‘Gen V’ Does One Thing Better than ‘The Boys’ as the Prequel Brings Back a Basic Concept From Season 1 of the Karl Urban Series
The Prime Video show The Boys has become one of the most popular series in the world through its parody of superheroes and their sins. Moreover, Gen V, which was a spinoff of the show, also brought a new perspective. The spin-off revisits a basic theme from the first season of The Boys, which is the dangers and unpredictability of superpowers.
Gen V explores the daily lives of young supes studying at Godolkin University, which is funded by Vought International. As these supes explore the dark sides of their abilities, the series brings back the terror that was once associated with supes in The Boys Season 1.
Similarities Between Gen V and The Boys Season 1
The Boys has expanded into new creative ideas and plots in its later seasons, whereas Gen V sticks to the roots of the original show, recalling the raw and fundamental conflicts of the first season. While it can sometimes feel repetitive to focus on the same general ideas being explored, the spin-off series not only revives those ideas but also expands upon the events of the original narrative.
Something that was clearly seen in Gen V is the tension of the supes’ terror and the uncertainty of their morality, which was also apparent in the first season of The Boys. It has been noticed by netizens how the prequel comes back to exploring the concept of the death of supes, which was something that was featured heavily in the first season, but was kind of subdued as the series went along.
Young supes struggling to handle their superpowers while causing many unintentional deaths in the process serve as a reminder of the dark side of superpowers. These scenes are somewhat similar to some of the shocking scenes in The Boys season one, that depicted the potential of supe destruction.
Moreover, Gen V also explored the question of how supes should be contained and managed, which was very relevant to The Boys at its beginning. The gray ethical grounds for the characters’ decisions, their fight against supes, or coping with the advantages of being one, were initially the specialty of the story.
It can be said that Gen V has successfully carried forward and expanded to The Boys drama, as it contemplates the risks of superpowers and the moral complexities that come with them.
The Boys‘ Conclusion After Season 5
As Gen V stands out for its success in revisiting the core themes of The Boys, the original show is approaching its end soon. A post from showrunner Eric Kripke also confirms that the fifth season will be the final one in the story of Butcher and Homelander’s conflict.
Kripke has stated that the decision to end the show in five seasons was strategic, as this allows for the narrative to achieve a definitive end to the primary storyline. Moreover, the budget issues also played their role. While talking to The Hollywood Reporter, he said,
I don’t know why I like the number five so much; it’s a good round number to where you get enough. It might have been because I was trained as a TV writer and there were five acts.
It gives you enough time to get to know the characters. You can have your calm-before-the-storm moment, which is kind of what season four is for me. I say calm… you know what I mean. It’s about the characters, and then you kick off into a climax.
Although the story of the final season has not yet been revealed, Kripke intends to end this fantastic universe in an epic and bloody manner. However, The Boys Universe is not going to end completely with it, as it will be extended even after the show’s conclusion, through the spin-offs and other ongoing works, including Gen V.
The Boys All Seasons and Gen V are now streaming on Prime Video.
