Gen V Learned From The Boys' Biggest Season 1 Mistake
When "The Boys," based on the notoriously edgy and controversial Dynamite Entertainment comic book series, first debuted on Amazon Prime in 2019, fans expected shocking gore and depictions of sexual deviancy. What they likely didn't expect was for it to introduce one of the first non-binary characters on a superhero show. Unfortunately, the character in question — a shape-shifter called Doppelganger (Dan Darin-Zanco) — is a failure on all fronts. Instead of being used to explore gender and the trope of shape-shifting, they are merely a vehicle for trans and homophobic "jokes" so played out that even most bigots would dismiss them as hackneyed.
"Gen V" makes up for this misstep with the introduction of Jordan Li (London Thor and Derek Luh), an original bigender character that shows not just what Doppelganger could have been but also how far "The Boys" has come since its rocky Season 1. Jordan is written to allow "Gen V" to do what "The Boys" has consistently succeeded at since Season 2: social commentary and thematic exploration. Their presence is neither derogatory nor pandering — they're a real character that helps the series explore gender identity (an issue especially relevant to its collegiate setting) and how gender nonconformity would be varyingly accepted and rejected in a world with superpowers.
Jordan Li succeeds where Doppelganger fails
In what is seemingly a commentary on how predominantly white colleges and universities often use "diversity" as a selling point to donors and prospective students despite failing to support gender-nonconforming students and students of color once they get to campus, Jordan is used as a multifaceted diversity mascot while being professionally held back on account of their race and gender.
Jordan isn't supported at home either, with their conflict with their parents an example of how lost children feel when their family doesn't accept them for who they are. Strangely enough, "Gen V" is well equipped to tackle this since the supernatural nature of Jordan's powers and the fact that they were manufactured at birth eliminate the unproductive discourse around whether one chooses one's gender or sexuality.
Meanwhile, like most queer kids, Jordan is just trying to live with the hand they've been dealt. But most impressive of all is how the show manages to apply its irreverent humor to Jordan's gender identity in a way that's actually funny.
Gen V proves you can make fun of anyone – if you're smart
Doppelganger is introduced as a conventionally attractive woman who seduces Senator Calhoun (David Andrews) and then surprises him by revealing their true appearance, with the punch line seemingly how "gross" it is for the senator to sexualize a man pretending to be a woman. This is the dictionary definition of lazy, transphobic writing, to the point that the man-in-dress "gag" is probably even a little dated for most transphobes. No one is asking for a trans or non-binary character in a universe as nihilistic as the one depicted on "The Boys" to be shielded from comedy — least of all trans and non-binary people themselves — but there's a line between humor and ridicule.
"The Boys" shows no respect for Doppelganger's identity, with creator Eric Kripke once telling SuperHeroHype that one of his biggest Season 2 regrets was that he didn't commit to a scene where Doppelganger performs oral sex on Homelander (Antony Starr) while in the form of Homelander in a dress. Fortunately, Jordan is written with great respect for their dignity, and as seen in Episode 7, "Sick," wherein Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) chastises them for turning into a boy whenever they want to make a point, the writers are more than capable of poking fun at gender-nonconforming people without disrespecting their identity.