Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for the Gen V Season 1 finale.
Through its eight-episode first season which culminated in a shocking finale,Gen Vonly slightly teased the presence of the walking menace called Homelander (Antony Starr). While it was evident quite early into the season ofThe Boysspinoff that the events ofGen Vwould directly impact the world of the parent series, it’s the arrival of the leader of The Seven at Godolkin University that leads to the merging of the two worlds in Season 1, Episode 8, “Guardians of Godolkin.”All thepivotal threads ofGen Vfuse together in the finale episodeto set up what could possibly be the end ofThe Boys.Billy Butcher’s (Karl Urban) brief appearance at the end ofGen VSeason 1 could lead to great consequences that will be explored in Season 4 ofThe Boys– something also teased by the latest posters hyping up the final potential showdown between Butcher and Homelander.
From the world of “The Boys” comes “Gen V,” which explores the first generation of superheroes to know that their super powers are from Compound V. These heroes put their physical and moral boundaries to the test competing for the school’s top ranking.
‘Gen V’s Supe-Killing Virus Could Be a Game Changer for Butcher
From the get-go,The Boyshas been the heroic but struggle-filled tale of a bunch of measly humans trying to match up against the great evil of the Compound V-powered Supes, led by the unchallenged Homelander. For much of the three seasons ofThe Boys, the major chunk of the story revolves around the measures the team, led by Butcher, would take to tip the scales in their favor in a battle where the odds favor the mighty Supes. As established quite early inThe Boys, Butcher and his gang need a master plan to bring down Homelander.
The existence of the Supe-killing virus, thanks to Dean Shetty’s (Shelley Conn) unbridled hatred of the kind, creates the potential for a very potent solution to Butcher’s problem.It could be safely assumed that Butcher’s investigation of the Woods, as teased by the cameo in theGen Vfinale, would be motivated by his search for the virus, which now remains in the hands of Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit). By revealing the existence of such a virus andbringing key characters fromThe Boys, such as Butcher and Grace Mallory (Laila Robins) to its world,Gen Vcould really be setting up the circumstances that could bring an end to the reign of Homelander, thus also ushering the end ofThe Boys.
In Season 3 ofThe Boys, the introduction of a Compound V variant, which can be used by humans to temporarily gain superhuman powers, finally puts some hope into the hands of the boys. Much to the disappointment of Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), Butcher’s decision to take Compound V in order to yield powers nearly equal to that of Homelander heightens the stakes of the rivalry between the two — but even then, it is only a matched battle at its best. As a result,the Butcher-Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles)-Homelander showdown in the Season 3 finaledoes not culminate in any defining events for the world ofThe Boys,at large.
Homelander’s public embracing of the anarchist mentality breeding in his mind, through the public killing during a protest in the Season 3 finale, only further strengthens his position as the big bad of the series. In the end, Soldier Boy’s existence only ends up distracting the arch-rivals from meting out diabolical-level punishment when they stand against each other. Moreover, Butcher may have lost his only chance to exact revenge on Homelander considering it’s discovered earlier in the season by Starlight (Erin Moriarty) that the regular usage of Compound V leads to fatal side effects. In its culminating moments, if anything, Season 3 ofThe Boysonly leaves Homelander more powerful than before, with his sociopathic actions out for the public to enjoy and him evoking cheers from his followers.
‘Gen V’ Fuels the Enmity Between Butcher and Homelander
In terms of ensuring that the battle ahead remains a matched one,Gen Vachieves a great deal, and the spin-off complements its parent series extremely well by putting in place some crucial details that would dictate the fate of the larger universe, beyond thegates of Godolkin.The events ofGen Vhelp bring some balance to the war against the might of Homelander and his team of crazy (and extremely powerful) Supes, which now include Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Sam (Asa Germann).
After realizing that the university basically serves as a lab for Vought (and the humans, in turn) to study Supes, Cate develops a deep hatred for Dean Shetty and her kind, and her subsequent actions invite the Supes vs. humans conflict fromThe Boysto the doors of Godolkin. The seeds of an unannounced war – the one between humans and Supes – were sowed first through Homelander’s interaction with former lover and Nazi Supe Stormfront (Aya Cash). When Cate’s hatred for Dean Shetty develops into a full-fledged war against all humansin theGen VSeason 1 finale, Cate’s killing rampage of the humans on campus sets up the perfect stage for the arrival of Homelander, who seems to share a similar opinion on the dynamics between humans and Supes.The bloodshed at Godolkin may only be a precursor to the larger war at hand.
The Guardians of Godolkin Can Join Hands with Billy’s Boys in Season 4
The events post-Homelander’s arrival end up leaving the ones who were trying to pacify the situation – Marie (Jaz Sinclair), Andre (Chance Perdomo), Jordan (Derek Luh/London Thor), and Emma (Lizze Broadway) – as victims in the larger plan being mapped out by Homelander. In a bid to push his own ideology, Homelander paints the group as perpetrators of the violence, and Cate and Sam become the “Guardians of Godolkin” in the eyes of the public, possibly thanks toAshley Barrett (Colby Minifie), who runs the business of Vought on Homelander’s behalf. Clearly, the four students of Godolkin find themselves at the losing end of the battle when they wake up in a captive facility. Even though the young bloods have not chosen a side, it appears that fate has chosen them in a war against Homelander and his evil schemes.This fate for the four highlights the potential of their possible union with Butcher and his team in a battle against Homelander.No longer are Marie and her friends part of a university-level conspiracy, but a piece of a bigger conflict that has its roots inThe Boys.
The teaming up of the Boys and the “real” guardians of Godolkin can mean that Homelander’s battle is no longer just with a bunch of easily wasteable humans. Let us not forget how Marie’s powers are shown to be as great as Victoria Neuman’s and howEmma is given a great edge by a surprise reveal which suggests that she may be able to control her size at her will. Moreover, the existence of the Supe virus and Butcher’s discovery of the Woods hints that his path may cross with Marie and that gang, establishing the real threat that Homelander may need to face inSeason 4 ofThe Boys. Also, for the first time in the world ofThe Boys, there is a definitive threat to the unchallenged strength of Homelander. For obvious reasons, if Butcher somehow gets his hands on the potent virus and uses it against Homelander and his band of evil Supes, Homelander may not be able to get away from the threat this time by lasering or manipulating his way out.
‘Gen V’s Virus Reveal Sets Up ‘The Boys’ Comics Ending
The existence of the Supe-killing virus, created by Dr. Cardoza (Marco Pigossi) in the Woods, also increases the potential forThe Boysto follow the comic book ending. In the comics, Butcher gets his hands on a biological chemical weapon – a variant of Compound V – that helps him, in one instance, eliminate 150 Supes in one go. Although the comic book ending does not show Butcher successfully being able to kill Homelander (as Homelander gets killed by Black Noir in the comics following a weird twist of events), Butcher does plan to eliminate the existence of Supes from the face of Earth.
The contagious nature of the virus makes the possibility of this feat a real one. Also, given thatBlack Noir(Nathan Mitchell) was killed by Homelander in Season 3,The Boysmay need to come up with a different version of the comic ending to ensure that Homelander meets his demise.At this moment,after the events ofThe BoysSeason 3andGen VSeason 1, the virus seems to be the best shot for Butcher to claim his vengeance.In any case, even in the comics, the existence of the virus becomes a pivotal factor that sets up the eventual ending of the story, beyond the death of Homelander.
Gen V’s events not only set upThe BoysSeason 4but shift the power dynamics in a way that blows open the gritty world ofThe Boysand sets up various possible endings for the series in its entirety.Let us not forget that Victoria Neuman, a Supe herself, stands in possession of the virus at the moment. The presidential candidate seems to have some motives that remain under the veil for now. Moreover, Homelander has found new allies in Sam and Cate in a situation where he’s being tried for the killing of a protestor, which was hinted at in Episode 1 ofGen V.The recent massacre at Godolkin further creates greater tensions in the world ofThe Boysas Homelander will find it easier to navigate his way and further push the extent of his influence in Season 4. Evidently,Gen V’sSeason 1 finale and the events preceding it have forever changed the course of the world ofThe Boys.
