The Boys spinoff Gen V is entering its second season with its cast facing a changed world. At the end of The Boys' fourth season, Homelander and his allies seized power, making their "supe superiority" beliefs the dominant school of thought. Season 2 of Gen V sees Godolkin University's faculty and staff struggling to survive in this strange new world, while also investigating mysteries such as the motives of Dean Cipher, the enigmatic new head of the university.
The Best War Games spoke to the cast of Gen V's second season, including Jaz Sinclair (Marie Moreau), Derek Luh and London Thor (Jordan Li), Hamish Linklater (Dean Cipher), Sean Patrick Thomas (Polarity), Maddie Phillips (Cate Dunlap), Asa Germann (Sam Riordan), and Lizzie Broadway (Emma Meyer). The cast discussed how their characters are coping with Homelander's rise to power, the changing relationships in the second season, and what they think of Godolkin University's strange new dean. They emphasized that Gen V Season 2 will bring major changes for the entire cast as allies become enemies (and vice versa), new romantic relationships bloom, and much more. This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
This article contains spoilers for Episode 1 of Gen V Season 2.
Gen V's Characters Undergo Major Development As The World Shifts
The Best War Games: As the state of the world gets darker in Gen V Season 2, how does Marie Moreau hold on and maintain the heroism she displays, such as when she defends a group of Starlight supporters against violent Homelander fans?
Sinclair: I think she can't help it, sometimes. And I don't think Marie is a perfect hero all the time, either. I think her intentions are good.
The Best War Games: She's a very moral character, something we don't often see in the world of The Boys.
Sinclair: Yeah, for sure. I love that about Marie. I love it, and I love all the circumstances they put her in where she really has to question her morals — and, as we see in this season specifically, how stubborn she can be about that. I think that's probably a flaw for her. But I do think her moral compass is sound.
The Best War Games: Marie starts the season on the run after escaping confinement. What's that like for her, being on her own for the first time after spending so much of her life with very little freedom — first at Red River, then at Godolkin University?
Sinclair: It's the first time Marie has ever had freedom in her life. She was at Red River, and then she was highly surveilled at Godolkin, and then she was at Elmira. And now she has all of the hours in the day to do what she wants — and she spends it trying to find Annabeth. But I definitely thought a lot about that. What does this feel like, getting to choose my own moves? And I think that's why the Home Teamers fight [in Episode 1] felt particularly gratifying, because she realizes — oh, I can beat the sh*t out of assholes.
The Best War Games: Then, when Marie finds herself back at Godolkin, she hears from Dean Cipher and the higher-ups — you're strong, you could be the strongest Supe ever, you could surpass Homelander. How does she feel, hearing that?
Sinclair: I wish I could say she stays humble, but, she doesn't always. For a long time, she's like, [Cipher's] crazy. This guy's weird. I don't want this attention. Leave me alone. But then Marie meets other people with similar sentiments. She has a moment of "Maybe I can do it. And maybe I'll do it alone. And then nobody else will get hurt." It's not her decision to make — but I definitely think there are moments when, unfortunately, Marie drinks her own Kool-Aid.
The Best War Games: Emma went through a lot between seasons while confined at the Elmira Rehabilitation Center. How did your portrayal of Emma change in Season 2 after what she experienced?
Broadway: Yeah, it's crazy. I think grief can really change a person — I can speak to that personally. And Emma had her heart broken by Sam, and then her heart broke again with Andre's passing. So where does that leave someone who's so full of love? It leaves them pretty angry. And so, over the course of the season, especially in the first two episodes, she's doing a lot of things that she wouldn't necessarily do in Season 1.
And, as the season progresses, she really wants to be the hero that Andre saw in her, that she didn't see in herself. And that looks messy, and it looks funny at times, where she thinks she has to be a certain way to be what a hero is. And I think, over the course of the journey, for me, I wanted to keep her essence. To know that her softness is her strength, but also integrate that with the lessons she's learned. And I think that's growth. Towards the end, Emma learns that she didn't have to lose her spark. Her sparkle was her strength. So that's kind of what I did. It was really interesting to play.
Season 2's Shifting Relationships Explored
The Best War Games: Another thing we get to see in Season 2 is the continued development of Jordan and Marie's relationship. How does Jordan balance their feelings for Marie and their betrayal about Marie escaping the facility without them?
Luh: Love always prevails. When you love someone, you overlook their red flags. You overlook the betrayal. If you love someone and they leave you in a prison for ten months and don't ever come back for you — that love is not going anywhere.
Thor: I think Jordan was able to forgive Marie, in a sense, because Jordan knows that this was not easy. But there is definitely some resentment that lasts and turns into trauma, which then gets re-triggered. It's one of those things that you deal with in relationships, where things happen, and you just choose if you want to let it ruin the relationship or not.
The Best War Games: This season, Polarity gets to interact with the students more. In particular, we see him forming a bond with Emma. What was that like?
Thomas: It was a lot of fun doing all that stuff with her. I mean, it was great. Because Polarity is trying to find a way to protect these kids and do what he can to help, because he's been such a dope up until that point. And so, when I worked with Lizzie [Broadway] and some of these other actors, it really draws a lot of stuff out of Polarity that you never thought was even there. And that's a lot of fun.
The Best War Games: These shenanigans that Polarity gets up to with the students, sneaking around looking for information — do you think he got up to stuff like that when he was a student at Godolkin University, or not?
Thomas: Polarity was a total company man. He did everything he could just to get attention and keep attention, and had no real ethics about anything. He just wanted to be famous and get chicks.
The Best War Games: What was it like for Emma to get to bond with Polarity and form this relationship after the passing of Andre Anderson?
Broadway: There were scenes that were originally featuring myself and Chance [Perdomo] that were rewritten to be with Polarity. It was a really huge honor to work with Sean Patrick Thomas, and to share those scenes with him, because Chance and I were really close. So it was really, really, really special.
Homelander's Actions In The Boys Have Greatly Changed The World Of Gen V
The Best War Games: How does Jordan, as a bigender person, react when they come out of the facility to a world that is spouting Homelander's "Down with woke" rhetoric and is suddenly much more unfriendly to people like them?
Luh: It was hard. It was terrifying, being dragged out, with guards everywhere. Being thrown into the back of a van with Emma and having this heightened sense of "This is it for you. You're gonna die." And then coming back, and seeing Cate — the person that betrayed you — and getting turned into a "Guardian of Godolkin" as well. It was extremely traumatic. It was tough.
Thor: I think Jordan is at their lowest when they have no hope. And that's the whole first half of the season. It gives Emma such a great place to go — it lets Emma step up in a way that we've never seen her do. And I think the only way she'd do that is if Jordan is really just defeated by the universe that's around them.
The Best War Games: At the start of Season 2 of Gen V, Cate and Sam have been put into this very public role as "Guardians of Godolkin." How has being in the public eye in this role weighed on your character?
Phillips: For Cate, she really wants the validation and love from people. Especially from parental, authoritative people. So getting that title, I think the real significance of that for her is just, "Oh, I'm being approved of. Oh, somebody thinks that I'm enough, that I'm worthy." And they are sort of the closest thing I can have to a parent, because her parents didn't love her properly. So, I think, regardless of what it actually means, and everything that it involves, I think the most significant part of that is just "This has been bestowed on me by somebody, and that means that I'm loved and good enough." And that's how it feels for her.
Germann: For Sam, it's definitely a weight that I don't think he totally knows how to carry. And I definitely think that a lot of Sam's journey is about stepping into someone's idea of what one should do, and not necessarily thinking about whether or not that's something that he identifies with.
The Best War Games: In a world that is increasingly saying that Supes are better than humans, what is that like for Polarity as someone whose superpowers literally harm his body?
Thomas: I think that's something that's a really cool thing to play. The fact that, as I've said before, 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, using those powers. And so, when he finds a way to be more in tune with what's right in the world, maybe his powers follow suit.
The Best War Games: With Season 2 of Gen V tying so closely to the events of Season 4 of The Boys, were you told everything before filming, or kept in the dark about what happened until you were done, or something else?
Thomas: They told me only what I needed to know at the beginning of Season 2. And then I think Season 4 [of The Boys] came out while we were filming Season 2, if I remember correctly. And so I was able to watch Season 4 while we were shooting Season 2. Every single bit of it helps you decide how you want to play things. And it kinda just goes in and then comes out however it comes out.
The Best War Games: If Polarity had the opportunity to confront Homelander, what would he say to him?
Thomas: I think he would tell Homelander, "You ain't all that."
The Mystery Of Dean Cipher Is At The Heart Of Season 2
The Best War Games: My favorite thing about Dean Cipher is how chillingly calm he stays, whether he's delivering a lecture or threatening torture. How does he do it?
Linklater: I think that's hopefully going to be a great mystery for the audience — wondering, "What kind of sociopath stays so chill when he's being so naughty?" And they're going to find out. Eventually. [Laughs]
The Best War Games: "Who is Dean Cipher, and what are his goals" is the central mystery of Gen V Season 2? What has it been like getting to portray this mysterious character who everyone is speculating about?
Linklater: It's great to get speculation. It means people give a sh*t.
The Best War Games: What was it like coming into Season 2 having not been in the first season of Gen V, with the cast's already established dynamics and you being a new element?
Linklater: It was awesome. I mean, you step into a finely oiled machine like this. You just don't want to screw it up. You don't want to break it, don't want to ruin the cogs. You know how the cogs go in there together.
The Best War Games: Our readers have been busily speculating and theorizing about just what is up with Dean Cipher. Is there anything you'd like to say to them?
Linklater: If you're thinking he's the bad guy, the worst guy — worse than the worst guy — you might be wrong. [Laughs]
The Best War Games: With most of the characters in Gen V being super-powered students at Godolkin University, what is it like being the adult Supes in the cast?
Thomas: I think it's really cool to be the adult figure, because you're just trying to keep up with them. They're always like, bam, bam, bam, bam. They keep you young as an actor. I love it.
Linklater: I hate it. [Laughs] Like, your skincare regimen, you gotta step that up, because they make you look so old.
The Best War Games: In Episode 1 of Gen V Season 2, one of our first introductions to Dean Cipher and his villainous nature is a scene where he threatens Cate and nearly shoves her hand in a blender. Is it hard to act scenes like this, with actors who are your friends who you love and have spent all this time with?
Linklater: No, you just have to focus on your objective. And his objective was to get a high-protein smoothie.
The Best War Games: Yes, Cipher does eat the most disgusting smoothies — combining ingredients like raw chicken and peanut butter.
Linklater: I gotta tell you, I'm not one of those actors who's good at props. So often, I was drinking really gross, horrible things mixed into smoothies. And they'd be like, you know, you could just pretend? And I'm not that kind of actor — but yeah, those were some really bad ingredients.
The Best War Games: Were you a fan of The Boys, either the show or the comics, before being cast in Season 2, or did you not get into the series until after you were cast?
Linklater: No, I started as a Gen V fan, fell in love with that show, and then caught up on The Boys as we were shooting. And I was like, oh, they've been gross stuff for a while. It's not new.
[END]
- 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
