Gen V is a new spin-off of The Boys that follows a group of young supes at Godolkin University who are training to be the next generation of heroes. There are many new characters, and you may be wondering “Is Gen V based on The Boys Comics?” Here’s what we know.
RELATED: Gen V: Meet the Cast & Characters of The Boys Spin-off
What Is Gen V About?
Gen V takes place at a superhero college, Godolkin University School of Crimefighting (or “God U”), which is run by Vought International. The spin-off follows a group of young adult supes who are trained to be the next generation of heroes.
These aspiring heroes compete for the university’s top ranking. However, when the university’s dark secrets come to light, the students think about what type of heroes they want to be.
The spin-off’s main character is Marie Moreau, a supe who can manipulate blood.
Other characters include Andre Anderson, a supe with magnetic powers; Emma Meyer, a size-shrinking supe; Cate Dunlap, a supe with empath abilities; Jordan Li, a supe who can change between male and female forms; Sam, a supe with superstrength and invulnerability; and Luke Riordan/Golden Boy, a supe who can set his whole body on fire.
Confirmed The Boys characters who will appear in Gen V include Jessie T. Usher as Reggie Franklin/A-Train, Colby Minifie as Ashely Barrett, Claudia Doumit as Congresswoman Victoria Neuman, P.J. Byrne as Adam Bourke, Jensen Ackles as Ben/Soldier Boy, and Chace Crawford as Kevin Moskowitz/The Deep.
Is Gen V Based on The Boys Comics? Source Explained
Gen V is loosely based on The Boys comic book story arc "We Gotta Go Now" by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, which has an incredibly dark story, especially in regard to the sexual abuse of minors and suicide to escape slavery.
We Gotta Go Now is about the “G-Men”, a parody of Marvel’s X-Men. The G-Men is a group led by the millionaire John Godolkin.
The story starts with the public suicide of Silver Kincaid, one of the original G-Men. Butcher and his team are tasked to find out more about the organization’s dark secrets.
So, Hughie takes the initiation test (by posing as the young supe “Bagpipe”) and passes. He joins a junior G-Men team, and later on, The Boys find out that Godolkin makes G-Men by kidnapping children and injecting them with Compound V. He also sexually abuses them, and some commit suicide to escape a life of slavery.
Vaught steps in and deals with Godolkin and the G-Men, which then prevents further questions from being raised.
Gen V takes some elements from the source material. Both involve a group of young supes. The G-Men leader is named John “Godolkin”, which is the name of the show’s “Godolkin” University.
The synopsis for Gen V also reveals that the students find out about the university’s dark secrets, which is similar to the plot of We Gotta Go Now where Butcher and his team try to find out about the secrets surrounding the G-Mansion.
And as the G-Men is a parody of the X-Men, Gen V's Godolkin University, which trains young people with abilities, is similar to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.
So, Gen V is loosely based on a story arc in The Boys comics, and the showrunners have been clear about the "loose" part. In line with such, we can expect the very dark parts of the story arc to not be in the spin-off.
The Boys, after all, takes the stronger elements of the comics and leaves out the less savory aspects. Gen V will likely do the same.
You can watch the trailer for Gen V below:
The official synopsis for Gen V reads:
“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?”