Gen V Season 2 Explores Dark Themes and Honors a Late Star

Los Angeles, CA — Summer vacation has ended, and school is back in session at Godolkin University, the fictional school for superheroes featured in the highly anticipated second season of Gen V, a spin-off of Prime Video’s The Boys. The new season premieres on Sept. 17.

Co-showrunner Michele Fazekas spoke with Polygon about the show’s direction, including its connection to current political events and the overarching universe of The Boys. Season 2 delves into a secret project dating back to the school’s founding in 1967, vital to both heroes and villains in the franchise.

Fazekas revealed that the writing team frequently collaborates with The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke. “He will say, ‘Oh hey, FYI, we’re doing this story,’ or ‘Can you address this?’” Fazekas said. “So it’s very fluid.”

Kripke influences not just narrative choices but also the humor of Gen V, which draws on quirky pop culture references. “What I’ve learned about Eric Kripke is, he loves a pop-culture reference that only three people know,” Fazekas added. The first season contained jokes that appealed to niche audiences, showcasing the show’s unique comedic style.

As is expected from The Boys franchise, Gen V season 2 does not shy away from graphic violence. The new season begins with a group experimenting with drugs, leading to dramatic and gruesome consequences. “It’s crazy. You certainly need the type of writer who can think that way, and we had ’em,” Fazekas noted.

Beneath its bloody exterior, The Boys serves as a satire on issues such as social media and corporate greed. Fazekas emphasized the necessity of paralleling real-world events with Gen V’s fictional context. “This season, we’re addressing this whole identity-politics thing [where] there are good categories of people and there are bad categories,” she explained.

The production faced unexpected challenges when actor Chance Perdomo was injured in a motorcycle accident. In response, the team decided not to recast his role of Andre Anderson, who would die early in the season amidst a prison escape scenario. “We knew from the beginning that we wanted to honor Chance and honor Andre,” Fazekas said.

The emotional arc of the season has shifted to focus more on Andre, illuminating the impact of his character on the storyline. “All of the thrust is about Andre in a great way,” Fazekas expressed. “I’m really proud of it.”

The first three episodes of Gen V season 2 will be available on Prime Video starting Sept. 17, with new episodes released weekly.