The Boys only premiered six years ago, but its universe has expanded rather rapidly. A spin-off web series titled Seven on 7 premiered on July 7, 2021, followed by an adult animated anthology series titled Diabolical on March 4, 2022. Unfortunately, the latter show has now been canceled. A second live-action television series titled Gen V then hit the screens on September 29, 2023, and, so far, it has been met with as much acclaim as the parent series. There’s even more news. A prequel series titled Vought Rising is in production.
How good are the two most popular shows in the shared universe? Amazing is the correct word. As is the case with many other popular television offerings, a few flaws exist, but no season of The Boys and Gen V has left the majority of fans unimpressed so far. However, not every chapter is created equal. Some are simply way better than the rest, offering greater thrills, solid character development, and more gripping plots.
Here’s a ranking of each season of The Boys and Gen V, so far.
6
‘The Boys’ Season 4
In Season 4 of The Boys, the titular vigilante team is stuck in more quagmires than usual. The unprincipled Victoria Neuman is on the fast lane to the White House, backed by Homelander. Meanwhile, Billy Butcher has been sidelined by The Boys because of his erratic behavior, following his abuse of Temp V. We also learn that he has a few months left to live. Isolated, he focuses on saving Ryan from Homelander’s manipulation. Elsewhere, Homelander recruits the super-IQ supe, Sister Sage, to shape Vought’s political agenda. The season ends with The Boys scattered and their future uncertain.
All Over the Place
The fourth chapter is a bit unique, thanks to its blend of surrealism and deeper political commentary. Karl Urban also gives his greatest performance here. Unfortunately, the pacing is quite uneven, and the entire saga feels like one big buildup with no satisfactory payoff. Should we even talk about the excessive subplots? Besides that, Butcher’s hallucinations involving Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character Joe Kessler feel like a major distraction. The Walking Dead actor clearly deserved to play a character with a better arc, given how much his casting had been hyped.
Still on the performances, Anthony Starr doesn’t play Homelander to sinister perfection like he normally does. Could he have lost motivation after being denied an Emmy for his excellent work in Season 3? At the time, he truly deserved a nod for his entrancing, affecting performance, which captured both the Supe’s child-like idiocy and vulnerability. Hopefully, everyone will do better in Season 5.
5
‘Gen V’ Season 2
Season 2 of Gen V sees the young supes return to Godolkin University for what turns out to be a darker semester. Homelander has the world under his thumb, and a major human-Supe conflict looms. The institution is thus repurposed to forge the youngsters into soldiers rather than heroes as originally intended. Marie, Emma, and their buddies also struggle to deal with the new tyrannical leadership under Dean Cipher, who is keen on shaping them to be destroyers. They must thus decide whether to be a rebel or be obedient.
Still No Identity
The first season was partially criticized for lacking a proper identity and trying too hard to imitate the parent show. Regrettably, the second season is even worse in this aspect, as it feels like nothing but a bridge to the final season of The Boys. It’s high time Gen V really walked its own path.
Beyond that, the tone often changes drastically from teen drama to political drama and back, with some plot elements barely connected. On the brighter side, the season has one of the best villains in the entire universe. The students suffer one humiliation after another while trying to meet Dean Cipher’s uber-macho expectations. With a few tweaks, this could have been peak TV.
4
‘Gen V’ Season 1
Gen V’s first chapter focuses on a group of students at Godolkin University, a prestigious superhero college owned by Vought International, who all dream of joining The Seven. So exacting are the selection standards that only a small minority get to the final year. At the center of the story is Marie. Her hemokinesis power is so strong that during her first period, she accidentally kills her parents. She now has big dreams, but her idealism is shaken when she and her friends discover a secret facility called The Woods, where students are caged and experimented on.
Great Story, But the Characters Aren’t Interesting
For fans of The Boys, a fresh setting was welcome. For once, we didn’t have to deal with Homelander, Butcher, and their respective squads. Just a bunch of teens and young adults with great ideas on their minds. The themes of trauma and growth are also well handled. And, regarding the performances, Jaz Sinclair and Lizze Broadway outdo themselves.
Regrettably, several unnecessary subplots seem molded to strip the central storyline of its allure. There is also more focus on narration than characterization. Consequently, no character looks strong enough, capable of matching the players from The Boys. In fact, Marie is the biggest casualty of the season’s characterization failure. If the show had succeeded in this aspect, she would undoubtedly have become a star like Homelander and Butcher. She’d even be the subject of internet memes. Sadly, most superhero fans remain unaware of her existence.
3
‘The Boys’ Season 1
A lot happens in Season 1, but the lava really surges when Hughie’s girlfriend is accidentally killed by A-Train. Angry and traumatized, he accepts Butcher’s offer to join the Boys in the fight against the Seven. Meanwhile, new signing, Annie January, aka Starlight, learns that the superhero group she admired for years is actually evil. Interestingly, she later begins a romantic relationship with Hughie as each party remains unaware of the other’s affiliations. And as the feud between The Boys and The Seven develops, the vigilante group attempts to stop Vought from receiving government support.
A Near Perfect Start
Season 1 is more faithful to the source material than future chapters, something that fans who’ve been around since the WildStorm days will appreciate. And if any aspiring showrunner wishes to know how to build character arcs properly from the ground up, they should watch the first few episodes of The Boys. To set up future conflicts, the season expends lots of time, tone, and bombastic energy establishing personal and company/group politics, something everyone will appreciate.
Much credit also goes to the special effects team. Comic fans had been unsure of how well the blood and gore on the pages would be depicted on screen, but we learned that the best approach was not to make it too complicated. There is much more to marvel at. The witty and daring dialogue preserves the spirited flavor of Garth Ennis’ text in the comics.
2
‘The Boys’ Season 2
The conflict between the two groups continues with the eponymous team getting Annie January, aka Starlight, on their side. The stakes are higher because The Boys are also wanted by the government. On a personal level, Billy Butcher learns that his wife Becca isn’t dead like he thought. She is being held captive by Vought and has a superpowered son who was conceived after Homelander sexually assaulted her. The Seven also get a boost when Stormfront joins them, hoping to convince Homelander to establish a tyrannical rule over humans. On top of that, the two develop a romantic relationship.
More Growth
Season 2 earned the show a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys and a Best Superhero Adaptation Television Series at the Saturn Awards, properly establishing it as one of the most engrossing superhero offerings on television. It’s fast-paced, thought-provoking, and ridiculous. Who can ever forget the scene where Homelander and Stormfront make love midair? Speaking of Stormfront, Aya Cash really makes the most out of the role, making a good case for why superhero shows and movies need more strong female villains.
Characters also get fleshed out a little more. Queen Maeve, Starlight, and Kimiko gain bulkier arcs, each understanding their abilities better and making a step on the morality scale. Away from that, the Butcher-Becca subplot reveals a softer side of the protagonist, making him more relatable. Then there is Hughie, who morphs from a victim to a brave vigilante, strengthening the group even further. From here, fans had the feeling that things could only get better.
1
‘The Boys’ Season 3
A year after the events of Season 2, The Boys are now on the payroll of the Bureau of Superhero Affairs. Reporting to Victoria Neuman, they are tasked with taking down problematic Supes. On the side, the protagonists dig into the mysterious case of Soldier Boy, one of Vought’s first American superheroes, who is reported to have died decades ago. And as Homelander becomes more deranged, he starts losing the trust of his own people. Vought aims to restrict his power while Queen Maeve assists The Boys in their plot against him.
We Reach the Peak
Season 3 arguably has the best scene in the entire show, where Homelander lasers a protester who threw a can at Ryan. His followers are briefly shocked, then they start cheering him, forcing an evil smile out of him. So good was Anthony Starr’s performance in the scene (and in the season as a whole) that there were widespread calls for a Best Actor Emmy. Additionally, Jensen Ackles was incredible as Soldier Boy, and it’s quite a shame that the character’s arc was only meant to fit in a single season. Thankfully, he’ll be returning in a spinoff.
Overall, Season 3 reminded us how good the current times are. For a while, superhero fans had become abysmally jaded, forced to endure the same kind of digital spectacle and morality angles. This had created an undeniable funk of displeasure and boredom. When you’d seen one flying sequence, you’d seen them all. But things are different in The Boys where no depiction of the massacre is kept off-screen, and the battle sequences are shocking in their brutality. The “Herogasm” episode alone deserves several articles.
