Gen V season will premiere with the first three episodes on September 17, 2025, exclusively on Prime Video. New episodes will then be released weekly through October 22.
Synopsis
School is back in session. As the rest of America adjusts to Homelander’s iron fist, back at Godolkin University, the mysterious new Dean preaches a curriculum that promises to make students more powerful than ever. Cate and Sam are celebrated heroes, while Marie, Jordan, and Emma reluctantly return to college, burdened by months of trauma and loss. But parties and classes are hard to care about with war brewing between Humans and Supes, both on and off campus. The gang learns of a secret program that goes back to the founding of Godolkin University that may have larger implications than they realize. And, somehow, Marie is a part of it.
Review
It’s time for the students of Godolkin University to matriculate once again as The Boys spin-off Gen V returns for its second season. But much has changed in the real world since we last saw these characters in 2023. Following the tragic passing of actor Chase Perdomo the series looks to respect his short career by crafting a storyline which keeps Andre Anderson present in every episode. At the same time showrunner Michele Fazekas faces a challenge. As our own world becomes more politically extreme, is this franchise becoming too bleak to keep us entertained?
Picking up several months after the end of season 1, the second season finds the Guardians of Godolkin fractured. Emma (Lizze Broadway) and Jordan (London Thor and Derek Luh) remain incarcerated whilst Marie (Jaz Sinclair) has long since escaped and is now on the run from Vought. The series tackles Perdomo’s loss head-on with a gracefully written off-screen death that reverberates throughout, giving Jordan, Emma and Marie new reason to fight for their freedom. Polarity (Sean Patrick Thomas), Andre’s father, takes some of his place in the story, becoming a central character for season 2.
Meanwhile, Godolkin has installed a new Dean, Cipher (Hamish Linklater). He seems fixated on the student rankings. His special classes seem hell bent on separating the strong from the weak. All whilst he harbours some much darker secrets behind-the-scenes…
Arriving ahead of the final season of The Boys poses a problem which Gen V struggles to wrestle with throughout the season. Season 4 of The Boys ended on a seismic cliffhanger. One which began to fold the Gen V cast into the main storyline. The Gen V writers work tirelessly to create a self-contained story for season 2. But there’s a consistent pull from the flagship series to find meaningful connection. It means this season feels like a vehicle for fleshing out Eric Kripke’s impending endgame. At best it presents a growing threat for The Boys final season. At worst it highlights inconsistencies between the two series characterisation.
Season 2 is at its strongest when able to shrug off those wider franchise connections. Jaz Sinclair delivers another breakout performance as the plot forces Marie to confront her family history. Gen V‘s writing team surrounds Marie with some of the franchise’s best story work. Calling in to question her parent’s decision to give her Compound-V and the impact it also had on her sister. The storyline counter-balances this with Marie’s relationship with Jordan, which offers a small glimpse of hope within the darkness. Although even that does stray towards soapy teen-romance at times. It’s clear Gen V is setting Marie up for bigger things, namely a head-to-head with Homelander. It’s just a shame that undermines some of what Fazekas and co. are trying to do here as it artificially accelerates Marie’s story.
The series continues to deliver strong ensemble storytelling. The writing balances out the core cast neatly across the eight-part season, bristling with a sense of each character learning to own their power. Taking the characters down this route is satisfying for Emma and Cate (Maddie Phillips) who both have larger arcs to navigate. Lizze Broadway was easily season 1’s most likeable character so it’s great to see that continuing. Cate on the other hand found herself falling into the villainous route in season 1. Phillips flourishes in Cate’s duality though I’m pleased to see her given a redemptive arc which strays away from predictability.
Following a similarly redemptive and unpredictable arc is Sam (Asa Germann). Like Marie he’s learning more about his family. The more he learns the more it pushes him towards his found family at Godolkin. Germann takes centre-stage as Sam visits his parents. He learns more about his pre-Compound-V life than he probably wished to. Moments like this are exemplary in showing what Gen V is capable of. Particularly in comparison to the spectacle of The Boys. But again these flashes of greatness are undermined by inconsistency. Gen V completely ignores Sam and Cate’s involvement with the capture of Frenchie and Kimiko in The Boys season 4 finale.
When season 2 finally gives the team a clear enemy to unite against, it hits its stride. The second half of the season is considerably tighter in its writing. It has strong direction and pacing which puts the focus exactly where it needs to be. Aside from the occasional reminder that Marie is heading towards showdown with Homelander it shrugs off those wider connections. There’s a clear villain to fight whose ultimate reveal is woven throughout the entire of season 2’s storytelling. It brings the team together for the kind of rousing final group battle which viewers have come to expect from this franchise.
While Gen V never directly addresses the implications of Homelander’s martial law on the American people, its impact on media is widespread throughout the show. It adds to a growing sense that what was once a spoof of far-right culture is now a direct resistance to it. Season 2 arrives at a time of political unrest on both sides of the Atlantic and this franchise has never shied away from difficult subject matters. Throughout the season there are examples of far right ideologies which the franchise strongly opposes. Whether it be “anti-woke” newsreels or confusion over trans rights. It’s all there on screen and serves as an ever-present reminder that what was once fiction is now terrifying reality.
Ultimately the success of season 2 is down to individual perception. Those who exist with a glass half full will grasp on to the hope that Marie and the Guardians offer. Especially as the season finale tees up what comes next for each of them. Whilst those operating with a half empty glass may struggle to see beyond the series’ subversively realistic portrayal of life under an ultra-conservative regime.
Verdict
Despite obvious flaws, season 2 of Gen V offers up another exciting chapter in The Boys franchise. Championed by a strong cast and excellent character writing, it’s able to overshadow the frailties that threaten to derail it. Providing an entertaining if surprisingly real experience of life in an increasingly polarised world.
⭐⭐⭐.5
