The Supes Of Gen V Aren't Antiheroes - They're Only Human
This post contains spoilers for episode 6 of "Gen V," "Jumanji."
Supes have never been perfect in the world of "The Boys," and "Gen V" illustrates this further by zeroing in on the broken, messy lives of vulnerable teen Supes trapped under Vought's thumb. While "The Boys" illustrates the extremes of Supe megalomania, along with the shades of grey that exist within such power structures, "Gen V" paints its young Supes as innately human, in spite of their powers.
The series' focal point, Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) is a prime example of a young girl forced to make tough decisions to shield herself from further harm, as Marie's trauma only fuels her need to prove herself, and this path is littered with unsavory choices that are often immoral in nature. This does not make Marie or the other kids antiheroes — at least, not yet — as they're grappling with issues that make them as emotionally exposed and vulnerable as those without powers.
In "Jumanji," the latest episode of the show, Marie, along with Andre (Chance Perdomo) and Jordan (London Thor/Derek Lu) find themselves trapped inside the mind of Cate (Maddie Phillips), who collapses after overusing her abilities. After the shocking reveal about Cate in the previous episode, where she is seen wiping everyone's memories repeatedly, the group is understandably wary of her, until they witness her memories throughout the years inside the mind forest visions they're trapped in. Each individual feels exposed after their deepest secrets are revealed during this shared hallucination, but this experience only proves that despite being broken, these Supes are equally susceptible to making mistakes as the rest of us, and that they finally have a choice to make the right call.
Human folly
As the trio ventures into the depths of Cate's mind, they witness an incident she had mentioned before: namely, how her brother, Caleb, went missing after she accidentally pushed him and told him to never come back. We learn that Cate's mother regarded her as a monster after this accident, and locked her up to prevent her from potentially harming others. The constant, accumulated trauma of being isolated and abandoned made Cate feel lost and unwanted until Dean Shetty (Shelley Conn) approached her with empathy and kindness.
It is now known that Shetty's veneer of motherly concern is just a cruel facade, but Cate obviously did not know that at the time, and she got lured into a web of manipulation. While Shetty helps Cate regain some autonomy over her life, she quickly turns Cate into her pawn, using her powers to subdue Luke (Patrick Schwarzenegger). With Cate's help, Shetty was able to keep the Woods a secret, but Cate only ever felt that her actions kept her friends safe. The others understand Cate's reasons for her continued compliance with Shetty's plans, and silently empathize with her trauma, but also acknowledge that this does not absolve her of her betrayal, as she always had a choice.
After a hilarious, absurd run-in with an imaginary Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), the group realizes that they might die inside Cate's mind if they don't wake her up. This journey reveals unsavory truths: Andre was sleeping with Cate way before Luke's death, Jordan had covered up for Brink by betraying Luke, which had earned them their TA position, and Marie's deepest fears lie in her guilt of accidentally murdering her parents. The reveals are messy, but they inject complexities into every character while highlighting the demons they carried within all along.
Deeper truths
The mind forest leaves every person vulnerable, as their deepest, darkest secrets are revealed for everyone to see. Marie has to relive that horrible, fateful day and is forced to confront the guilt she feels about her sister, who accuses her of being a murderer. Marie's visceral, tearful apology is most heartbreaking to watch, as she reiterates that she never meant to harm anyone as she barely understood her powers to begin with. This realization prompts her to confront Cate, and the trio convinces her that while it is not her fault, she needs to make the right choice: wake up and right the wrongs before it's too late.
Every other reveal in the episode deals with a difficult choice made and the guilt that consumes the individual after. Andre definitely betrayed Luke when he slept with Cate, but he also admits that he loves her, and acknowledges his horrible behavior and wishes things were different. As for Jordan, they're acutely aware of their compliance in the Brink situation, as they are confronted by themselves in the vision and labeled a "coward" for condoning injustice just because someone was "nice" to them. Jordan knows they should have chosen differently, and that their choice might have saved Luke, but they simply wanted to be seen and acknowledged after a lifetime of being sidelined. While this doesn't excuse their actions, it definitely adds nuance to it.
In the end, everything boils down to choice, and Cate wakes up after realizing that she cannot run away from the mess she helped create. The others realize this too — although the world demands cruel decisions often, and it is only human to slip up, what matters is the drive to be better.
Episodes of "Gen V" are currently streaming on Prime Video.