Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Gen V.
The latest spin-off from Prime Video’s The Boys universe adds its own flavor to churn out an exciting new addition to the diabolical world set up by its predecessor. While Gen V introduces a new set of strong characters, it does not hold back in displaying its deep associations with The Boys. In fact, there are ample hints spread across the first few episodes of Gen V that suggest the spin-off’s greater relevance in the context of the events of The Boys. For fans craving any kind of insight into the story of The Boys Season 4, Gen V packs some interesting surprises throughout the episodes.
Season 3 of The Boys paved the way for some of the most baffling twists in the series, laying the groundwork for a hyped Season 4 before it was delayed somewhat due to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. With the strike now over, there’s hope for eager fans to finally get the answers to the questions they’ve been looking for. While it will still take some time for The Boys to return for a fourth season, Gen V has managed to give some insights into the aftermath of Season 3’s events. Consequently, there’s ample evidence to suggest where exactly Gen V lies on The Boys’ timeline.
‘Gen V’ Takes Place After Season 3 of ‘The Boys’
Many events that have occurred in Season 3 of The Boys are either slightly or overtly hinted at in the first set of episodes of Gen V, along with cameos by certain characters from The Boys. Gen V establishes its connection with The Boys right off the bat, with its opening scene taking the fans back to A-Train’s (Jessie T. Usher) induction into the Seven. Quite quickly and conveniently, Gen V makes it clear that it neither intends to exist independently nor does it take place in isolation, away from the chaos of The Boys. In the television news broadcast, former Vought executive Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue) makes an appearance, along with A-Train. Although this scene does not really help place Gen V in the timeline, it does reveal a direct connection — something the spin-off continues to sustain. The next time Gen V Episode 1 “God U.” refers to an event from The Boys, the timeline of events becomes crystal clear.
Nearly midway into the first episode, the Department Chairman of Crimefighting at Godolkin, Richard Brinkerhoff (Clancy Brown), informs the most popular and powerful Supe at the school, Golden Boy (Patrick Schwarzenegger), that he’s being offered a direct draft into the Seven, thanks to the void left by the exit of Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott) and Starlight (Erin Moriarty) after the events of Season 3 of The Boys. In the “Herogasm” episode, Starlight broke to her fans that she was quitting the Seven, and the shocking events of the season finale also removed Queen Maeve from the team. After effectively faking her own death, Maeve seems to have retired with her partner by the end of Season 3 in the hope that Homelander (Antony Starr) will never find her. The conversation between Brinkerhoff and Golden Boy makes it even more evident that Gen V’s events are set after Season 3 of The Boys.
‘Gen V’ Episode 2 Hints at Homelander’s Fate in ‘The Boys’ Season 4
Although Golden Boy’s tragic death at the end of Episode 1 prevents his entry into The Seven, it paves the way for the return of another The Boys character, Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie), who still seems to be running things at Vought in the best ways she can. She took over the reins at Vought after Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) was ousted by Homelander in Season 3 of The Boys. Speaking of Homelander, his fate was left hanging by a thread at the end of the third season when he murdered a protestor in broad daylight in front of a supportive crowd. While one would think that this act would evoke shock and disgust from the spectators, Homelander finds himself surprised when the crowd continues to cheer for him.
Somewhere near halfway through Episode 2, “First Day,” Gen V spills possibly the biggest revelation about The Boys and the aftermath of the third season. In a news snippet that comes just moments before VNN regular Cameron Coleman (Matthew Edison) makes an appearance to share updates regarding the mystery surrounding Golden Boy’s death, the fate of Homelander post-Season 3 finale is hinted at, with the snippet suggesting that Homelander may be on trial for the murder. However, when Season 4 finally arrives, the challenges of putting the most powerful Supe behind bars may come to the forefront, even if such a fate awaits the Seven’s former leader.
Does ‘Gen V’ Take Place After ‘The Boys’ Season 4?
There are other minor references in Gen V that place the events of the spin-off after the anti-climactic end of The Boys Season 3. For instance, in another news report, the Seven Tower is shown in a destroyed state, thanks to Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), who destroyed the greatest symbol of Vought’s strength in Episode 8, “The Instant White-Hot Wild.” While there’s ample proof in Gen V to suggest that the events of the spin-off take place after Season 3, the official confirmation from The Boys’ X handle further helps in placing Gen V in the context of the upcoming season of the original series, saying: “If we’re clearin up the timeline, @genv takes place between S3 and S4. So the kiddos at God U all saw Homelander laser a guy’s head off to the sound of thunderous applause.”
Considering everything we’ve learned so far, it seems that Gen V will likely set up at least some of the story for Season 4 of The Boys. At the very least, it may help fill some gaps in the story of the two seasons while providing some solid updates to contextualize Season 4’s events. While Gen V seems to offer a lot for fans new to the series and its bloody world, the spin-off shows significant promise for the fans of the original series who have been left waiting due to the delay in the release of The Boys Season 4.
New episodes of Gen V premiere Fridays on Prime Video.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
