Gen V's Gender-Swapping Superhero: Jordan's Superpowers Explained
The following article contains minor spoilers for the first three episodes of "Gen V."
The supe students at Godolkin University in Prime Video's "The Boys" spin-off "Gen V" have some pretty standard powers, though there are a few truly unconventional ones that stand out. Some of the most unique powers in the series (and perhaps comic book television) belong to Jordan Li, who can shift between a male and female form, played by Derek Luh and London Thor respectively. Jordan has different superpowers depending on which form they're in, which leads to lots of quick switching back and forth between forms in order to have the most useful powers for any given situation. It's absolutely wild to see, but it's also a pretty interesting allegory for gender-non-conforming people in our own world.
A supe's powers and identity are already inextricably entwined, but it seems like it's even more intense in Jordan's case. When we first meet them, they're the second ranked student at Godolkin and work as esteemed crimefighting professor Brinkerhoff's (Clancy Brown) secretary. Despite their loyalty, incredible work ethic, and physical fighting capabilities, they're often dismissed because their powers and gender identity are considered "too confusing" by Vought, who owns Godolkin. "Confusing" is a word that genderqueer and bigender people have heard about themselves forever, so let's clear up a few things about Jordan, their powers, and how those powers give "Gen V" a way to explore gender in a new way.
Some nuanced representation
Jordan's supe abilities give them different powers based on whether they're in male or female form: as a male, they are indestructible and deflect bullets, while as a female they have agility powers and can shoot energy from their hands. They can switch back and forth at a moment's notice, giving them the kind of gender fluidity many can only dream about (especially in the real world, but also that of the "Gen V"/"The Boys" universe). In the first two episodes, they appear in both forms interchangeably, and their gender is never brought up outside of Marie (Jaz Sinclair) quickly correcting herself when she initially uses the wrong pronouns. However, the third episode gives audiences more of a look into Jordan's identity.
During a gala attended by many of the students and their parents, Jordan's father repeatedly misgenders them, using he/him pronouns and referring to him as "my son." He also comments that Jordan's powers weren't the gift he anticipated giving his child and that Jordan could simply choose to always present as a man.
Jordan changes to their female form and tells their father that their powers weren't where their gender non-conformity began and that they've always been the same person, they've just been Jordan. It's a speech that should absolutely resonate with any non-binary person who has had to explain what that means. People around Jordan try to fit them into a box of "boy" or "girl," but they're more fluid than that. Their powers could have easily been reduced to trope-y nonsense or to reinforce ideas about the gender binary, but Jordan gives gender non-conforming superhero fans some smart, nuanced representation.
More than your pronoun jokes
Like having superpowers, gender can be complicated. For people who don't identify as men or women, seeing those complexities on TV is rare. Sure, there are more non-binary and genderqueer characters on TV than ever before, just as there are shows like "Our Flag Means Death" that have managed to give us wonderful non-binary characters like Jim (Vico Ortiz) without any fantastical conceits, which is obviously very important. The problem is, there are too many shows that resort to bad tropes (as is the case with Sara Ramirez's radio host Che on "And Just Like That"), making tired pronoun jokes and providing a very narrow depiction of what non-binary people actually look and act like.
Well-intentioned films and shows can also go to the opposite extreme by portraying non-binary people in an overly idealized light rather than allowing them to be as multifaceted and flawed as everyone else. That's not the case with Jordan on "Gen V," who gets to be their own character — a competitive, catty person who's embittered by years of being treated poorly just because of who they are. They know that they're not being given opportunities from Vought because their ethnicity and gender identity won't vibe with the conglomerate's conservative audiences and it's made them jaded, which feels understandable! And while their identity is a part of the story, it's not their only identifying trait either. Jordan gets to be a whole person, for both good and bad, and that rules.
New episodes of "Gen V" premiere Fridays on Prime Video.