Two main characters from the spinoff Gen V finally debut in The Boys, and showrunner Eric Kripke confirms that this is not just to reinforce the shared universe of the two shows, but Homelander using the V52 Expo as his cover to set his plan into motion.
“What they’re really doing is bringing all of these heroes together so that Homelander can enlist them as the beginnings of an army, which is really quite scary,” Kripke says in an interview. In the episode, the evil Supe assembles a group of heroes, including the two Guardians of Godolkin, The Seven, and Godolkin alumnus Tek Knight, in a call to arms “for the greater good.”
Cate and Sam are called to prove their allegiance to Homelander’s cause by plugging the leak at Vought Tower and participating in the murder of news anchor Cameron Coleman.
“Anything you need, Homelander,” affirms Cate.
How did Homelander discover his new allies?
In the finale of Gen V Season 1, Homelander comes to Cate’s rescue right after Marie accidentally cuts off her arm following her and Sam’s rampage at Godolkin University.
Finding a budding Supe supremacist who can exercise mental control over other beings, Homelander and Vought elevate her, as well as Sam, as the heroes of the tragedy while Marie and the rest of the well-meaning young Supes are locked up.
Kripke likens this to real-life situations where the odds are in favor of the bad guys: “Cate and Sam, as is unfortunately typical in our world, are being rewarded for their horrific behavior and turned into celebrities.”
“I think Cate, who’s very anti-human and pro-Supe, drinks a lot of [that up], and I think Sam is probably a little more reluctant, but also Cate’s pretty good at touching him and making him not feel things, which I think keeps Sam happy and on mission,” adds the show creator.
Season 4 of The Boys is currently streaming on Prime Video.