REVIEW: 'Gen V' Season 2 Delivers Another Gory, Relevant Superhero Romp While Honoring Late Cast Member Chance Perdomo

The concept of developing a spin-off of the hit Prime Video series, "The Boys," a welcome satire of the oversaturated superhero genre, willing to go where most comic book fare is afraid to, with extreme gore, sex, and politics, seemed counterintuitive.

When the concept of the series was announced, I was even more skeptical, as a series revolving around a bunch of superpowered college students seemed contrived and very un-"Boys"-esque. However, when the first season premiered in late 2023, I was pleasantly surprised, as it managed to create its own compelling characters while maintaining the same level of quality as "The Boys."

I'm happy to report that while the series' sophomore season at Godolkin University (God U) has a less compelling mystery than its first, "Gen V" season 2 lives up to its predecessor's legacy in another solid entry into the franchise.

This season focuses more on the origins of the protagonist, Marie Moreau, who can manipulate blood, and her importance in the fight against the evil corporation, Vought, now led by the main villain of "The Boys," the sociopathic Superman/Captain America pastiche, Homelander.

However, the mystery surrounding Marie's powers feels a lot less compelling than the mystery surrounding The Woods, a sinister facility underneath God U where the dean and other Vought scientists experiment on those with superpowers. This season follows the heroic main characters as they are incarcerated after saving the school from their former friends, Sam and Cate, who are rewarded for their actions by Homelander.

Sam and Cate appeared in the last season of "The Boys" as faithful soldiers to Homelander and Vought. However, both characters are reckoning with the consequences and guilt for turning on their friends for fame and fortune. The characters who were incarcerated with Marie; Jordan and Emma, suffer dearly as a result of Cate and Sam's choices and are coming to terms with the death of their friend, Andre.

Andre was a main character in season 1, who proved to be a true hero in his willingness to expose Vought's wrongdoings, despite his superhero father's warnings against it. Unfortunately, the actor who portrayed Andre, Chance Perdomo, passed away in a tragic motorcycle accident after the airing of season 1. The creators announced that they will not be recasting the role and instead, Andre heroically dies off-screen while attempting to break himself and others out of Vought's prison.

Though Andre dies off-screen, his presence is felt throughout the show as the character's father, the superhero Polarity, is promoted to a main role. His death serves as the motivation for the main cast of Gen V to reunite against this season's villain, Cipher (played by Hamish Linklater), the mysterious new dean of the school.

Cipher is a major improvement on last season's villain, Indira Shetty, who, while having an interesting twist motivation, did not prove to be that compelling. Linklater, however, is clearly having a lot of fun playing Cipher, as he chews the scenery with a sophisticated but whimsical sinisterness that intimidates everyone around him.

Along with Linklater, the series has very strong performances all around from its main and supporting cast. A highlight for me is Sean Patrick Thomas, who plays Polarity with a guilty anger and sadness that motivates him to join the main team to find out what happened to his son.

The writing, for the most part, is solid. Each character has their own discernible arc, flaws, and strengths, and there wasn't any dialogue that felt out of place or corny. Each character's appearance from "The Boys" doesn't feel forced or out of place. The political and cultural satire, while a bit more sparse than in other seasons in the franchise, is funny as ever and relevant without feeling preachy.

You can watch the first 3 episodes of "Gen V" season 2 on Prime Video now.