The Boys spin-off show Gen V has released its first promotional trailer.
Set at America’s only college exclusively for young adult superheroes (run by Vought Internal), Gen V explores the lives of hormonal, competitive Supes as they put their physical, sexual, and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the school’s top ranking.
This first look at Gen V contains minimal dialogue, meaning that many of the plot and character details of this new series are still a mystery. However, the general tonality and violent mayhem of The Boys appears to have been brought over to this new series. Specifically, there is plenty of spilled blood in this first look. As such, this puts to bed any concerns I might have had about the university setting. The younger cast does not appear to have caused a watering down of the original show’s vibe.
Furthermore, there are some familiar characters in this first look. Vought superhero and speedster of The Seven, A-Train, appears on a campus vending machine and at a press conference. Vought publicist-turned-CEO Ashley Barrett is also briefly shown looking alarmed.
The Boys has never been short on sociopolitical commentary. Therefore, one can’t help but wonder what sort of messaging will be presented in Gen V. Ivy League schools in the U.S. are a particularly noteworthy recruiting hotspot for feds. Therefore, a university setting offers a lot of story-telling potential.
Godolkin University is run by Vought, but little else has been revealed about it. Presumably, this is where young Supes are groomed to become cogs in the larger machinery of Vought. A television interview briefly shown with new character Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) feels surprisingly reminiscent of Katniss Everdeen doing her pre-Hunger-Games press tour. Dramatic tension simmers beneath the surface of her answers. Though the story specifics are yet to be revealed, one can only guess that she is aware of far more corruption than what she can attest to on television.
Gen V will be available for streaming on Prime Video sometime in 2023.
For more of my thoughts on The Boys series, check out my other coverage here: