On the Bloody Red Carpet with the Cast of ‘Gen V’

The Boys may be ending next year, but its enduring legacy lives on with the Guardians of Godolkin! In other words, Gen V is keeping the irreverent, blood-soaked, anti-facism spirit of The Boys Universe alive at a time when we need it the most. Season 2 of the acclaimed series returns today, and to celebrate, Kelly Martinez and myself were invited to the red carpet premiere of this latest season, to get up close and personal with the next generation of supes!

The world of The Boys has grown in leaps and bounds. And today, as we’re seeing a massive increase in the abuse of power and corruption from our world leaders, this fictional universe could not horrifyingly be more relevant. We are seeing mirrors of our world and our country being reflected today in the opening episodes of Gen V.

In the aftermath of The Boys Season 4, Homelander has taken control of the government, and spread lies about Starlight being a traitor to the United States. Anti-Starlight sentiment has gripped the nation, with pro-Homelander cultists attacking any that speak out against the cruel facism laying seige to the nation (again something that ridiculously is becoming a reality today). Caught in the middle are Godolkin students, Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), Jordan Li (London Thor/Derek Luh), and Emma Meyer (Lizze Broadway), who know the truth about Homelander, and are doing everything they can to support the resistance from within the halls of their tainted university. Opposing them are acolytes of The Seven, Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips) and Sam Riordan (Asa Germann). Together, the true Guardians of Godolkin must help Starlight uncover a secret within their university that could help end Homelander, while surviving in a world where public perception via social media is everything, and their new dean, Cypher (Hamish Linklater) is not what he seems.

Watching the first two episodes of Gen V almost gave me anxiety. The “Vought Verse” was never subtle about how it attacked the relevant issues of today head on. So the parallels between pro-Homelander characters and MAGA supporters showing shocking aggression towards free speech and anti-facism resistance came as no surprise, but hit incredibly close to home. However, it’s what I’ve always admired about this franchise. Knowing that the franchise’s marquee title, The Boys, will be coming to an end next year, it made myself and Kelly wonder about how the fight via this universe’s biting satire would continue through Gen V. Thankfully our questions were beautifully answered by the show’s cast and crew as we discussed it with them at the red carpet premiere of the second season. We were able to speak with cast members Sinclair, Thor, Luh, Broadway, Phillips, Ethan Slater, and Sean Patrick Thomas, as well as showrunner Michele Fazekas and The Boys mastermind, Eric Kripke about what it means to be part of the world of The Boys, and how they hope Gen V will carry its legacy forward.

Take a look at what they all had to say here: