Gen V Season 2 review: An essential but flawed chapter of The Boys

Gen V Season 2 is a bit try-hard; The Boys is diabolical, but its spinoff only aspires to be. Nevertheless, if you can tolerate its schtick, it’s an entertaining, even shocking follow-up – and pivotal for what’s to come.

Some (annoying) people love to point out the apparent hypocrisy of Gen V’s existence. The Boys was conceived as a parody of superheroes and pop culture’s obsession with them, but its enormous success has led to two spinoffs, plus a prequel (Vought Rising) that’s in production. Vought would be very pleased.

However, you can’t say this about Marvel (or DC… yet): it is a franchise built on bloody, eyebrow-raising evolution, whether it’s disgusting bedroom mishaps (lest we forget the Termite incident) or increasingly overt overlaps with the political state of the nation(s) – even the show’s creator, Eric Kripke, believes our world has morphed into The Boys, sans supes.

Also, beyond any other justification, the first season of Gen V was great; well-cast, hilarious, delightfully grim, and a natural extension of the flagship series. Season 2 simply isn’t as good, but I can’t say there isn’t fun to be had.

What is Gen V Season 2 about?

Cast your mind back to the end of Gen V Season 1: Marie (Jaz Sinclair), a blood-bender, was zapped by Homelander’s laser vision. She woke up in a mysterious, windowless facility with Jordan (London Thor/Derek Luh), Emma (Lizze Broadway), and Andre (Chance Perdomo).

For reasons I shan’t divulge, they all end up back at Godolkin University, where they frostily reunite with traitorous recruits Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Sam (Asa Germann) – with the exception of Andre. Perdomo died in March 2024, and the series takes great care to navigate his sudden exit from the story and pay tribute to the star.

It isn’t a spoiler to say Annie, aka Starlight (Erin Moriarty), asks Marie to help with something called Project Odessa. There’s also the small matter of Cipher (Hamish Linklater), Godolkin’s new dean, who believes Marie could be as powerful as – if not more than – Homelander… but at what cost, and to serve whose agenda?

Gen V Season 2 can’t get out of its own way 

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There’s a compelling story at the heart of Season 2: Marie and her superpowered potential. Everything else is either a bit dull or bordering on irritating; anything to do with Godolkin University’s campus life is juvenile or on-the-nose, Emma and Sam’s dynamic is underdeveloped, and Phillips is a talented actress, but Cate is a rubbish character this time around. 

Jordan is the season’s most frustrating weakness. Neither Thor nor Luh delivers a convincing performance, and they are appallingly written; cyclically resentful, doubtful, and mopey. Their material is a bigger offender than their acting ability, so there’s that. 

Thankfully, when the show navigates its own messy, awkward plotting and foregrounds Marie and Cipher, it steps above its otherwise watchable but disposable state. Sinclair is terrific, and her ‘chosen one’ arc (while not as subversive as you’d imagine) is really effective – especially with The Boys Season 5 on the horizon. 

If Sinclair’s supporting cast let her down, Linklater is a perfect counterpart; a giddy menace who injects proceedings with much-needed, sometimes demented vigor. It’s palpably clear that he had a lot of fun – if only the rest of the ensemble were as affecting.

Gen V Season 2 falls on The Boys’ sword 

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Much like The Boys, Gen V has a compulsion to be referential. It can be really funny, like a Homelander supporter mentioning adrenochrome, someone saying, “If Taylor Sheridan doesn’t need a writers’ room, neither do I,” and another character claiming to have spoken to Jacob Elordi about starring in an unexpected sequel: “Saltburnt.”

Other times, it’s so blatant that it’ll make you roll your eyes, almost to the point it feels like a parody of a parody. For example, there’s an ANTIFA mention, “D-list heroes selling Vought coin”, a class in “influencer fluency”, and jabs at Elon Musk and, strangely, Julia Fox. It’s sporadically witty, but it mostly picks from low-hanging fruit.

Writing aside, it’s an ugly-looking show that’s desperate for vibrancy, stuck in the rut of an uninspired, dreary palette. The action is fine, stronger in isolated moments than in choreographed set pieces, and it has the prerequisite bloodshed in spades – but nothing worthy of a grimace like the burst penis in Season 1.

Gen V Season 2 score: 3/5

Gen V Season 2 isn’t as funny, charming, or diabolical as it thinks it is. Yet, even when it falls victim to itself, it is entertaining, and it sticks the landing in a way that’ll leave you desperate for Season 5. Get ready: we’re in The Boys’ endgame now.

Season 2 premieres on Wednesday, September 17. Until then, check out what else is dropping this year with our 2025 TV calendar and check out our list of the best superhero shows of all time.