Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Gen V Season 1.The first season ofGen Vhas officially concluded, and it sets up grave implications for both the noble students of Godolkin University and the rest ofThe Boysuniverse. Already,Gen Vhas proven itself as no mere spin-offby offering genuinely vital information to the franchise, such as the introduction of new ways to pacify Supes with their hypersonic hearing and Dean Shetty’s (Shelley Conn) virus. Despite this,Gen Valso tells a gripping and self-contained story about how Supes are adapting to a world growing more and more skeptical of Vought’s so-called superheroes and their many controversies.
This conflict ultimately leads to Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Sam (Asa Germann) leading a full-scale revolt against humans on the campus of Godolkin University. After freeing a small group of Supes who were tortured inthe Woods, Cate manipulates all of them into slaughtering any human they see on campus, leading to complete chaos and mass hysteria throughout the university. It’s up to Marie (Jaz Sinclair), Jordan (London ThorandDerek Luh), Emma (Lizze Broadway), and Andre (Chance Perdomo) to stop this massacre and perhaps have Cate and Sam see the error of their ways. Just as it looks like our heroes are inching closer and closer to victory, their celebration is interrupted by a certain leader of The Seven, bringing with him all sorts of terrifying implications forThe BoysSeason 4andGen VSeason 2.
From the world of “The Boys” comes “Gen V,” which explores the first generation of superheroes to know that their super powers are from Compound V. These heroes put their physical and moral boundaries to the test competing for the school’s top ranking.
Homelander Steals ‘Gen V’s Happy Ending with a Surprise Cameo
Thecampus of Goldokin Universityis practically covered in blood, as Cate’s Supe revolution has gone far too awry. Innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire and are dying brutal, horrible deaths, all to satiate Cate and Sam’s desire for vengeance. Though these are people who were once their friends — Marie, Jordan, Emma, and Andre — all understand that they may be too far gone to save. Their desire for violence knows no bounds, as they’ve officially become as vengeful and spiteful as Dean Shetty was. Coincidentally, the day Cate and Sam launch their assault on Godolkin is also the day when several Vought executives are visiting to discuss the next member of The Seven. As fans ofThe Boysalready know, theseheartless executives like Ashley Barrett(Colby Minifie) are hardly innocent, but Marie and her companions still step in to save them regardless.
Jordan successfully saves the executives, but Cate is right behind them, ready to corrupt them with her powers. Marie sees this, and before Cate can touch Jordan, Marie uses her powers to blow Cate’s arm apart. It looks like Cate’s resistance has finally been incapacitated as Marie and Jordan breathe a sigh of relief. That is until they hear some sort of sonic boom in the distance and see a figure flying overhead. Yep, you better believe that it’s our favorite psychoticSuperman parody, Homelander(Antony Starr). The leader of The Seven swoops in to survey the scene, and he’s probably used to the chaos afoot. Marie and her colleagues already know that the all-powerful Supe is not what he seems, but she still greets him as sir as she tries to explain what happened. Marie is quickly interrupted by that infamous, intimidating sarcasm that the villainous superhero is so well-known for. Homelander begins interrogating Marie and asking herwhy she would betray her own kindby attacking other Supes. Before Marie can even process this line of questioning, Homelander delivers a laser blast straight to Marie’s stomach.
Homelander Might Capitalize on the Army of Radical Supes From the ’Gen V’s Season 1 Finale
TheHomelander we see at the end ofGen Vis a very different evil hero than we first met all the way back inThe BoysSeason 1. The Homelander we were introduced to is still a monster who slaughters innocents, but he was at least one who still was on the leash of Vought. Following the shockingevents ofThe BoysSeason 3, where Homelander publicly executed a protestor in front of a crowd of adoring fans, this super-fascist doesn’t really care about his public image anymore. Instead, he much rather prefers to be feared than loved. Sure, as he’s threatened countless times in the past, Homelander could theoretically slaughter all life on Earth by himself if he really wanted to. That’s a terrifying thought that is still very much on the table for someone as unstable as Homelander, but as troubled as he is, he’s more intelligent than he may seem.
Based on his actions and supposed cover-up of the Godolkin massacre, it seems he has a more nuanced plan for global takeover in mind.Likely by Homelander’s orders, the blame for the deaths at Godolkin is placed on Marie, Jordan, Emma, and Andre. Even worse, Cate and Sam have been completely exonerated of their crimes and have been named the new top students, all as if they weren’t directly responsible for murdering dozens of innocent humans. The prior episode ofGen Valready that tensions between the Supes and humans are already sky-high, with each side accusing the other of wanting them exterminated. Both claims are valid given howDean Shetty tried to create a virus to kill all Supesand how Homelander smiles as his two favorite new students are destined to generate more Supe hatred of humans.
‘Gen V’ Closes With a Billy Butcher Cameo
Despite getting a laser straight to the stomach from Homelander, Marie survives the encounter and wakes up in a hospital room along with Andre, Jordan, and Emma. How they got here is a total mystery, and not just because Marie was unconscious for a while. The room that the four of them are in has no walls and no windows, leaving it a complete mystery where they are or who they’re in the custody of. The likely explanation is that the former Guardians of Godolkin are now prisoners of Vought, perhaps being placed in a new version of the Woods. Another possibility is that they’re in the custody of someone who somehow saved them from Homelander. After all, we did seeGrace Mallory (Laila Robins) appear in an earlier episode. Plus, since Marie and her companions have crossed Homelander, they may end up meeting the foul-mouthed heroes ofThe Boys,like Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid). Their team-up could be the only thing that can stop Homelander from causing more harm for good, and lucky for us, Butcher shows up in the closing moments of Season 1, seemingly to investigate the Woods.
Gen Vis available to stream on Prime Video.Watch Now
