A Guide To The New Supes Of The Boys Spin-Off Gen V

This article contains minor spoilers for the first three episodes of "Gen V."

"Gen V," the new spin-off of Prime Video's "The Boys," has debuted and it's quite good. I'll admit I was skeptical about the series; a spin-off, by nature, felt like "The Boys" becoming the very media franchise it satirizes. "Gen V," though, is too charming to discount — don't worry, it's no less gory than its parent show.

"The Boys" is about human vigilantes looking to take down corrupt superheroes ("Supes" as they're commonly referred to in this world) and their corporate owners, Vought International. "Gen V" has an insider's POV; the leads are young Supes-in-training at Godolkin University, Vought's farm for new heroes.

The superheroes as students angle makes comparisons to "X-Men" obvious, but "The Boys" universe has never been content to be like other superhero stories. The adult "heroes" are total cynics, indifferent to human life and concerned only with image and money — there's a reason that the show's tagline was "Never meet your heroes." The Supes of "Gen V" are kids who are only getting their first tastes of how the world works. Will they go along to get along or fight back?

It's time for orientation at superhero school, so let's meet our new cast.

Marie is the main protagonist of "Gen V," with the power to telekinetically manipulate blood (her own and others). From there, she can wield it like a throwing star, simply have it hover in place, or even save lives by forestalling lethal bleeding. Marie first learned of her powers at age 12 with tragic results — her goal of becoming a hero is partly to make up for that and prove she's not a monster.

Now a freshman at Godolkin, she's one step closer to her goal and unexpectedly finds the spotlight shining right down on her. Unlike her classmates, who've all been in front of cameras their whole lives, Marie has no media training — of the news or social variety. When the series begins, she doesn't even have a smartphone.

Marie is to "Gen V" what Hughie (Jack Quaid) was in "The Boys" — an audience surrogate in an unfamiliar world. While Hughie is an average guy who finds himself on the same team as hardened anti-Supe black operators, Marie's powers make her anything but average. Still, it's unclear so far if her good heart can win out against both her own guilt and the lure of fame.

Emma is Marie's new roommate and first friend at Godolkin. Her power recalls Ant-Man & the Wasp, the Atom, or Termite from "The Boys" — she can shrink down to become only half an inch tall. She's already used her powers to become a YouTube star, with the Supe name "Little Cricket." When Emma first meets Marie in their room, she's shrunken down and is boxing with her pet gerbil, filmed on an iPhone now taller than her.

Emma initially seems outgoing and lascivious compared to the withdrawn Marie, but it isn't long before we start seeing her insecurities. Part of it goes back to her powers; she has to induce vomiting to shrink down and then binge eat to grow back up, essentially superpowered bulimia. It's no surprise that Emma doesn't want to be defined by her powers, but the world and her peers don't make it easy for her to escape them; her first hookup pressures her into performing the world's first full-body handjob.

Peeling back the grosser implications of superpowers (especially with sex and body image) and social satire are two running themes in "The Boys." Emma embodies both.

Not all of our leads are freshmen. Luke is an upperclassman and the big man on the Goldokin's campus, ranked the #1 student in the School of Crimefighting. His Supe name, "Golden Boy," is a play on both his reputation and his powers. He wields the power of atomic fusion and can cover his body in yellow-tinged flames. With enough of a boost, he can even blast off like a rocket and fly, ala the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four. His skin is unharmed, but his clothes aren't — whenever he goes flame on, he winds up naked (which Emma especially appreciates).

A favorite of Professor Richard Brinkerhoff (Clancy Brown), Golden Boy is being fast-tracked to membership in the Seven, with a new costume designed to resist his flames. However, despite all of his privileges, Luke is actually a pretty nice guy who isn't totally comfortable with the expectations placed on him. That's what makes casting Schwarzenegger, the son of one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood history, a touch of meta brilliance.

The #2 student at Godolkin is Andre Anderson, who can control metal with his mind. The obvious comparison is Magneto, or metalbenders if you're a "Last Airbender" fan. Andre has the classic alliterative name of a superhero (think "Clark Kent" or "Peter Parker") and with good reason. He's the son of an established Supe, Polarity (Sean Patrick Thomas), and inherited his powers from his father.

Polarity wants Andre to follow in his footsteps and become "a better Polarity than [him]." Andre is about to learn that for Vought's Supes, "better" means more successful, not more heroic. "The Boys" has always equated the Supe business with show business (costumed crimefighters star in their own movies), commenting on how superhero movies are the main product served by media conglomerates these days. Andre is thus a classic Hollywood phenomenon — a Nepo baby, who advances up the ladder of success because they have an important parent vouching for them.

Despite that and some cockiness with his powers, Andre is depicted as a loyal friend; he's best buds with Luke and takes a liking to Marie after they help arrest a fleeing criminal together. Where these relationships will go, we'll have to wait and see.

The third leg of the popular triptych is Cate, Luke's girlfriend and an empath. Her mood-manipulating powers mean that she can compel a person to do whatever she wants — no matter how painful or embarrassing — and they'll obey without question. It seems she mostly uses it to get herself and her friends into clubs without the need for a reservation.

The obvious comparison would be a Jedi mind trick or Lelouch's hypnotic power in the anime "Code Geass." The difference is that Cate's ability requires a physical touch with her target to work. Due to this, she's consistently shown wearing leather gloves, a la Rogue from "X-Men," indicating that she can't turn off her powers. Cate's commands are also shown to be long-lasting, with people obeying intricate, even life-threatening orders long after they're out of Cate's presence. Continuing the comparison to Rogue, Cate's powers are as much a curse as they are a blessing.

Jordan is Brinkerhoff's teacher's assistant and a shapeshifter. This is a pretty common superpower across media — the last one seen in "The Boys" was Doppelganger (Dan Darin-Zanco), who met an ugly end back in "Nothing Like It In The World" when he offered to let Homelander (Antony Starr) literally f**k himself.

Jordan, though, only transforms into themself. How so? They're genderfluid and as such can switch back between a male and female form at will. Pretty nifty, huh? Not to their parents; Jordan was assigned male at birth and so makes a point to remain in their boy body whenever their parents visit. The only mentor in their life who truly accepts them, they believe, is Brinkerhoff, which is why they two have such a close relationship. While Jordan hangs out with Luke's group, they're the most standoffish of the crew — they and Marie especially get off on the wrong foot. Let's wait and see if this shapeshifter can find a way to exist as the person they truly want to be.

The last member of the young Supe cast is also the most mysterious. Luke's little brother, Sam Riordan, has super strength and resiliency but is also afflicted with mental instability — a state that's implied to be connected to his powers. Sam is also not part of the Godolkin student body; in fact, Luke believes his brother is dead. The key word being believes.

Rather, he's kept in a Supe prison beneath the school, referred to as "The Woods," that Vought seems to be in charge of. Unraveling this conspiracy (particularly who at Godolkin is involved with it) and freeing Sam looks like it will be the main narrative thrust of "Gen V" season 1. If you want those answers yourself, make sure you do your homework and stay up to date on this new series.

"Gen V" is streaming on Prime Video; new episodes release on Fridays.