The first three episodes of Gen V dropped on Amazon on September 29, introducing numerous new characters to The Boys’ universe and bringing back a few familiar faces. The new series is a spinoff of The Boys and follows Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) as she attends Godolkin University, a college explicitly designed for supes to train them to be superheroes. However, Godolkin U is closely connected to Vought International, the corrupt superhero corporation introduced in The Boys. As a result, something very sinister is happening at the school, and it’s up to a few students to get to the bottom of it.
Gen V debuts a whole new generation of supes, many of whom boast unique powers and backstories. Here’s every major character who has appeared in Gen V so far and their abilities.
Marie Moreau
Marie is the protagonist of Gen V and boasts unique blood-blending abilities. She was actually first seen in The Boys season 3, when Hughie (Jack Quaid) and Starlight (Erin Moriarty) were on a mission at the Red River Institute, an orphanage for supes, and Marie’s profile and name were briefly glimpsed. It is revealed in Gen V that Marie came to the orphanage under very tragic circumstances. However, in the present, she has learned to control her blood-bending abilities and sees her acceptance at Godolkin as a chance for a fresh start.
While initially shy and awkward, she starts coming into herself as she does what’s necessary to survive and stay ahead. However, she’s haunted by her past, and to activate her powers, she is forced to cut herself to access her blood. She also boasts rapid healing abilities, as well as quite a significant level of power, as she can control her blood and wield it like tendrils to grasp objects and people or hurl it at such speed that it becomes razor sharp.
Andre Anderson
Andre Anderson (Chance Perdomo) is a junior at Godolkin University with metal manipulation powers. The full extent of his powers remains to be seen, but he shows a great deal of control as he can shape metal into delicate and intricate shapes and move and levitate it with his mind. Andre also appears to be a very kind soul and has the makings of a true hero.
Jordan Li
Jordan Li (Derek Luh and London Thor) is a competitive upperclassman at Godolkin University. They have gender-shifting abilities that allow them to change between a femme form and a masc form at will, which reinforces their identity. In femme form, they display superhuman agility and the ability to project energy blasts from their hands. In masc form, they are indestructible with superhuman durability. In both forms, they exhibit superhuman strength. Li is quite powerful, but it remains to be seen how their struggle for acceptance and competitive nature will impact them.
Cate Dunlap
Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips) is a junior at Godolkin University with mind control abilities, which require physical contact to work. However, once her bare hands make contact with someone, she can make them do anything her mind can imagine. If she pushes her abilities too far, she can become significantly weakened and vulnerable. She wears gloves when not using her powers, to avoid accidentally controlling someone. While Cate appears quite heroic, she is also dealing with a significant amount of trauma surrounding her family and her boyfriend that is not wholly resolved.
Emma Meyers (a.k.a. Little Cricket)
Emma Meyers (Lizze Broadway), also known as Little Cricket, is a student at Godolkin University who can shrink in size. However, like her roommate, Marie, her powers come with a cost. Emma cannot change at will and has to purge to reduce her size or eat in order to increase in size. In miniature form, she also appears to exhibit superhuman strength. While Emma is hiding her struggles with her power and her money-hungry mother, she still tries to be kind to those around her, especially those who need her most, like Marie and Sam (Asa Germann).
Luke Riordan (a.k.a. Golden Boy)
Luke Riordan (Patrick Schwarzenegger), also known as Golden Boy, is the top-ranked student at Godolkin who is guaranteed a spot in the elite superhero team The Seven. Riordan boasts very powerful pyrokinesis, which allows him to generate fire at will. When his powers are active, he will often become fully encased in an aura of fire. He also exhibits superhuman strength, durability, and the ability to levitate. While he’s seemingly the perfect student on the outside, on the inside, he’s struggling deeply with the loss of his brother, and his suspicions that Godolkin was somehow involved in that threaten to push him over the edge.
Sam Riordan
Sam Riordan (Asa Germann) is Luke’s younger brother, who boasts superhuman strength. He is seen easily flipping over cars, hurling full-grown men into the air, and punching holes in the walls of highly secure cells designed for supes. Riordan also appears to suffer from hallucinations. It’s unclear if this is mental health-related or the result of whatever Godolkin is doing to him, as he is being held captive by the school. Riordan’s family was told that he had passed away, but it is revealed that he is still alive, struggling to gain his freedom.
Justine
Justine (Maia Jae Bastidas) is a student at Godolkin and a social media influencer. She attains her social media success by leaking the personal secrets of Little Cricket and fostering gossip. Her endgame is unclear, and her superhuman abilities have not been revealed yet. However, her terrible actions make her a character to watch out for in the future.
Indira Shetty
Indira Shetty (Shelley Conn) is the dean of Godolkin University. It’s unclear if she is non-powered or just hasn’t exhibited her powers yet. She also appears to be involved in Godolkin’s nefarious doings. Hence, her interest in Marie is deeply unsettling.
Professor Richard Brinkerhoff
Richard Brinkerhoff (Clancy Brown) is a renowned professor of crimefighting at Godolkin, who notably trained elite heroes like A-Train (Jessie T. Usher). However, he is seemingly the root of Godolkin’s corruption, as Luke singles him out for what happened to his brother. The full extent of his corruption and nefarious doings have yet to be revealed.
Polarity
Polarity (Sean Patrick Thomas) is an alumnus and trustee of Godolkin who boasts metal manipulation powers. He is also the father of Andre and a famous B-list superhero. Polarity appears to be involved in Godolkin’s nefarious doings, or at least aware of them. Hence, he may prove to be an obstacle to Andre’s investigation.
Ashley Barrett
The Boys’ Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie) returns in a guest role in Gen V. Ashley is still the over-stressed and frazzled Vought executive complicit in all its corrupt doings as she was in The Boys. After the incident at Godolkin, she is the Vought representative who helps the university formulate a cover-up.
The Deep
The Boys‘ The Deep (Chace Crawford) returns in a cameo in Gen V. He appears in a video played at a memorial for a Godolkin professor. In his tribute, he claims that the professor molded him into the “intelligent” man he is today.
A-Train
The Boys‘ A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) also returns in a cameo in Gen V. In a flashback, his induction into The Seven is part of a news report on TV. His induction was very significant as he was the first African American member of the Seven and another major Godolkin alumnus to make it to the elite team.
Maverick
Maverick (Nicholas Hamilton) also appears in a recurring role in Gen V after making his debut in The Boys. He is the son of Translucent (Alex Hassell) and boasts the same invisibility powers as his father. He is a resident assistant at Godolkin and doesn’t seem privy to the nefarious happenings at the school, though his invisibility could come in handy for investigation purposes.
(featured image: Amazon Primes)
