play on the God complex we’ve seen with several supes, especially The Seven.  For anyone who thinks that this new spinoff is going to hold back from the shock value of the original, I would think again.  

At Goldolkin University, the students are ranked This show is introducing a bunch of new characters, all with different abilities trying to stand out in a setting where exceptional is ordinary.  The main character is Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), a new freshman with blood bending abilities (not exactly something marketable to Vought).  Her roommate is Emma Myer (Lizze Broadway), who can shrink to ant size which helps with spying on people, but likely leads to other trouble (see Termite from the original series).  The big hero of the school and the top ranked student is literally a kid called Golden Boy (Patrick Schwarzenegger), who is friends with Andre Anderson (Chance Perdomo), son of a famous supe, who uses his special abilities to carry on the family name.  Golden Boy (aka Luke Riordan) also has a mind controlling girlfriend, Cate Dunlap (Madie Phillips).  Other characters are super strength Sam (Asa Germann), and what I call the prize for the most unique power, gender switching supe Jordan Li (played by two actors, Derek Lu and London Thor).  Talk about nonbinary!  

Here’s the official synopsis per Amazon Prime:

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?

Here’s the official teaser trailer, which promises everything we’ve come to love with The Boys in this new setting:

The Supernatural Connection

Besides the fact the show is created by Eric Kripke?  Phil Sgriccia will be part of this new series as a director as well as former SPN director  Steve Boyum.  

Then there’s this promo video.  See the familiar face? 

Yep, that was Alex Calvert!  According to IMDB he appears in at least 3 episodes.  While he’s not in the main cast, one wonders what sort of role he’ll play.  Good or evil?  I guess we’ll find out!  I’m digging the Draco Malfoy inspired white hair.  

The other connection is a no brainer.  One cannot educate young supes without mention of the greatest supe ever, Soldier Boy!  Yes, Jensen Ackles will be making an appearance in the series.  Here’s an announcement from Master Kripke himself:

Lock up your grandmas, Soldier Boy is BACK. #GenV premieres ONE WEEK FROM TODAY. 9/29 on @PrimeVideo! #TheBoys @TheBoysTV @genv @JensenAckles https://t.co/8K0maKC1cK

— Eric Kripke (@therealKripke) September 22, 2023

More Fun Stuff

Everyone seems to be getting in on the act.  Here’s a fun promo video from the cast of The Boys, welcoming the new show:

For fans of The Boys, what happens on Gen V sets up events for the currently delayed season four of the flagship series, so it might be worth a watch if you don’t want to fall behind. There’s also a strange appearance of puppets, something that I want to know more about! The first three episodes are available for streaming on September 29th on Amazon Prime Video (or technically 8 pm on September 28th), and the remaining episodes will air weekly on Friday.

Gen V is created by Eric Kripke, Evan Goldberg, and Craig Rosenberg. The showrunners and executive producers are Michelle Fazekas and Tara Butters.