A darker and more subversive take on superheroes, The Boys has proven to be a massive hit. The Prime Video series arrived as an explosive, foul-mouthed and blood-soaked adaptation of Garth Ennis’ comics. While following the overall plot points where a team of boys swears to take down the unhinged and corrupt “supes,” the Emmy-nominated series has also colored outside the lines every now and then.
Now, with its first spin-off series, Gen V, the superhero franchise is breaking new ground. The show introduces a next generation of supes taking issues of adolescence and conspiracies in a raw and refreshing way. Set at God U, a college exclusive for young adult superheroes, Gen V introduces a new crop of superheroes just getting a grip on their abilities. Without wasting much time, the series reveals some dark and sinister secrets that force the supes to act out of proportion.
Gen V
- Release Date
- September 29, 2023
- Seasons
- 1
With storylines delving deeper, Gen V sets itself apart by borrowing from its source material, which is The Boys comics, but also creating something new and thought-provoking. The result is a fresh take on the superhero genre, one that could also be defined as a standalone superteen drama with interesting conflicts and compelling plot twists. Here are 10 ways in which Gen V differed from The Boys’ comic storyline.
10 Madelyn Stillwell’s Character
A Gender Swap and Much More Influential in the Comics
Madelyn Stillwell’s character takes on a whole new dimension in Gen V. In both the series and the comics, she is a calculating Vought executive who will do whatever it takes to protect the company. We have seen her go to extreme lengths in a boardroom setting as she safeguards the interests of The Seven in The Boys, and the same struggle and manipulation extends in Gen V.
The comic version of Madelyn Stillwell, a man named James Stillwell, did not die so early in the series. In fact, he had a much more influence in the university compared to Madelyn.
In a way, James was to Godolkin University what Stan Edgar was to Vaught in The Boys after the former died. In one instance, in order to cover up the questionable things that John Godolkin did, James had every member of the G-Men ruthlessly executed. That’s something even Madelyn would think twice about.
9 There Are No Members of The Boys in Gen V
Will Limit Appearances to Cameos
It’s no secret that Gen V is loosely based on the seventh story arc of The Boys comics, called “We Gotta Go Now.” The narrative in the comics focuses on the sarcastic and hardcore Boys, who infiltrate a superhero collective called the G-Men after the shocking truth they learn. They are still teenagers. They have little knowledge about their own powers and are overlooked by John Godolkin.
However, there are no Boys in Gen V. Instead, this series focuses on a new generation of Supes dealing with coming of age in a different arena. The central character is an orphan with blood manipulation powers named Marie Monroe.
She is accompanied by a group of other teenage Supes navigating everyday challenges and superpowered hormones. So far, there have been a bunch of cameos from The Seven and the Boys in Gen V, but chances are, that this superteen drama will limit the Boys to just that – cameos.
8 Supes Cannot be Brought Back from the Dead
Resurrection Is Possible in the Comics
In Gen V, when a Supe dies, they stay dead. There are no resurrecting abilities or convenient plot armor like in the comics. We watch the naive students and supervillains grapple with the fragility of life, unlike The Boys universe, where death can often be persuaded. In The Boys comic storyline, there is one particular instance where this terrifying truth is applied.
A Supe called Nubia (the X-Men parody version of Storm) is tragically killed by someone from her own organization. After John Godolkin orders to resurrect her, she returns as somebody else.
It was still her in appearance, but Nubia acted more like a mindless zombie who wanted her suffering to end. Despite the failure and the possibility that the next will have the same effect, Godolkin has another G-Man brought back from the dead.
7 The Supes in the Comics Grew Up at Godolkin
There Is No Application Process
The comics dive deep while exploring all its characters’ pasts. The supes in the comics grew up at Godolkin, a secretive training facility that transformed them into the perfect products for Vought.
Apparently, John Godolkin would kidnap infants and inject them with Compound V. The children would grow up under his care, their loyalty would be limited to him, and their ambitions would be shaped differently.
In contrast, all the students in Gen V get enrolled into university through a normal process. While they are still subjected to nasty things before and after going to college, the violence and the trauma in the TV series is lighter compared to the books. The series makes God U look like a playground for the powerful and the privileged, which is starkly different from the factory-like upbringings endured by characters in the source material.
6 Tek Knight Gets a Makeover
An Iron Man Parody in the Comics
In the comics, Tek Knight is portrayed as a parody of Batman and Iron Man. Like them, he has no real superpowers. He is just a filthy rich guy who has access to really cool gadgets and a fancy suit that allows him to fly.
But in the spin-off, we meet a fresh-faced young man behind the tech tycoon persona. Gen V gives Tek Knight the powers of an intimidating detective. His overly alert senses and unmatched talent for observation make him a jaded and sinister superhero.
Another difference between Gen V and The Boys comic storyline is that Tek Knight never hosts a true-crime series in the comics. In the series, however, he arrives at Godolkin, with a reputation that precedes him, in search of compelling footage that will reveal the truth about Golden Boy’s death. TV Tek Night and comic Tek Knight have one thing in common though – they both possess an NSFW obsession because of a brain tumor.
5 Godolkin Is Left Out, Replaced by Brink (for Now)
Less Dark Than the Comic… Somehow
As a comic book series, The Boysisn’t for the faint of heart because there are certain unsavory aspects about the storyline where the young supes are considered. John Godolkin, who kidnapped and raised the children, was a serial abuser in the comics. Gen V notably left him out of the TV series in order to make the narrative less dark.
In John’s place, Gen V has Professor Richard Brinkerhoff, a support and confidant to the students, especially Golden Boy. While the school was still founded by Thomas Godolkin, he was never shown in action, leaving the management to Dean Shetty and Brink.
The latter two were involved in some sinister experiments being undergone in The Woods. Eventually, when Golden Boy discovers the truth, Brink meets his fate.
4 Indira Shetty Doesn’t Exist in the Comics
Created for the Show
The Boys comic storyline is laced with several antagonists, characters unsympathetic enough to send a chill down your bones. But Dean Shetty isn’t one of them. Indira Shetty is a wholly original character created for Gen V. She has no analogue in the comics, but in the show, she is introduced immediately through a promo video that plays when Marie Monroe enters God U.
Gen V keeps the suspense fresh by portraying Indira as a refreshing blend of power and vulnerability, confounding viewers about where her loyalties lie.
Through her lens, the series explores gore, cruelty, and cut-throat savagery. Shown to be uncertain of her place in the world, Gen V quickly reveals a darker side to Indira, one that grows angrier and more vengeful due to a tragic event caused by Homelander in The Boys.
3 The Comic Version of Neuman Isn’t Threatening
She’s More Like Vought’s Puppet in the Comics
Victoria Neuman, or the Head Popper as showcased in the original series, took her own time to become a Congresswoman of the United States. In The Boys and the Gen V universe, she is an overarching antagonist. More of an insurgent than an administrator, Neuman is a Supe with the same blood-controlling powers as the protagonist, Marie Monroe.
In the show, Monroe is super excited to meet Neuman, but as soon as she learns about her powers and realizes that Neuman is a controlling, manipulative, and scheming politician with blood on her hands (literally and otherwise), Monroe grows cautious. The comic version of Neuman isn’t nearly as threatening or intimidating. In fact, she is more like a puppet that Vought controls.
2 There Aren’t G-Men in Gen V, but All New Supes
New Faces and Powers
The Boys is a show based on a comic book plot line about a group called the G-Men, which in fact is a parody of the X-Men. While the former subverts the superhero genre by portraying the powerful as corrupt and villainous, its spin-off series introduces a college-like setting where young Supes are still learning the inner mechanisms of the large institution that controls them. Naturally, Gen V steers away from the predictable.
In doing so, Gen V eliminates the major antagonists of the comics – the G-Men. So far, not a single character on the show has mentioned G-Men. And all the young superheroes seem hellbent on using their gifts to do good instead of joining Homelander on his rampage. Judging by the first season alone, one can tell that Gen V will forge a unique path for its students (one that aligns with that of Butcher) instead of piggybacking on the comic storyline.
1 Gen V Introduces a Virus Arc
A Way to Kill Supes
From the first episode itself, Gen V establishes a central mystery surrounding “the woods,” a place located in the basement of God U, where certain officials kept Supes isolated. Sam, Golden Boy’s brother, was one of those students and when word got out, more details around Dean Shetty’s plan came to light. Apparently, she had scientists working on a virus that could reshape the entire world of Supes.
The virus would initially weaken those with Compound V in their veins by making the Supes sick. But Shetty insists the scientists make the dose strong enough to outright kill them.
On the other hand, there is no mention of a virus in The Boys comics. The Supes in the comics are more susceptible to getting hurt from ordinary blows, but the complexity in the series’ characters suggests that the internal dynamics of power and control may see a drastic shift in the future.
