Gen V ending explained: How did it set up season 2 and The Boys season 4?

Gen V’s first season wrapped up in a wild way! But how does this set up not just season 2 of the show but season 4 of The Boys? Find out!

Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for the Gen V Season 1 finale 

The finale picked up just as the students discovered that Shetty had been planning to unleash a virus to kill anyone with Gen V in their systems as revenge for Homelander causing the death of her family on Flight 37. Shetty also revealed that the entire purpose of Godolkin was for Vought to study who could be the most easily manipulated supes.

Cate forced Shetty to kill herself and she and Sam were both convinced that this proved supes would have to fight to survive. Meanwhile, Andre found that his dad’s powers were slowly killing him and it would likely happen to him, too.

Cate and Sam went into the Woods and broke out all the prisoners, who went on a rampage, slaughtering any non-superpowered person around with Cate using her powers to drive them on. Emma begged Sam not to take part, but he refused, with Emma’s emotions causing her to shrink down.

Marie was offered a chance to not only join the Seven but see her sister again if she stopped the out-of-control supes. Marie tried to stop her, but Cate (her powers now fully unleashed without Shetty’s drugs) kept going.

What is the fate of the Godolkin Guardians?

Finally, Marie was able to use her powers to stop Cate and the other supes (literally blowing Cate’s hand apart before she could touch Jordan) just as Homelander (Anthony Starr) swept in, seemingly to finish saving the day. Instead, Homelander coldly accused Marie of “attacking your own kind” and blasted her down.

A news montage showed that the media (thanks to Vought) were blaming Marie, Andre, Emma and Jordan for the entire massacre and Cate and Sam were true heroes. Homelander smirked as he watched Cate and Sam named the first members of a new “Guardians of Godolkin.”

Marie herself woke up in a blank white room with Andre, Emma and Jordan, with no idea where they were or that, as far as the outside world was concerned, they were now the villains. They also didn’t know that Congresswoman Neuman was now in possession of the anti-supes virus.

A mid-credits scene showed Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) finding the Woods and likely on the trail for the truth.

What does this mean for Gen V season 2 and The Boys season 4?

That was a huge finale and speaking to Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Eric Kripke confirmed this will play a huge role in Season 4 of The Boys. 

"“The Homelander part also ties into the much bigger storyline. If you analyze the seasons of The Boys as the slow disintegration of Homelander’s psyche, he’s been heading towards this spot for a long time with this Nietzsche-an/Nazi belief that there’s a better species that needs control over the lesser species, but are framing it in terms of patriotism and ‘Make America Safe Again.’ You get to see what it looks like boots on the ground rather than with the characters that are up at the center of the hurricane [on The Boys].”"

As for Butcher, he now knows there’s a virus that can kill supes, something that will obviously very much interest him. As Kripke put it, “Well, why don’t we make that the moment at the end of Gen V so he’s hot on its trail?'”

Thus, season 4 of The Boys will pick up with more on Homelander deciding Cate and Sam were right on how supes should be against humans. There’s also how Butcher will be hunting the virus.

As for the four heroes of the tale, their fate is unknown, and it’s unclear if this will be followed up in The Boys season 4 or Gen V season 2. Either way, this spin-off proved an important part of The Boys universe and a big deal for fans.

Gen V season 1 streaming on Prime Video.