(Photo courtesy of IGN) “‘Gen V’ is the new spin-off of Amazon’s ‘The Boys'”.

Riley Fontana
Connector Editor

“Gen V” is a new Amazon Prime show, spin off from “The Boys”. Both shows are not for the faint of heart or scared of blood, but thankfully there are warnings before every episode to prepare viewers for what is to come. “Gen V” is a reference to Compound V the injectable serum that turns regular people into superheroes, the show features the first generation where almost all parents had access to Compound V for their babies.

“Gen V”, first premiering on September 28th, focuses on the Goldokin University, called God U in the show, for superheroes. It stars Jaz Sinclair as Marie Moreau a girl with blood-bending powers trying to navigate college while dealing with her dark past. Powers of her classmates include self-ignition, swapping between genders and powers, mind control and shrinking. A few powers overlap with the supes in “The Boys” but many are unique to “Gen V”.

The first episode perfectly sets up the main cast, which includes Lizzie Broadway as Emma Meyer, Patrick Schwarzenegger as Luke Riordan, Chance Perdomo as Andre Anderson and many more. Packed into the 60-minute episode are intense fight scenes, relationship drama and incredible special effects that fans have come to expect from the crew behind “The Boys”.

“Gen V” is not a spin-off made for those who did not enjoy “The Boys”. From the very first minute, there are callbacks to the main show cast, intense gore and interconnected lore. Everyone at God U is fighting for a spot within The Seven, the main superhero group in “The Boys”. There are also cameos from characters like A-Train, Madelyn Stillwell and Ashley Barrett who all play intensely important and central roles in “The Boys”.

There are things in “Gen V” for those who do not enjoy “The Boys” like characters who are actually redeemable. Having the show focus on college students means there is something to prove, as opposed to jaded and already famous adults. “Gen V” offers an inside look at the backstories of some of the characters from “The Boys” as well as many had attended God U. The whole concept of watching superheroes learn and grow into their powers is something many fans have been asking for.

Both “The Boys” and “Gen V” follow the same timeline, with events from the last season of “The Boys” playing key points in “Gen V”. With season four of “The Boys” having wrapped filming during the summer of 2023 fans are eager to see how much the two shows will cross over. Both shows are developed by Eric Kripke, who has worked on countless critically acclaimed shows. Due to Kripke’s involvement in “Gen V”, it has become the perfect co-runner to “The Boys”.

The first season of “Gen V” is being released episode by episode on Thursdays, with the first three episodes already available for streaming. It has already proven itself to be a bloody and satirical good time, leaving viewers hungry for more. Fans are eager to see just how far creators are willing to go, especially because “The Boys” will cross any and every line there is.

Overall grade: A+