The first trailer for Gen V, The Boys’ first-live action spinoff, misses the point about what makes The Boys so successful. While Butcher’s fate in The Boys’ season 3 finale suggests that the main show might now be closer to ending, The Boys universe has just begun. The Boys Presents: Diabolical combined the humor and the absurdity of The Boys with the limitless possibilities animation offers and delivered a fun, unpredictable spinoff between The Boys’ seasons 2 and 3. Now, The Boys universe continues with Gen V, a show about a college for supes that will test whether The Boys' universe of live-action series can truly work.
Not much is known about Gen V’s story other than its timeline will intersect with that of The Boys season 3, meaning that everything that happened to Homelander and Vought in the main show will probably affect the spinoff. Likewise, Hughie and Starlight’s Red Institute investigation will also tie into The Boys’ spinoff, as Gen V’s main character Marie Moreau was referenced in one of the files they were reading. The fact that Gen V will have direct ties to The Boys rather than being something too distant from the main story is exciting, but it also sets up the spinoff to be compared to The Boys more often.
Gen V’s Marketing Is Focusing On The Boys’ Gore
The first Gen V trailer had just a few lines of dialogue placed among minutes of gruesome deaths and blood all over the place. While Gen V’s trailer gore quickly established that this is a The Boys spinoff, it can be interpreted as if the gore and the shock value are all that the spinoff has to offer, which is probably not the case. The Boys never limited itself to shock value despite all the absurd moments across three seasons, and there is no reason to believe that The Boys’ first live-action spinoff will do differently. Still, the first Gen V trailer tells precious little about the spinoff’s characters or story.
However, it is understandable that Gen V’s marketing is focusing on elements that audiences will associate directly with The Boys. In fact, the Gen V trailer makes sure to highlight The Boys’ characters who return for Gen V, such as Homelander and A-Train. Gen V will be an original story following mostly original characters, and the Gen V trailer should have established who those characters are and what roles they have in that world. A superhero college where potential new members of The Seven can be created by Vought is a very exciting premise, and it should be the focus of future trailers instead of just the gore.
The Boys Is Much More Than Gory Superheroes
The Boys’ true legacy is not how gruesome it can be. While Hughie often gets covered in blood in The Boys, what truly makes the show so interesting is how it continues to raise the stakes in a fictional world where all-powerful superheroes like Homelander exist. The Boys used its gore and shocking moments like Robin's death to quickly tell viewers that this world was not like other superhero stories, which works narratively and can help Gen V too. There can be a fine line between The Boys’ Homelander being scary and it all just looking like a Marvel or DC parody, and The Boys has successfully found that balance.