What were the boys’ corrupt, sociopathic, egomaniacal superheroes like before they became corrupt? How do you deal with superpowers in a competitive world? And how do you do that in your youth, a time marked by changes and internal struggles? The huge success of “The Boys” prompted Amazon Prime Video to greenlight a spin-off story, its second after the animated fiction “The Boys Presents: Diabolical.” Gen V tells the story of a group of young people who gained superpowers through injections of Compound V, which grants powers to superheroes in the fictional universe based on the comics of the same name. The show depicts her struggles with her own demons and those of those around her, as well as her fight against those who try to use her to their advantage at a superhero college. The first season finale will be released next Friday on Amazon Prime Video.
Gen V begins with young Marie’s arrival at this exclusive college. The young woman discovered her ability to control blood in the most traumatic way: it coincided with her first menstruation. Even before the first five minutes of the series have passed, the series makes it clear which universe it is set in with two bloody deaths. Gen V is set in the same world as The Boys, but showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters made sure to give the show its own identity, different from the original series. “Our heroes are superheroes who have not yet been corrupted. They are still young and idealistic, like we are when we start college and you see the world in black and white, there are bad and good,” explained Michele Fazekas in a video call interview last Monday.
They also wanted to distance themselves from the original series through the character’s superpowers. “In The Boys, the superpowers are metaphors for fame culture, political issues and capitalism. “The themes of our series relate to youth-specific problems,” explains the producer. For example, Marie’s roommate Emma’s ability to change her size is linked to an eating disorder. Another character, Sam, deals with mental illness. Jordan can change from male to female and vice versa as a metaphor for gender identity.
Asa Germann plays the role of Sam and Lizze Broadway plays the role of Emma in Gen V. Brooke Palmer (Brooke Palmer/Prime Video)
Fazekas and Butters already had experience when it came to taking on a spin-off series set in a universe that had a lot of history behind it. You were also showrunner on “Agent Carter,” a production related to the Marvel universe “Captain America.” “We always wanted to make sure that you could enjoy the series even if you’ve never seen a Marvel film. And if you’ve never seen The Boys, you can still enjoy Gen V. For that [to happen], you have to have interesting characters and stories that you can identify with. Then it’s the same universe, just as bloody, outrageous and funny,” explains Fazekas. Some of the most representative characters from The Boys, such as Profundo or A-Train, even appear in brief cameos so that the viewer does not forget that the protagonists of Gen V share the same universe.
However, Generation V’s tone, character choices, and stories have a more feminine, even feminist perspective than The Boys. Fazekas confirms this feminist undercurrent, a product of a diverse and female-heavy writers’ room that is reflected in other areas of the show, from production to direction. “In the first episode, Marie’s power manifests itself when she gets her period. When I read it, this series really intrigued me because people are still uncomfortable talking about and watching this topic. We had an interesting conversation in the writers’ room because some men thought that when a girl had her period, it was like her sex life was starting, and we women told them, no, absolutely not, it’s not like having one Man having a wet dream. It’s a completely different experience. [The fact] that we’re still having this conversation in 2023… That’s why I think it’s great that the series starts this way.”
Jaz Sinclair, in a picture from “Gen V.”Brooke Palmer (Brooke Palmer/Prime Video)
Other scenes show sexual violence against women. In the first episode, Emma is forced into sex after she grows small. On the screen we see a tiny woman clutching a huge penis. In another episode, Marie is sexually assaulted and, without elaborating, will use her blood control ability to defend herself against her attacker. “These are situations that the women in the writers’ room agreed to; “If it hadn’t happened to them, they would have known people who had been in such dangerous situations with men before.”
Although Gen V is inspired by a story arc in The Boys comics, the series only follows it in a very superficial way. Fazekas explains that they had complete freedom in designing the story and characters. “I had the same experience at Marvel. They publish years of comics and millions of different versions of the same character, so they never tell you: You have to do it this way. It wouldn’t make any sense. Plus, it’s a different medium.” Furthermore, there were no limits to the series’ depiction of the many bloody and violent scenes. “The only limit is the one we impose on ourselves: we cannot be violent just to do something bloody. No matter how crazy things get on The Boys, there always has to be a reason for it. If it is not backed up by reality, it will come across as empty and stupid. Even if Sam imagines a puppet fight [as happens in the fifth episode], which may seem ridiculous, but makes sense for his character in the series. “I’m sure Amazon has limits on what you can see, but we’re not there yet,” the showrunner explains.
Chance Perdomo, in a picture from “Gen V.” Brooke Palmer
In an entertainment industry with so many superhero stories in film and television, one might be surprised at how well-received the two series have been. What makes them different? “That’s a good question because I think there are a lot of superhero stories too, and it was a risk to do another series about superheroes. I was afraid that people would already be fed up with it. But I think what The Boys does really well is turn everything you know about these stories on its head. These people have superpowers, okay, but what are they really like? Because some of them would be psychopaths, some of them would be terrible people… they won’t all be people with impeccable morals,” says Michele Fazekas.
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