Season 4 of the TV series The Boys ended with Homelander and his super-powered allies gaining unprecedented power following the declaration of martial law in the United States. In Season 2 of spinoff Gen V, the students and staff of Godolkin University are dealing with the fallout of this major status quo shift. Some characters flourish in the new environment, while others struggle. New alliances are struck, and old allies become enemies. Season 2 of Gen V truly presents a new world that its cast of supes must adjust to, and it isn't easy for any of them.
The New World Brings Despair To Some And Strength To Others
In a conversation with The Best War Games, the cast identified shifter Jordan Li, portrayed by London Thor and Derek Luh, as someone who particularly struggles with the supe-centered world of Season 2. Jordan, who is bigender, emerges from ten months of confinement in the Elmira Adult Rehabilitation Center to a world where Homelander's supporters casually shout "Down with woke!" And fill the airwaves with toxic rhetoric.
"It was terrifying," said Luh, describing the moment when Jordan realizes they are returning to the outside world — and exactly what the outside world had become. Thor agreed. "I think Jordan is at their lowest when they have no hope... Jordan is just really defeated by the universe that's around them."
Other characters use the dire situation to find a new strength in themselves. One is Polarity, an adult Supe played by Sean Patrick Thomas. Polarity's powers negatively effect his body, and have nearly killed him in the past. In Season 2, Polarity struggles with the new world and the loss of his son Andre, but he fights through it and attempts to reinvent himself. Thomas described Polarity's journey in Season 2:
"I think these powers made these people more of what they really are, depending on where they are in their lives. I think the fact that Polarity's powers were killing him was a metaphor for how corrupt his spirit was getting...And so, when he finds a way to be more in tune with what's right in the world, maybe his powers follow suit."
Gen V's Supes Are Willing To Fight For What's Right
Marie Moreau, played by Jaz Sinclair, and Emma Meyer, portrayed by Lizzie Broadway, are among the super-powered students of Godolkin University determined to fight against the new status quo. Sinclair feels that Marie is inspired to remain heroic and defend those in danger, such as supporters of the now-disgraced hero Starlight. "I don't think Marie is a perfect hero all the time," Sinclair said, "but I think her intentions are good."
Emma is someone who was profoundly affected by her time in the Elmira Center, and those changes are on display as she takes a leadership role in the fight against the increasingly dominant pro-supe rhetoric. Lizzie Broadway explained that Emma draws her new strength not just from her hatred of everything Homelander's faction stands for, but from the passing of her friend Andre Anderson between seasons. "She really wants to be the hero that Andre saw in her, that she didn't see in herself," Broadway said.
The 'brave new world' that the cast of Gen V finds themselves in going into Season 2 is a frightening one, and one that leaves many of them feeling alone and unsafe. But Godolkin University's supes are not going to simply lay down and let Homelander win. They will fight, they will speak up, and they will discover new sides of themselves that they might not have previously been aware of. Fighting against the "supe superiority" forms the core of much of Season 2's story, and the Gen V cast is ready for the battle.
- Release Date
- September 28, 2023
- Network
- Prime Video
- Showrunner
- Michele Fazekas
Cast
-
Jaz SinclairMarie Moreau -
Lizze BroadwayEmma Meyer / Little Cricket -
Maddie PhillipsCate Dunlap
-
London ThorJordan Li (female)
- Directors
- Nelson Cragg, Clare Kilner, Philip Sgriccia, Sanaa Hamri, Shana Stein, Steve Boyum
- Writers
- Craig Rosenberg
- Franchise(s)
- The Boys
- Creator(s)
- Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg, Eric Kripke
