Calling all Supes, class is in session for the long-awaited return to Godolkin University! The popular spin-off series to The Boys is back on Prime Video. To celebrate, we’re looking back on the first season, how the events folded into the most recent season of The Boys, and what to expect from the upcoming new episodes.

Based on the cult comic book series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Boys acted as a bleak, vulgar and violent satire of the superhero genre. But then again, if you’re familiar with the works of Ennis, then you’d have a pretty good idea of how much he dislikes superheroes! Beginning in 2019 during the peak superhero boom, The Boys TV series was developed by Eric Kripke, known for showrunning Supernatural, and executive produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Who would’ve thought that Supernatural and Superbad would eventually join forces in a very popular TV series?

In the series, Vought International owns the popular superhero team, The Seven, which is led by Homelander (Antony Starr). Suspecting some nefarious activity occurring at Vought, ex-operative Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) ropes in citizen Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) and a band of misfits into a CIA-sponsored black ops team known as The Boys, who are tasked to spy on and occasionally eliminate Supes. The team quickly discover that Vought has been creating their own Supes with a chemical substance known as Compound V, which has been kept a secret from the public.

In between seasons 3 and 4 of The Boys, Gen V was released as a bridge and expansion of the franchise. Based on Volume 4 of The Boys comic titled “We Gotta Go Now”, we learn that Supes can learn how to harness their abilities at Godolkin University School of Crimefighting, sponsored by Vought. Not only that, but students can also compete for the university’s top ranking and a chance to join The Seven. So, if you merge story ideas like Sky High and My Hero Academia together and throw in some blood and crude language, you get the twisted nature of Gen V. Kripke and Goldberg joined Australian writer Craig Rosenberg in showrunning the spin-off.

Gen V’s main protagonist is Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), a freshman at Godolkin University who is determined to earn a spot in The Seven. Marie can control and weaponise blood. Yes, folks, she’s like a bloodbender in Avatar: The Last Airbender! Her roommate is Emma Meyer (Lizze Broadway), who has a social media presence as Little Cricket. Emma can shrink and grow. As a love interest for Marie, she meets Jordan Li (London Thor and Derek Luh), who can change their form between genders while also having unique abilities. Marie and Emma also meet Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips), who can control people’s minds by touching them, and Andre Anderson (Chance Perdomo), who is a legacy Supe that has the power of magnetism.

In the typical conspiracy nature of The Boys universe, the students discover that something sinister is lurking at their school, especially after the death of their friend, Luke Riordan (Patrick Schwarzenegger). The group finds his younger brother, Sam (Asa Germann), who was kept in captivity and given Compound V. They also discover that the university’s dean, Shelley Conn (Indira Shetty), has been working on a virus to kill Supes as vengeance for her family’s deaths.

The season ends with Sam taking part in a violent riot on the school grounds, with Homelander confronting Marie after she attacks Cate. The media eventually depicts Cate and Sam as the Guardians of Godolkin, while Marie, Jordan, Emma and Andre are blamed for the attack at the university. The Guardians of Godolkin make an appearance at the end of season 4 of The Boys during Homelander’s announcement to arrest enemies of the Supes, which includes members of the titular group.

From the trailer of season 2, Boys member Annie January (Erin Moriarty), also known by her Supe alias, Starlight, makes an appearance. January enlists Marie, now a fugitive, to go back to Godolkin University to uncover a plot involving a research programme known as Project Odessa. Marie also regroups with her friends from the first season, with Emma reluctantly joining the cause.

In the new season, Hamish Linklater will play Cypher, the new dean of Godolkin University. As part of Homelander’s reign against the United States government, Cypher is looking to recruit Supes as soldiers, with a looming war on the rise against humans. Based on the teaser, he seems to be interested in Marie’s abilities, claiming she could be the strongest Supe in existence. A member of The Seven, Black Noir, also makes a quick cameo in the trailer, which will certainly lead to some engaging confrontations. It’ll be interesting to see how the events of this season will help shape the final season of The Boys, especially with the added Guardians of Godolkin element and the martial law of Supes enforced by the American government.

After the unfortunate death of Chance Perdomo from a motorcycle accident in early 2024, the production of the second season was put on hold, with the team ultimately deciding that Andre Anderson would not be recast, and the story would be reshaped around the character. The trailer for season 2 briefly acknowledges Andre, and there’s no doubt that there’ll be a dedication to Perdomo.

For the future of the franchise, The Boys will conclude in its fifth season on an unconfirmed date in 2026. While a third season is yet to be confirmed for Gen V, Prime Video announced the second season while the first was airing, so there’s still hope for the continued misadventures at school. However, a second spin-off series is currently being filmed in the form of a prequel called Vought Rising, with Jensen Ackles returning as Soldier Boy and Aya Cash as Stormfront.

The first three episodes of Gen V season 2 are available now on Prime Video, with the remaining five episodes airing weekly.