How Gen V's Season 2 Finale Sets Up The Boys Season 5

This article contains spoilers for "Gen V" season 2.

The sophomore season of "Gen V" is over, and it earned passing marks (read /Film's review here). In season finale, "Trojan," Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) and her friends managed to defeat Thomas Godolkin (Ethan Slater), the psychic Social Darwinist who founded Godolkin University. Godolkin was only a small fish compared to Homelander (Antony Starr), the primary villain of parent show "The Boys," who established the supes-first regime explored in "Gen V" season 2.

Polarity (Sean Patrick Thomas), a magnetic-powered supe and the father of their late friend Andre (Chance Perdomo), tells the kids they have to run. If they don't, Homelander and Vought International will pin Godolkin's massacre of God U students on them. Marie wants to stand and fight ... and the episode's ending gives her that chance.

As they're driving, Starlight/Annie (Erin Moriarty) drops in and offers them a place in "the resistance." Annie, the only member of the Boys who escaped being captured by Homelander's forces back in "The Boys" season 4 finale, has been running since and last met Marie in the "Gen V" season 2 premiere. How did Starlight find them? She had some help from another supe: the super speedster A-Train (Jessie T. Usher). 

A-Train underwent some important character growth in "The Boys" season 4. He was last seen running for the Canadian border in that season, leaving it unclear how he would factor into "The Boys" season 5. Now we know: He's teamed up with Annie and will be actively fighting against Homelander with her and the others.

The 2025 Comic-Con teaser for "The Boys" season 5 confirmed that Jordan (Derek Luh/London Thor) from "Gen V" would be appearing. Expect to see all of their classmates too; "Trojan" closes on their determined faces, scored to Nine Inch Nails' "The Hand That Feeds," the perfect song for preparing a rebellion.

It's unclear how big of a part the "Gen V" characters will play on "The Boys." Obviously, that show already has its hands full concluding the stories of its own cast. As of this writing, "Gen V" has also not been renewed for a third season. It's possible they could carry on this show's arcs into "The Boys," but series creator Eric Kripke has said he doesn't want people needing to watch both shows to understand only one of them. This ending is as blatant an advertisement for "The Boys" season 5 as you can get, though, so maybe Kripke has already lost there.

What does seem likely is that Annie will lead the Gen V kids to rescue the Boys from the internment camps where they're locked up, probably in the season 5 premiere. Based on how "Gen V" picked up from its own season 1 cliffhanger, "The Boys" isn't the type of show to keep its leads locked up for too long. Sam (Asa Germann) and Cate (Maddie Phillips) from "Gen V" are the ones who helped capture the Boys Frenchie (Tomer Capone) and Kimiko (Karen Fukahura), though, so that's bound to be an awkward reunion.

Polarity stays behind at God U to buy the kids time, but he swears to Emma (Lizze Broadway) that he's not on a "suicide mission" anymore. The Starlighter resistance will need all the help it can get, so I'd say odds are at least 50/50 Polarity will be in "The Boys" season 5, too.

Former Vought CEO Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) appeared this past season too, setting him up to appear in "The Boys" season 5. He's hiding in an underground bunker with his supe granddaughter, Zoe (Olivia Morandin), and plotting to retake control of Vought. 

The "Gen V" kids were trying to find Edgar when Starlight surprised them, but realized they don't actually know how to contact him. Like Polarity, I'm sure Edgar will be in touch with their new resistance soon. On the opposite side of this struggle, "Gen V" also featured Sister Sage (Susan Heyward), Homelander's super-smart advisor who was in a relationship with Godolkin. She wanted him by her side, but that plan is now dead with Godolkin himself. Sage mentioned to Godolkin that she needs Homelander for "phase 2" of her plan. Presumably phase 1 was helping Homelander take over America; what phase 2 and her ultimate goal are is unclear.

Sage's appearance also gestures to one last hanging thread from "The Boys." In the season 4 finale, Homelander ordered all non-supe employees at Vought murdered. CEO Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie) injected herself with Compound V to get around the kill list. We don't see what happened to her, but Sage vaguely alludes to Ashley's "condition," so the V might've messed her up badly.

So while Homelander didn't appear onscreen in "Gen V" season 2, his presence was felt. One character the show didn't allude to at all is Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), last seen in "The Boys" season 4 driving off with a sample of a supe-killing virus. Based on how the original "The Boys" comic ended, it's plausible (but not guaranteed) that Butcher is the endgame villain, not Homelander. Even so, he wouldn't have fit organically into the story of this "Gen V" season (he wants to kill all supes, not work with them), so it made sense to leave him out. Butcher's fate is a question that can only be answered by "The Boys" season 5.

"Gen V" is streaming on Prime Video. "The Boys" season 5 is set to premiere in 2026.