Full spoilers follow for Gen V season 1.
Gen V's season 1 finale has aired on Prime Video – and, despite its initial positioning as nothing more than a teen-based spin-off of The Boys, it's proven to be more important to the hit series' universe than we realized.
Indeed, the spin-off show – which we compared to The Hunger Games and Murder, She Wrote in our Gen V season 1 review – leaves some fascinating plot threads unresolved that may tease what's to come in The Boys season 4 and beyond. So, as the dust settles on Gen V's explosively dramatic and action-packed first outing, there's no better time to speculate on what its final minutes mean for The Boys' franchise moving forward.
Below, we've attempted to answer your most pressing questions about the Gen V season 1 finale, aka 'The Guardians of Godolkin'. That includes whether there's a post-credits scene, how its plot has set up some tantalizing narratives for The Boys' fourth season, and more. Final warning: major spoilers follow for Gen V season 1 episode 8. Turn back now if you haven't watched it yet.
Gen V season 1 ending explained: is there a post-credits scene?
Let's get the big reveal out of the way first. There is a credits stinger – and it reunites us with everyone's favorite Supe hater Billy Butcher.
To explain his cameo, we need to backtrack a little. In episode 7, Godolkin University dean Indira Shetty meets with former CIA Deputy Director Grace Mallory to tell her that, thanks to the deceased Doctor Cardosa, she now has a Supe-killing virus. Mallory, who now works alongside Butcher and the titular anti-Supe group, feigns indifference, leaving Shetty to walk away disappointed.
However, unbeknownst to Shetty – who, like Cardosa, met her end in episode 7 – Mallory was secretly broadcasting the pair's conversation (via an open line on a phone in her pocket) to an unknown individual. The person on the other end of the call hears everything, leading Mallory to ask them to investigate.
Thanks to Gen V episode 8's mid-credits stinger, we know that person was Butcher. Breaking into The Woods facility underneath Godolkin, Butcher explores the Vought-owned lab and learns that scientists at the university were performing awful experiments on its superpowered students. Given his foul-mouthed tendencies, it isn't long before Butcher reels off a humorous expletive-laden comment about the whole situation.
We'll get into how The Boys might use this secret to their advantage against Homelander and company in season 4 later in this article. Speaking of Homelander, though...
Gen V season 1 ending explained: how did Marie survive Homelander's laser eyes?
Billy Butcher isn't the only big name to make a surprise appearance in Gen V season 1's finale. Homelander, leader of the Seven and the show's primary antagonist, swoops in to 'save the day' on campus after Cate and Sam lead a riot at Godolkin.
However, perhaps unsurprisingly, Homelander gets the wrong end of the stick. He arrives just in time to see Marie Moreau, one of Gen V's heroic Supe students, rescue Vought CEO Ashley Barrett and other board members from being killed by some of Marie's fellow students. Unfortunately for Marie, she saves the group by killing a student who escaped from The Woods before using her blood manipulation powers to blow up Cate's left hand and forearm. She does so to save Jordan, who Marie has fallen for, from being mind-controlled by Cate.
Homelander believes she's snapped and has started maiming and killing her own kind (aka Supes). He immediately assumes Marie is responsible for the riot and rebukes her for her alleged crimes. Despite Marie's protestations, Homelander tells everyone to "stay back" before he uses his laser-eye powers to kill Marie.
Or so we're led to believe, but as we learn in the next scene, Marie is alive and well. Considering Homelander's laser eyes have killed people before – including that protestor in The Boys season 3 finale – how did Marie survive a direct hit to the chest? We don't know, but we think it has something to do with her own superpowers. Marie has consistently been told she's more powerful than she thinks, so maybe she's immune to some Supe abilities. No doubt we'll find out more in The Boys season 4.
Gen V season 1 ending explained: where are Marie, Jordan, Andre, and Emma?
That's not the only big question we have concerning Marie. As the season 1 finale's last scene reveals, the series' protagonist has been taken captive by... well, someone. She's not the only one, either, as she's joined by Andre, Emma, and Jordan in a medical facility-style prison cell.
The group is locked up in a room with no obvious means of escape. There are no windows or doors, though we suspect there's a hidden one somewhere, otherwise, how would they have been put there in the first place? Of equal importance is the fact they're all wearing hospital nightgowns, and the only furniture in the room are hospital beds.
So, who's responsible for incarcerating them? We think it's Vought. After all, Homelander believes Marie and her allies are a threat to national security. Given he's the leader of the Seven, and everyone is too scared to question the world's most powerful Supe, he holds significant sway at Vought. In our view, the gang was sedated after Homelander dealt with Marie before being detained to protect America's civilian population.
As for where they are, there are two options. First, they could be locked away somewhere in Vought Tower. It would make sense for Homelander and Vought to keep them close at hand so Marie and her friends can't 'hurt' anyone else. The other possibility is that Vought has more facilities like The Woods across the US. If it does, Marie and the others might have been transferred to one of those to be experimented on.
Gen V season 1 ending explained: what caused Polarity's seizures? And will they affect Andre?
This one's easy to answer. As we learn midway through 'The Guardians of Godolkin', Polarity – Andre's superpowered father – has a medical condition born out of his abilities. Every time the metal manipulator uses his powers, he creates a micro tear in his brain, which destroys some neural pathways. If he uses his abilities enough times, and enough nerves and brain tissue get damaged, he has a seizure.
Of course, the impact of this on Andre is two-fold. First, he has to try to stop his dad from using his powers again. If Polarity continues to do so, he'll suffer more episodes, which could result in him entering a coma-like state or, worse, dying. The other problem Andre has to deal with (outside of being imprisoned) is he also has metal manipulation powers. If he continues to use his abilities, will he suffer the same fate as his father? That seems likely, given they share DNA and have the same Supe skills.
Gen V season 1 ending explained: what is Victoria Neuman's endgame?
We don't see Victoria Neuman in season 1 episode 8, but it's worth asking what her ambitions are in the wake of Gen V's latest episode. After all, it was Neuman who killed Doctor Cardosa in episode 7, but only after he'd handed over every ounce of his Supe-killing virus to her.
Neuman is the only person who knows of (and possesses) this biochemical weapon now, which she can use to her advantage. She had a few tetchy run-ins with Homelander in The Boys season 3, so she could use it as leverage to keep him (and other Supes) in check. Of course, Neuman is secretly a Supe, as is her daughter, so she might want to make herself and her kid immune to the virus before she blackmails Homelander and company with its usage.
As we also learned in season 3, the head-popping Neuman (whose blood manipulation abilities are almost identical to Marie's) is the Democrat Party's Vice Presidential candidate for the show's forthcoming US election. She wants to make a difference in how things are done stateside and across the globe, but only in a way she sees fit. Getting into an enviable position of power with a biochemical weapon would make her a formidable foe for anyone to go up against.
Gen V season 1 ending explained: how does it set up The Boys season 4?
There are quite a few plot threads that Gen V lines up for The Boys season 4, which won't be the Prime Video show's last installment, according to showrunner Eric Kripke.
For starters, there's the Supe-killing virus, which we're sure Butcher will try to get his hands on to end Homelander once and for all. We think the virus will play an integral role in the main show's fourth season, so Gen V has already done a lot of the heavy lifting where that storyline is concerned.
Next, as Ashley revealed in episode 8, Vought is still looking to fill some positions on the Seven's roster. We already know that two new team members will join the world's most famous superhero group in season 4 – Amazon confirmed Valorie Curry and Susan Heyward have joined the cast as newcomers Firecracker and Sister Sage. However, considering Cate Dunlap and Sam Riordan (the real culprits behind Godolkin's massacre) are being hailed as the new 'Guardians of Godolkin' – likely a PR campaign masterminded by Homelander and Vought to maintain control of the narrative – there's the potential for one or both to become future Seven members, too.
Then there's the question as to whether Butcher will try to form an alliance with Gen V's actual heroes. The Boys welcomed one Supe – Starlight – onto their team in season 3's final episode, taking the number of their superpowered members to two (Kimiko being the other). If the gang really wants to level the playing field against Vought, it would be in its best interests to break Marie and company out of whatever jail they're in and convince the alienated young Supes to join the fight against Homelander. If we're right, we could see an X-Men or Captain America: Civil War-style Supe showdown play out.
Alternatively, could Butcher, Hughie, and the gang get their hands on the sonic technology used by Godolkin's social media manager Jeff in Gen V's latest entry? Before Jeff meets his demise at Cate's hands, we see him using an auditory-disrupting device that specifically affects a teen Supe's hearing. He also uses a circular battery-like object that blows up their heads after it's placed on the tongue. If The Boys get wind of this tech, they could make use of it in the battle to overthrow Homelander and the Seven.
Oh, and there's the small matter of Homelander standing trial for murdering that protesting Starlight fan in the season 3 finale. As Neuman confirmed during her Town Hall appearance at Godolkin in episode 7, Homelander will be made to stand trial and face justice for that homicide.
Gen V season 1 ending explained: is a second season on the way?
Yes. As well as The Boys season 4, Amazon has announced Gen V will get a second season. Understandably, no release date has been revealed yet, nor has filming begun on its sophomore year.
There's plenty of work to do before Gen V season 2 debuts on Prime Video but, in the meantime, The Boys, one of the best Prime Video shows, should be back on our screens sometime in 2024.
