‘Gen V’: The Super Kids Are Not Alright in Gloriously Savage and Satirical ‘The Boys’ Spinoff

Alci Rengifo

Comic books have gone beyond their original age demographic, especially in the wake of the MCU’s success. That has not changed how superheroes have a particular appeal when we’re young because of how their stories channel our trials. Spider-Man remains the most famous example. Amazon’s “Gen V” runs with that idea and creates a viciously satirical take on teen dramas. It’s also an offshoot of the studio’s other costumed hit, “The Boys,” inhabiting the same universe but from a young adult angle. It also has no time for the watered down, candy-colored fantasies of most recent young adult movies and shows. The teens here may aspire to be respected superheroes, but they also get consumed by super hormones, violent rages and the perils of partying hard.

“Gen V” opens with Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), who has one of those superpowers nobody particularly wants. She can essentially control blood, sometimes creating strands or ropes by slicing her hands open. After accidentally provoking the death of her parents, she becomes an orphan. Once she’s at college-age, she attends Godolkin University, run by Indira Shetty (Shelley Conn). It’s a high-pressure environment where everyone wants to be in “the top ten,” meaning ranking high enough to eventually become heroes like the gang from “The Boys.” Marie would like to study the superhero equivalent of Criminal Justice under Prof. Rich Brinkerhoff (Clancy Brown), but doesn’t qualify. Her roommate and potential bestie is Emma (Lizze Broadway), who can shrink to miniature stature. The big jocks on campus are Andre (Chance Perdomo), son of Polarity (Sean Patrick Thomas) and fiery Golden Boy (Patrick Schwarzenegger). When Marie gets invited into her social circle, life is about to get even more complicated. 

Viewers will want to know how close “Gen V” is to “The Boys.” As a spinoff it stays loyal to the best satirical elements in the former. The show works like a dual jab at both young adult titles and superhero franchises.  Nothing gets easier with astounding abilities. Godolkin University (God U, get it?) is imagined like every other prestigious college turned into a brand. When a public crisis takes place with a student, Shetty and the college’s board first ponder how to get good publicity and bank off of Marie being Black American. Students who make the top tier are paraded in front of cameras and coached on giving interviews, as happens with real life college athletes. At home Andre feels pressure from dad Polarity, who always boasts that he was the first Black hero accepted into the famous Seven. Golden Boy has a mysteriously tense relationship with Prof. Brinkerhoff, culminating in a devastating turn of events. For Marie, it’s all like wandering an alien world at first. She has no family and doesn’t even have a cellphone.

Those other, familiar aspects of teenage life which fuel the wilder moments of shows like “Euphoria” don’t escape the bite of this writer’s room either. Superhero college students still hook up, in their own way. Emma miniaturizes to straddle a guy’s penis, in a moment obviously winking at that now infamous scene from the last season of “The Boys,” where Termite accidentally obliterates his boyfriend by sneezing while wandering inside his own organ. Andre unintentionally causes a bloody mess when trying to impress a girl at a club with his power to re-shape objects. As in its predecessor, the world of “Gen V” is one where super abilities are taken seriously. If you really could decimate a foe, there would be guts and viscera splattered all over the place. The writing also nods at our current debates around gender with a character like Jordan (Derek Luh), who switches identities at will.

Mental health, influencer culture, the increasing commodification of education into a mere tool for capitalist placement, much of what defines Gen Z’s cultural concerns is warped into “Gen V” with an edgy soberness you don’t get in most dramas about normal humans. Even teen suicide gets thrown into the fray. At a memorial service a student who can stretch out her limbs gets the perfect selfie with crocodile tears. You can major in entertainment at God U, where other students boast about their connections in the industry, a scene familiar for anyone attending USC or Tisch. In its smaller details, there’s wicked glee in brief shots of someone’s streamer account featuring titles clearly mocking the style of Marvel posters. Like “Black Mirror,” the show understands how it’s not about the tech but how human nature would remain the same. 

There has been some chatter over how quite a bit of the cast are nearing 30 while playing 18-20-year-old characters. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since it’s been the norm for so long. But “Gen V” sells it well because all of it is a torching of popular culture. In “The Boys,” the supermen become maniacs. Here, youth is trying to operate under the shadow of the deranged adults trying to mold them to fit the system. The teachers tend to always be hiding something nefarious in young adult dramas. God U has its own horrible secret out in the woods for the students to discover. Meanwhile, Emma is objectified for her ability to shrink, yet has to keep secret that to do so, she has to make herself throw up each time. Even if the cast is a bit older, they bring across the angst and insecurities of their characters. Much of the plotting has little to do with saving the world, but themselves. On that level, anyone from any age group can enjoy “Gen V.” It’s a worthy follow-up to its famously insurgent parent.

“Gen V” season one begins streaming Sept. 29 with new episodes premiering Fridays on Amazon Prime Video.