The Boys aimed quite a few shots (some subtle, others... less so) at the Marvel and DC movie universes over the course of its three seasons, and college-set spin-off series, Gen V, has continued the tradition with a playful dig at Marvel Studios' first Disney+ show - and the streamer itself.
In the first episode, “God U,” Emma (Lizze Broadway) and her new roommate Marie (Jaz Sinclair) decide to speak to famous young actress Justine (Maia Jae Bastidas) and her friends, and we hear some of their conversation as the girls approach.
“So my guys at Innovative are sending me out for this limited series on Vought+,” Justine says of her latest project. “It’s an elevated superhero thing – a meditation on grief told through 70 years of sitcoms. And Zach Braff is directing.”
Aside from the Zack Braff thing (the Scrubs alum just can't seem to catch a break), this is clearly a play on WandaVision, with Vought+ as The Boys universe's take on Disney's streaming service.
Again, this type of thing is nothing new for The Boys. Arguably the show's most notable parody came during Season 2, when Stormfront, Starlight and Queen Maeve posed for an incredibly cheesy "girls get it done" shot while filming Justice League parody "Dawn of The Seven."
Many assumed this was a direct shot at the divisive "A-Force" scene from Avengers: Endgame, which showrunner Eric Kripke later confirmed.
"A lot of that came from our executive producer, Rebecca Sonneshine, who came in after the weekend Endgame opened," he explained to THR. "She was just furious. I saw it, too, and I was like, 'That was the dumbest, most contrived—' And she’s like, 'Don’t get me started.' She found it condescending and I agreed. So that just created for us a target, a satirical target. When there’s something really ridiculous in either superhero or celebrity or Hollywood culture, we’ll immediately go after it. It’s an easy shot."
Have you watched any of Gen V yet? If so, what did you think?
Gen V is partially based on the "We Gotta Go Now" story arc from The Boys comic series, written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Darick Robertson. The show takes place between the events of The Boys season 3 and 4, and Jessie T. Usher and Chase Crawford are also expected to reprise their respective roles as A-Train and The Deep, along with cast mates Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and PJ Byrne.
In Gen V, the students at Godolkin will be "put their physical and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the school’s highly coveted top ranking. They quickly come to learn that ambition comes with sacrifice, and the difference between right and wrong is not as clear as they once believed. When the university’s dark secrets come to light, the students must come to grips with what type of heroes they are going to become.”
Gen V also stars Shelley Conn, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas and Marco Pigossi. The series guest stars Clancy Brown and Jason Ritter, while Jessie T. Usher, Claudia Doumit, Colby Minifie, and P.J. Byrne will reprise their roles from The Boys.