The Boys GEN V spinoff: Everything we know
Prime VideoSchool is back in session, so here’s what we know about GEN V, the new The Boys spinoff, from its release date and trailer to cast, plot, and more.
Comic book shows and movies always seem obviously successful in hindsight. It’s maddening to think Marvel’s The Avengers was once considered a gamble, or that people were actually surprised when Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker movie grossed more than $1 billion.
The Boys is another example of “well, duh.” It’s extraordinarily violent, satirizes the pop culture empire of superheroes, and was bingeable in its first season. Amazon greenlit a second season before the first episode even aired, and after three seasons, it’s never been better.
Showrunner Eric Kripke is also extending The Boys franchise to spinoffs: in 2022, The Boys Presents: Diabolical hit Prime Video, showcasing an anthology of twisted animated stories within the show’s universe; and soon, we’ll have “GEN V.”
Is there a The Boys GEN V release date?
GEN V will premiere on September 29 on Prime Video.
Fans will be glad to hear that the recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes will not delay the show’s release, as reported by Variety.
The spinoff entered production in May 2022 at the University of Toronto, and was set to wrap by the end of 2022.
The first poster for Gen V was shown on May 1, 2023, and showed off Patrick Schwarzenegger as Golden Boy, wearing a uniform that appears to read “God U” in classic collegiate lettering.
The Boys “GEN V” spinoff cast: Who’s in it, and will it feature any characters from The Boys?
We do have some official cast details: Patrick Schwarzenegger will star as Golden Boy; Sean Patrick Thomas will play Polarity, after voicing his previously unnamed character in Diabolical; and Marco Pigossi will also star as Doctor Edison Cardosa.
Lizze Broadway will also play Emma Shaw alongside Jaz Sinclair as Marie Moreau, with Chance Perdomo, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, and Shelley Conn all starring in undisclosed roles.
Clancy Brown, best known for The Shawshank Redemption, has reportedly been cast in the series, as per One Take News.
Schwarzenegger, who earlier auditioned to play Homelander, told Variety: “This set is really fun, and there’s just a loosey-goosey comedy. It’s kind of like Euphoria meets superheroes.”
It’s unclear which supes will appear in GEN V. As for characters from The Boys, Jensen Ackles will cameo as Soldier Boy, but we don’t know exactly who else will show up. But Kripke has confirmed we’ll see a few established supes rearing their heads – and hopefully their capes.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the showrunner said: “Yeah. Without spoiling anything, I think there will be several very, very cool cameos. Because it’s a Vought-run college, so crossover with Vought characters is inevitable, really.”
The Boys “GEN V” spinoff trailer: Is there a trailer for The Boys spinoff?
Yes, the newest trailer for GEN V dropped on September 6, and you can watch it below:
The first official trailer for GenV was released on July 27 and can also be seen below:
You can check out the “First Look” of the show in the trailer below:
Another teasing image has been also released, as a poster released by Comic-Con International’s official Twitter account is teasing a connection to Antony Starr’s Homelander.
Featuring the bronze statue of Homelander from the above trailer, the sculpture’s head appears to have been vaporized, leaving a wisp of smoke where his face once would have been.
The Boys “GEN V” spinoff plot: What is it about?
When the spinoff was originally announced in September 2021, Collider reported it being described by Amazon as “part college show, part Hunger Games – with all the heart, satire, and raunch of The Boys.”
In further news, GEN V has been said to follow “the lives of hormonal, competitive Supes” at the Godolkin University School of Crimefighting, run by Vought International, “as they put their physical, sexual and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the best contracts in the best cities.”
Varsity will focus on young supes as well as the G-Men.GEN V will also focus on the G-Men, Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s original parody of Marvel’s X-Men, who were briefly mentioned in the first season of The Boys.
Unlike the speculation and whispers surrounding MCU projects, Kripke has been rather open about what to expect from GEN V.
He explained: “Much like Mork & Mindy spun-off from Happy Days – which is an insane and true fact – our spinoff will exist in the Vought Cinematic Universe, yet have a tone and style all its own.
“It’s our take on a college show, with an ensemble of fascinating, complicated, and sometimes deadly Young Supes. Michele [Fazekas] and Tara [Butters] are stone-cold geniuses, we’re thrilled to have them steer this ship, and grateful to Sony and Amazon for the opportunity. We love this show and can’t wait for you to see it.”
The Boys “GEN V” spinoff: Will it crossover with The Boys?
Yes, The Boys “GEN V” spinoff will crossover with The Boys, as confirmed by Kripke.
He told Deadline: “There’s definitely crossover, and we’re doing our best to design a universe that sees some of the issues and storylines in Season 3 hand off to the first season in GEN V.
“Like there’s a presidential campaign happening in the background of that season, and there’s certain things that are happening at that school that are both in reaction to Season 3 of The Boys.
“There’s Soldier Boy, etcetera, but also some new storylines that are happening in that season of the spinoff that we have to pick up and take into Season 4 of the show.”
Kripke also praised MCU architect Kevin Feige as The Boys universe begins to expand.
He said: “I mean, it’s a very different corner of the world and it’s a different concern and thematic but it has been interesting.
“I give Kevin Feige a lot of credit because now that we’re dipping our toe into trying to build a universe and trying to do it well I mean, the amount that you end up trying to not just telling the same mega story, and it’s hard enough to keep one f**king show straight but to try to keep two shows straight, have them each be entertaining and their own animal but they still lock together like Voltron or something is a whole new layer of challenge that.”
The Boys “GEN V” spinoff has already been teased by The Boys
In an episode of Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman, released by Vought International on YouTube earlier this year in the lead-up to Season 3, the fictitious news host teased the “annual Hero Draft” likely to take place in GEN V.
He says: “It’s almost that time of year again, folks. It’s Vought’s annual Hero Draft.
“In just a few short months, the best and brightest young heroes from Godolkin University will see their dreams come true or come crashing down, as everything they’ve been training for over the past four years all comes down to this.
“It’s all on the line for these collegiate heroes, as lucrative contracts to defend America’s greatest cities are all up for grabs. Alumni Queen Maeve, The Deep, and A-Train were all famously drafted by New York City and The Seven, but this year, which rising stars will go to Miami, Cleveland, and Los Angeles?”
We will update this article upon further announcements. In the meantime, check out our other upcoming superhero hubs below:
The Batman Part II | Superman: Legacy | Joker 2 | Blue Beetle | Fantastic Four | Avengers: The Kang Dynasty | Avengers: Secret Wars | Marvel Zombies | The Marvels | Agatha: Coven of Chaos | Venom 3 | Daredevil: Born Again | Blade MCU | Captain America 4 | Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse | Invincible Season 2 | The Boys Season 4 | Deadpool 3