The cast of this satirical superhero thriller dig into the real-world implications of the show’s demented hijinks
Back in 2019, a bloody, silly and, alas, timely superhero satire called The Boys unexpectedly became one of Prime Video’s brand-defining series. Based on the graphic novels by Garth Ennis, the series took a fresh, fiendishly clever approach to Avengers-esque comic book narratives by painting its “heroes” as demented monsters whose absolute superpowers corrupted absolutely, outmatched only by the all-too-human corruption of Vought, the corporation that made them.
As viewership and Emmy nominations rolled in, Amazon began expanding their cinematic universe with spinoffs. One of those was Gen V, set at Godolkin University — a college founded to train the next generation of “Supes.”
The show wraps its eight-episode second semester today, as the scrappy students of “God U” fight back against an institution that seeks to harness and warp their potential for corporate gain.
No doubt, Gen V tackles many of the same themes as its mothership series — but distinguishes itself by honing in on the volatile years of adolescence. “The Boys is different. That’s more about power and corruption and celebrity,” muses Hamish Linklater, who joined the cast this year as the inscrutable Dean Cipher. “This is really about human development. The metaphor of these powers, which are a kid’s weakness — these feelings of self-harm and mental illness and just menstruation — but that’s their superpower. The thing that makes you feel the most vulnerable might actually be the thing that makes you the most powerful. I think that’s a really rich, rich message.”
A perfect embodiment of that is Emma (a.k.a. Little Cricket), whose powers of shrinking and growing her body are tied to her self-esteem and the resulting eating disorder. “I think that’s what’s so great about Gen V and the whole [Boys] universe,” says actress Lizze Broadway. “The creative team is absolutely fearless. They’re gonna have an opinion and say it. And I think that’s why people get behind the show, because it has an original voice. It’s not trying to appease everyone.”
Part of that fearlessness involves reflecting real-world issues like the rise of fascism, as the God U campus descends into Supe supremacy, with “heroes” harrassing any humans in their orbit. Sean Patrick Thomas, who plays aging hero Polarity, feels the show is uniquely positioned to comment on such things: “If you’re trying to sit somebody down and explain fascism to them or racial supremacy, they might not get it when you try to explain it in real-world terms. But when you tell those stories and illuminate those things in a superhero show, I think it’s a phenomenal teaching tool. They can see it in these characters, in these situations on the show, and it can make it more tangible to them. Then maybe, hopefully, they can take those lessons into their real lives and see how these dangerous, toxic things that are happening in the world of Gen V are also happening in real life. And [then ask] is that OK with you? Do you wanna push back against that?”
On the topic of timeliness, Linklater adds: “Certainly, the university setting . . . suddenly reading a book might be the most dangerous thing that an American can do.” But, he quips: “I think that was an unintended parallel. Probably [the writers] were like, ‘Let’s just make a sexy, bloody Harry Potter.’ Instead, they’re holding the mirror up to the headlines.”
The show, of course, deals in life-and-death stakes, but cast and crew were forced to brave a real-life tragedy when co-star Chance Perdomo, who played master of magnetism Andre, died in a motorcycle crash between seasons. Yet co-creator Eric Kripke et al. found a way to not just honour the character and the actor, but make his heroism the driving force of season two. “I would say Andre is the heart of this season.” says Broadway. “Chance is the most amazing human you’ll ever meet and I’m so grateful for the creative team to carry on his essence. Chance himself brought everything you love about Andre: the charisma, the heart, the warmth . . . Emma wears something of Andre’s in the final episode that I don’t think people realize. Because, me personally, I was like, ‘Andre’s gonna be a part of the show.’ He’s with us, always.”
The season finale of Gen V streams Wednesday, October 22, on Prime Video