The Boys Season 4: Creator Addresses How Gen V Helps Set Up New Episodes

Gen V served as the first live-action spinoff of The Boys, officially giving Prime Video its own little budding superhero universe. The two shows closely connect with each other, with a handful of characters from The Boys making surprise appearances in Gen V throughout the show's first season.

According to The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke, the season's post-credits scene is the main point that connects one show to the other.

"The Homelander stuff felt, to us, like a culmination of this season of Gen V, and I would say the Butcher cameo is more than anything else what sets up Season 4," Kripke said in a recent chat with Men's Health. "Butcher, heading into Season 4, is well aware that there's this virus out there that can kill superheroes. So, we wanted to see the ground zero of that moment, which is what we did in the very, very last moments of this season of Gen V."

For the most part, the show's fourth season will revolve around the virus introduced in Gen V, coupled with the ongoing presidential campaign involving Claudia Doumit's Victoria Neuman.

"I think a lot of things in Gen V set the table for Season 4, and I think we're trying to keep with the same rules that we kept for Gen V-it would be helpful to see Gen V to understand Season 4, and provide a little more context and a little more depth. But it's by no means necessary," the writer added. "If you just want to watch The Boys without watching Gen V, that's great, if you want to watch Gen V without watching The Boys, that's great too. If not both of these shows, we just want you watching one of them, and not have it feel like homework."

Gen V is the first live-action spinoff of The Boys, the hit Prime Video series based on the Dynamite Comics series. Set in Godolkin University, originally a parody of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters from Marvel's X-Men comics, the series is described as "Hunger Games" at a college and the cutthroat world of young supes trying their best to get on one of Vought's super teams, including The Seven. Former Marvel's Agent Carter showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters showrun the new series, which is executive produced by The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke and Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg. Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, and Lizze Broadway lead the new cast of Gen V, which will also see some characters from The Boys make an appearance including Jessie T. Usher as A-Train, Colby Minifie as Vought's Ashley Barrett, and P.J. Byrne as director Adam Bourke.

All eight episodes of The Boys: Gen V Season One are now streaming on Prime Video. The fourth season of The Boys will hit Prime Video next year.