Gen V: When Does The Boys Spin-Off Take Place In The Timeline?
Before viewers dive back into "The Boys" with Season 4, they'll first have a chance to check out another side of this diabolical universe with "Gen V." The show's trailer promises the same level of carnage and humor fans have come to expect out of this franchise. It also hints at how the new series will tie into "The Boys" in terms of a presidential election happening in the background while some "Boys" mainstays, like A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), will make appearances.
It begs the question of when precisely "Gen V" takes place on "The Boys" timeline. Fortunately, Deadline asked "The Boys" showrunner Eric Kripke that exact question in 2022, and it's fairly straightforward. Between "Gen V," which was then referred to as "Varsity," and the animated "Diabolical," it's becoming a lot to juggle. Kripke detailed how everything ties into everything else, "There's a presidential campaign happening in the background of that season, and there's certain things that are happening at that school that are both in reaction to Season 3 of The Boys. There's Soldier Boy, etcetera, but also some new storylines that are happening in that season of the spinoff that we have to pick up and take into Season 4 of the show."
So it sounds like "Gen V" will take place between "The Boys" Seasons 3 and 4, with the show feeding off events that've come before while setting up what's to come in the near future.
Eric Kripke had to give props to Marvel's Kevin Feige
The "Diabolical" spin-off was one thing. That was an animated anthology series primarily focused on characters outside of who we've seen before on "The Boys," with some exceptions. It could largely exist as its own thing, but "Gen V" is very much tied to the central series. As shown in the trailer, Congresswoman Victoria Neuman will appear in some capacity, likely setting up the political storyline of "The Boys" Season 4. While the cameos and references will be fun, "Gen V" needs to be able to stand on its own to succeed, which Eric Kripke mentioned is a lot harder than it looks.
Kripke continued to detail the challenges of building out his own cinematic universe, "I give Kevin Feige a lot of credit because now that we're dipping our toe into trying to build a universe and trying to do it well I mean, the amount that you end up trying to not just telling the same mega story, and it's hard enough to keep one f***ing show straight but to try to keep two shows straight, have them each be entertaining and their own animal but they still lock together like Voltron or something is a whole new layer of challenge that." Feige is largely seen as the architect behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which now ties together various movies and TV shows.
Undoubtedly, a lot of work went into ensuring "Gen V" and "The Boys" Season 4 played off one another appropriately, especially as they'll probably come out in quick succession. "Gen V" premieres on Amazon Prime Video on September 29, while "The Boys" Season 4 is without a release date at the moment but will likely come out in late 2023 or early 2024.