Hit or Miss: ‘Gen V’ Understands The Assignment
After three successful seasons of The Boys, with a fourth on the way, and an animated spin-off series titled The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Amazon’s hyper-graphic superhero universe is being expanded further in the form of Gen V. Premiering on September 29th on Prime Video, Gen V will focus on the next generation of super powered individuals as they attend Goldolkin University, a school designed to teach superheroes to hone and harness their unnatural abilities. In the third season of The Boys, the world was finally made aware of the truth surrounding superpowers — they are the result of scientific intervention and not a product of miracles. Vought International, the mega corporation in charge of all things superpowered, has secretly been injecting newborns with a serum known as Compound V for decades. As a result those individuals grew up to develop a variety of unique superpowers. The class featured in Gen V will be the first generation of super students to know this truth about their origins.
Gen V stars Jaz Sinclair (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Easy) as Marie Moreau, a member of the freshman class with aspirations of becoming the first black woman to be a member of The Seven, this universe’s Justice League. Marie, who has seemingly been gifted with the ability to control blood, is excelling at the trials and training put before her at Godolkin University. The trailer reveals that her successes actively put a target on her back for fellow jealous students to take aim at. Marie comes off as a strong and compelling lead who viewers are sure to root for as she pushes back against those who want to see her fail. Marie’s classmates will include characters portrayed by Chance Perdomo (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, After We Fall), Lizze Broadway (Ghosted, The Inhabitant), Maddie Phillips (Summerland, Four Walls), and Derek Luh (All Rise, Runaways). Some will be friends while others will be enemies, but based off the trailer it appears that no one is to be trusted. As the closing line of the trailer states, “The Freshman class this year is savage.”
Within the trailer one can spot a few familiar faces that will further link Gen V to The Boys. Though it is unlikely that characters like Homelander or any of the central cast will make appearances, this teaser confirms the return of A-Train, a member of The Seven and the fastest man alive, played by Jessie T. Usher (Smile, Seal Team). Additionally we catch glimpses of season three’s surprise villain Victoria Neuman and Vought International’s longtime neurotic publicist Ashely Barrett, played by Claudia Doumit (Where’d You Go, Bernadette, Up There) and Colby Minifie (I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Fear the Walking Dead) respectively. A casting choice that many viewers will be excited about is Clancy Brown (Ahsoka, John Wick: Chapter 4) as Richard Brinkerhoff, a renowned professor at Goldolkin University. Brown immediately sets the tone in this trailer with his opening line, “Being a hero is not about glory, it’s about sacrifice.” Brown’s delivery suggests our future heroes will learn the hard way that being a part of Vought International will cost them much more than they could ever predict.
The Boys has developed a reputation for being one of the most graphic and violent shows on television, with each season upping the ante with new and creative ways of portraying unspeakable carnage. Based on the Gen V trailer, it is safe to say that this new series will follow in its bloody footsteps. However, beneath the gore and foul language, The Boys features some of the sharpest satire and commentary found on contemporary television, criticizing American consumerism and highlighting the manipulative nature of modern media. There is no denying that the gore and effects Gen V puts on display look incredible, but if this latest spin-off wants to make a lasting impression it will need a story with a quality to match. With its fresh classroom setting, Gen V will have ample opportunity to provide new commentary on the social issues and struggles younger generations are actively working to overcome.
Ultimately, this trailer for Gen V promises to deliver an exciting and horrific drama about young and ambitious adults who possess more power than they could ever hope to know what to do with. Humanity is full of flawed and complex individuals and morality is not as black and white as many superhero comics portray it to be. The Boys understands this and asks the question, “What would it actually be like if superpowers existed in the real world?” Gen V aims to explore this concept further through a younger, naiver lens. If Gen V can deliver on this assignment with clever and introspective writing, all while giving the already established fanbase the top tier, jaw dropping violence they’ve come to expect, then this new series is sure to be a hit.