The Boys, a now-famous television series based on Garth Ennis’ comic book series of the same name, took the superhero trope Marvel built its MCU brand on and turned it upside down and inside out by exploring the world in which superheroes aren’t motivated by their need to serve humanity, but by their own selfish desires and ambitions. Of course, the series satirizes everything from celebrity culture to the current political scene. It does its job admirably and is taking the world by storm.
Season by season, the critical reception of The Boys remained positive despite the series’ political aspects being divisive and a major talking point, particularly in its fourth season. In fact, its overall critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes sits at 93%. The audience rating is somewhat lower, and the dip is likely caused by the negative reviews made by political supporters of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named — who were pretty much ridiculed by the series in its most recent season.
The growing popularity of The Boys initially prompted Amazon Prime Video to expand its blockbuster series with exciting new spin-offs, the first of which was 2023’s Gen V. Set in a Vought-run college for young superheroes, the first season of Gen V opened the door into the lives of hormonal, competitive Supes, as they put their physical, sexual, and moral boundaries to the test. The spin-off series is as successful as its parent series, which prompted Amazon MGM executives to order a second of the series.
The upcoming season of Gen V is now scheduled for release sometime in 2025, which could benefit the entire franchise significantly. It’s likely to maintain the audiences’ interest in The Boys until the series’ fifth and final season releases in 2026. The filming of Gen V Season 2 began earlier this year, but it was slightly delayed due to the tragic death of actor Chance Pedromo, who portrayed Andre in the spin-off series. Pedromo won’t be recast in the second of Gen V.
The filming resumed in May this year, making a 2025 release window possible. The character Cipher is the newest addition to the cast. Portrayed by actor Hamish Linklater, best known for his role in Midnight Mass, Cipher is the successor of Godolkin University’s dean, Indira Shetty. There are also some details regarding the upcoming story, which continues the narrative right where the previous season ended, with some supe students going down a villainous path while others reconsider the morally skewed path they’ve been threading.
There’s also Vought Rising, an upcoming series that was recently confirmed as a prequel spin-off to The Boys, with Eric Kripke and Paul Grellong as its producers, Grellong as the series’ showrunner, and many other familiar names associated with the mainline series appearing in the upcoming project. The narrative of Vought Rising will unfold in the 1950s, following a series of events surrounding the origins of Vought International. We don’t know the full line-up yet, but it has been confirmed that Jensen Ackles will reprise his role as Soldier Boy, with Aya Cash portraying Clara Vought.
It’s entirely possible that we’ll also see the members of Soldier Boy’s original team, including Mindstorm, Crimson Countess, and the original Black Noir. It might also touch up on the Homelander’s origins, and the events that led to his creation as a new-and-improved version of Soldier Boy. Please note that none of this has been confirmed thus far, and we’re only speculating. It’s also worth noting that the upcoming series will be primarily based on the original material due to the lack of story development surrounding the given timeline.
Season 2 of Gen V and Vought Rising aren’t the only upcoming spin-off releases. The Boys: Mexico was previously announced in November 2023, but the development of the series was relatively slow compared to other spin-offs. As its name implies, the new series will be set in Mexico, with Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal as the show’s executive producers. Sadly, the narrative specifics remain a mystery at this point, and so does the spin-off’s release date.
Creator Eric Kripke, who previously emphasized that future projects will offer unique and compelling stories that seamlessly integrate within the existing universe, shared that the series’ development still isn’t at a stage during which the production team can share details. So, it’s entirely possible for the series to take a page from Gen V‘s book and have its narrative intertwined with The Boys. Or it could be a standalone spin-off that releases following the conclusion of The Boys Season 5 — which will also conclude the entire mainline series.
Considering the ever-increasing popularity of The Boys and its already-released spin-off, Amazon MGM’s decision to expand the franchise further isn’t all that surprising. Season 5 of The Boys is expected to drop in 2026, and considering the slower development of The Boys: Mexico and the confirmation of Vought Rising, it’s entirely possible for the upcoming spin-offs to carry the torch passed onto them by the soon-to-be-concluded main series.