Prime Video’s The Boys spinoff, Gen V, explores how young superheroes learn to handle their special abilities. It’s not like they can practice setting themselves on fire or altering their size at a normal high school, so these budding superhero superstars attend Godolkin University. (Think Hogwarts but for supes.)
Prime Video promises this spinoff will retain the dark humor of The Boys while focusing on the next generation of supes.
“I think part of the thing that audiences love is that they’re taking the piss out of all of the exhaustive superhero explorations that we’ve seen and turning it all on its head,” explained Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon and MGM Studios in an interview with EW. “But I actually think they’ve done it so well that they have earned the right to expand and explore. So, the same irreverence that The Boys has is in Gen V. And at the same time that we are definitely growing the universe, we’re also unafraid to make fun of ourselves in doing it.”
Gen V will premiere on Prime Video on September 29, 2023 with the release of the first three episodes. New episodes arrive on Fridays, with the finale set for November 3.
The Cast and Characters:
The new generation of superheroes possess bizarre superpowers, including the ability to weaponize blood, get super small, and switch between male and female forms. Plus, Gen V serves up a superhero capable of lighting his body on fire and one with super-strength and invulnerability.
Here are the official descriptions of the key characters from season one of The Boys spinoff:
- Jaz Sinclair plays Marie Moreau, an 18-year-old superhero with the ability to control and weaponize her own blood. As an incoming freshman at Vought-run Godolkin University, she is eager to prove she has what it takes to join The Seven, but is sidetracked by a mystery she begins to unravel at the school.
- Chance Perdomo plays Andre Anderson, a junior at Godolkin University with magnetic powers. He’s Golden Boy’s best friend and the son of famous superhero, Polarity; Andre has big shoes to fill as he’s set to take over the Polarity name once his dad retires. When Andre realizes that something is afoot at the school, he takes it into his own hands to try and figure out the mystery.
- Lizze Broadway plays Emma Meyer, who is also known by her superhero name, Little Cricket, for her ability to get super small. Though insecure and naive, which often leaves her in compromising positions, she becomes close friends with her freshman roommate, Marie, and together they navigate the mysterious dangers at Godolkin University.
- Shelley Conn plays Indira Shetty, the dean of Godolkin University. She doesn’t have powers, but her background in superhero psychology and her peerless ability to analyze what makes supes tick make her indispensable to the school. Her goal is to transform Godolkin University into the most elite college for supes, and she takes a special interest in Marie when she arrives on campus.
- Maddie Phillips plays Cate Dunlap, a junior at Godolkin University who is good friends with Jordan and Andre. Cate is able to push people to do anything she commands using the touch of her hands, which she uses to her advantage. Powerful and confident, she’s also Luke’s girlfriend, making her one of the most popular supes on campus.
- London Thor and Derek Luh play Jordan Li, a competitive student at Godolkin University who will do anything to get to the top. They have a unique ability of changing between male and female forms, through which different powers manifest — the man is dense and indestructible, while the woman is agile and can launch energy blasts. Their distinct sets of powers make them a standout TA at Brink’s School of Crime Fighting.
- Asa Germann plays Sam, a troubled supe who is desperately trying to escape his unfortunate circumstances. He’s extremely powerful, with super strength and invulnerability. Despite having a good heart, he’s plagued by his hallucinations, which sometimes make it hard for him to discern between what is — and is not — reality.
- Patrick Schwarzenegger plays Luke Riordan, who is also known by his superhero name, Golden Boy, because of his ability to light his entire body on fire. He is a senior at Godolkin University and is in the top rank, having the brightest prospects of joining The Seven.
- Sean Patrick Thomas plays Polarity, Andre’s father and largely celebrated Godolkin University alumnus and trustee. Polarity expects his son to follow in his footsteps by taking over the Polarity name when he retires. He believes Andre is destined for The Seven and will stop at nothing to make his dream become reality.
- Clancy Brown plays Professor Rich “Brink” Brinkerhoff, a renowned professor of crime fighting at Godolkin University who taught superheroes such as A-Train, Queen Maeve, and The Deep. He is dedicated to finding the top new talent at Godolkin University to join The Seven, and believes Golden Boy has what it takes to be next.
- Marco Pigossi plays Dr. Edison Cardosa, a gifted doctor with ties to Godolkin University.
Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters are the season one showrunners and executive produce along with Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Garth Ennis, and Neal H. Moritz. Additional executive producers include Ori Marmur, Pavun Shetty, Ken Levin, Jason Netter, Darick Robertson, Craig Rosenberg, Nelson Cragg, Zak Schwartz, Erica Rosbe, and Michaela Starr.
The Season One Plot:
From Prime Video: “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 superpowers 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?”
