The first Gen V trailer is full of The Boys Easter eggs and other references to the stories of Homelander and Vought. The Boys’ second spinoff following the animated series The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Gen V is set to be an ambitious project as it will take the concept behind The Boys comics’ We Gotta Go Now arc and expand it into a full series. Gen V is being described as a “college show meets Hunger Games” in the world of The Boys, and it will follow Marie Moreau and other young supes. Similar to Diabolical, it seems like Gen V will often reference The Boys and its characters.
Given how successful The Boys has been, it is no surprise that the show has already gotten two spinoffs. Before The Boys returns for season 4 continuing the battle between Homelander and Billy Butcher, audiences will get the chance of revisiting the world of The Boys in Gen V. Although Gen V will follow mostly original characters, there will be well-known faces from The Boys in the spinoff series. Gen V is also set to show more of how vast Vought’s power and influence in the world is, thus fleshing out more the universe The Boys season 1 introduced. Here are all The Boys Easter eggs and characters in the Gen V trailer.
Marie Moreau Was In The Boys
Considering that Marie Moreau is not in The Boys comics, not much can be inferred about the seemly Gen V protagonist. However, Marie Moreau technically appeared in The Boys first. When Hughie and Starlight are investigating Victoria Neuman’s past in the Red Institute, it’s possible to notice a “Marie M.” file for 17-year-old supes. Given how Gen V is expected to take place concurrently with the latest seasons of The Boys, it makes sense for Marie Moreau to be 17 during the events of The Boys season 3. Gen V will see Marie as a first-year supes-college student, suggesting a year or less between season 3 and the spinoff.
Lamplighter Statue
The Boys’ tragically comic humor continues in Gen V as seen by the Lamplighter statue at the beginning of the Gen V trailer. Lamplighter, who appeared in The Boys season 2, was said to be retired at the beginning of the story in The Boys season 1. Starlight joined The Seven precisely to replace Lamplighter, who appeared to have been retired with honors but had actually been demoted from a member of The Seven to a Sage Grove Center employee. Lamplighter died toward the end of The Boys season 2 after using his powers on himself, and, given his complicated history with The Seven, Vought probably never made his death public.
Homelander Statue
Seeing a Homelander statue at a Vought institution is no surprise. Homelander is Vought’s flagship hero, leader of the Seven, and has recently become Vought itself. However, given how The Boys season 3 ended, it will be interesting to see how young supes see the leader of The Seven now that a lot about Homelander has been exposed to the public. Gen V will likely cover a post-The Boys season 3 timeline, meaning that it will have the chance of showing how Homelander and Ryan's smile in front of their fans at the end of season 3 has changed how the world perceives Vought’s most powerful supes.
A-Train Vending Machine
The Boys’ A-Train is also referenced in the Gen V trailer through a vending machine. Close to the A-Train vending machine, there is a door with the word “murderer” painted on it, suggesting that A-Train’s reputation may have still not been fully restored following The Boys season 1. A-Train killed Hughie’s girlfriend Robin while running under the effects of Compound V – something that Vought tried to write off as a simple accident. Still, given how often The Boys’ supes will do something awful only to continue being famous, whoever protested against A-Train at the campus must also be against Vought’s overall approach when it comes to The Seven members.
Black Noir Sign On The Door
Lamplighter, Homelander, and A-Train are not the only members of The Seven referenced in the Gen V trailer. A “don’t enter” sign featuring Black Noir can be noticed twice in the Gen V trailer – first on the door close to the A-Train vending machine and then in a different setting. Considering that Black Noir died at the end of The Boys season 3, it will be interesting to see how Vought will publicly deal with the death of one of its most important supes – if at all. The Boys season 4 will have a new Black Noir, suggesting that Vought might never make the original Noir’s death public.
Queen Maeve Movie Poster
Fictional movies featuring The Seven and other Vought supes are among the most hilarious elements in The Boys. From Homelander Origins to Dawn of the Seven, The Boys has parodied several popular superhero films from both Marvel and DC. The pop-cultural impact of Vought’s superhero movies featuring The Seven can be seen in the Gen V trailer. A Queen Maeve movie poster is shown upside down during a brief shot of a character’s bedroom. The movie in question is Queen Maeve: Her Majesty, which first appeared on a wall at Vought during The Boys season 1.
Sage Grove Center Easter Egg
In The Boys season 2, audiences were introduced to the Sage Grove Center – a Vought mental health institute. Just like everything Vought was involved in, the Sage Grove Center had a secret sinister purpose – it was where Vought conducted Compound V experiments on humans. The Sage Grove Center is where Lamplighter worked before betraying Vought once again, and it is also where The Boys season 2 introduced Cindi, who many expect to appear in Gen V. In the Gen V trailer, a character in what seems to be Sage Grove Center patient clothes is carried by several security guards, suggesting that they may be a powerful supes.
Ashley Barret Appears In Gen V
Colby Minifie will reprise her role as The Boys’ Ashley in Gen V. As the CEO of Vought International following Stan Edgard’s exit from the company due to Neuman’s betrayal in The Boys season 3, it makes sense for Ashley to appear in the Gen V spinoff series. Marie Moreau and the other young supes will attend a Vought college institution, meaning that the search for Vought’s next contracted supes not only for The Seven but for the entire country starts there. It’s currently not clear how much there will be of Ashley in Gen V.
Adam Bourke Appears In Gen V
P.J. Byrnes will reprise his role as The Boys’ Adam Bourke in Gen V. Adam Bourke is the filmmaker behind some of Vought’s most important movies, including the often-referenced Dawn of the Seven, a direct reference to movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. Bourke first appeared in The Boys season 2 pitching The Seven’s next movies for Vought. The Boys season 3 opened with the premiere of Dawn of the Seven, and it revealed that Ashley and Bourke have an affair. It remains to be seen what role the director Bourke will have in Gen V.
A-Train Appears In Gen V
Jessie Usher will reprise his role as The Boys’ A-Train in Gen V. The most significant The Boys cameo in Gen V so far revealed, A-Train was first referenced in the Gen V trailer through the vending machine Easter egg and then appeared in person toward the end. It seems like A-Train is giving an interview at Vought’s Tower, suggesting that Gen V will not be restricted to the college setting. A-Train is one of the few remaining members of The Seven who is still loyal to Homelander after The Boys season 3, which might help his popularity points to rise.
Puppet Deep
The Deep is often a PR disaster for Vought and The Seven. However, The Deep is now one of the few supes Homelander can trust, thus explaining why Deep remains a member of The Seven after the events of The Boys season 3. Deep’s loyalty to Homelander can also explain his return to the spotlight as seen in the Gen V trailer. A The Deep puppet in what seems to be a Sesame Street parody briefly appears in the Gen V trailer. It is currently not clear whether The Deep himself will appear on Gen V.
Red River Institute Easter Egg
Vought’s influence on the world goes includes private colleges, mental health institutions, and an orphanage for supes. The Red River Institute appeared on The Boys season 3 during Annie and Hughie’s investigation, and it is where Victoria Neuman spent her childhood before being adopted by Stan Edgard. The Red River Institute continued to be an important asset for Vought, similar to the Sage Grove Center. Given how Marie Moreau is a former resident of the Red River Institute, Gen V might feature flashbacks of her time at the supes orphanage to better flesh out the character.