When I look back on this past semester, “The Boys” is one of the most prominent TV shows that I’ve watched, and it really stands out. This 3-season series details what life would be like if superheroes actually existed in real life, and pokes a lot of fun at large superhero comic/movie industries like Marvel and DC. The spin-off of this show, “Gen V”, recently released on Amazon Prime and is just as good in quality of episodes. These two shows point out a lot of flaws that come with having real superheroes, and show how superheroes fit into highly controversial areas of American life such as politics and large mega-corporations that seem to control everything. Small spoiler: a lot of it isn’t pretty.
The main story of “The Boys” follows a young man named Hughie Campbell. Hughie is very mild mannered; he works a part time job at a tech store, lives with his dad, has a loving girlfriend, Robin, and has never really questioned the superhero system. However, when Robin is killed in a freak accident involving a superhero (or a “Supe” as they’re nicknamed), we get a glimpse into the not-so-pretty world behind the scenes. Vought, a large media conglomerate that “owns” these Supes, offers to pay off Hughie in exchange for keeping his mouth shut about the incident. But when Hughie gets involved with some others, a group of rebels who want him to look deeper into this, he is forced to confront the dark truth behind the superhero industry.
“Gen V” (the letter V, not the Roman numeral) takes place in the same world, around the same time as the end of the third season of “The Boys.” This is where we meet Marie Moreau, a teenager who has superpowers, and is enrolling for a superhero college, Godolken University. Marie is not entirely unfamiliar with the darkness behind being a Supe, but discovers that something is going on at this seemingly peaceful school. As she uncovers more, the administration turns against her, she doesn’t know which of her peers to trust, and even Vought starts to get involved with some corporate action. Will she expose the truth behind Godolken, or will there be yet another cover-up by Vought? Only time will tell, as episodes of the first season are currently coming out weekly on Amazon Prime.
One thing that I think this show does very well is make these heroes feel similar to certain popular names from Marvel and DC franchises, while not making carbon copies of the characters. It makes for a different feel, especially since a lot of these characters feel more real than a Marvel or DC superhero. For example, Captain America in the Marvel films seems like his moral compass is largely unaffected by the world around him, which doesn’t make for an incredibly interesting character. One of the main Supes in “The Boys”, who is known as Homelander, is sort of a ripoff of Captain America, with a bit of Superman thrown in. Homelander is a very complex character, and has a lot of very odd views, but appears as a shining figurehead to the public. This makes for such interesting character writing, and the things that he does in private are often outlandish or even barbaric to some, contrasting his superhero persona. Even the characters that aren’t Supes, which is a good chunk of the main cast, are still written very well, with tragic but semi-realistic backstories that make for a dynamic and interesting group of people.
“The Boys” and “Gen V” are both very well written shows with very interesting plots, especially if you’re familiar with the traditional superhero-based media. I would recommend watching “The Boys” first, but “Gen V” can also be experienced without the larger context. A word of caution when entering this series, it is not for the faint of heart. It is very gory, almost unnecessarily so, and there is a lot of violent action. That being said, if you feel up to it, I very highly recommend it. “The Boys” and “Gen V” are both available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, with episodes of “Gen V” currently coming out weekly and a fourth season of “The Boys” most likely coming out in 2024 or early 2025.
