When Gen V Is Set In The Boys’ Timeline

Here’s when Gen V takes place in The Boys’ timeline and what it means for both the live-action spinoff series and the upcoming The Boys season 4.

When Gen V is set in The Boys’ timeline can answer a lot of questions about both the spinoff itself and the upcoming The Boys season 4. The Boys’ first live-action spinoff, Gen V is set to continue Amazon’s The Boys universe after The Boys Presents: Diabolical released in 2022. Whereas Diabolical played with established The Boys characters like Homelander and Billy Butcher, Gen V will follow original characters as they train to become the next generation of supes in a college for superheroes created by Vought.

Not much has been revealed about Gen V’s story, yet the first Gen V trailer shows that The Boys’ spinoff will have as much gore and blood as the original show. Gen V’s trailer also hints at Marie Moreau – who was first referenced in a The Boys season 3 Easter egg – being the spinoff’s main character. Although Gen V’s first trailer contained a lot of familiar faces – A-Train, Ashley, and Vought’s Dawn of the Seven director, Adam Bourke – nothing placed the new series in a specific timeframe relative to The Boys.

Related: The Boys’ Gen V Spinoff Can Expand On Homelander’s Season 3 Ending

Gen V’s Timeline Intersects With The Boys Season 3

Although a specific timeframe for the events of Gen V has not yet been confirmed, The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke revealed that the spinoff series “sees some of the issues and storylines in [The Boys] season 3” (via Deadline). Kripke’s answer confirms that Gen V’s timeline will intersect with The Boys season 3, with moments from the main show informing Gen V’s story. For example, nothing in the Gen V trailer hints at the show dealing with the repercussions of Homelander lasering protestors, which would make sense, given that it happened in The Boys season 3’s finale. There is also no mention of the Soldier Boy PR fiasco in Gen V’s trailer.

Having Gen V take place concurrently with The Boys season 3 is good news for the spinoff series, as its storylines will carry a stronger link with the main show, and can serve as set up for The Boys season 4. While a The Boys prequel story could work, as it did in some The Boys Presents: Diabolical episodes, it is much easier to create a shared universe when all stories are strongly linked and heading toward the same future events. In addition, several unresolved The Boys storylines could be covered in Gen V, such as what happened to Cindy, or the secrets behind Vought’s Red River Institute.

Why Gen V Will Likely Cover Past The Boys’ Season 3 Timeline

The fact that Gen V takes place concurrently with The Boys season 3 does not mean that the spinoff series cannot go beyond the events of the main show. In fact, considering that Gen V will release before The Boys season 4, it would make sense for The Boys’ first live-action spinoff to set up potential storylines for the original show’s forthcoming season. Some of The Boys season 3’s most important events only happened close to the finale, meaning Amazon’s The Boys Gen V spinoff will only be able to explore them if it goes past season 3’s timeline.

This would also help make Gen V’s The Boys cameos more meaningful. Quite how the likes of A-Train, who had bigger problems to deal with during The Boys season 3, will factor into Gen V remains unclear. If Gen V moves beyond The Boys‘ timeline, however, that narrative freedom would ensure that bringing familiar faces into the spinoff feels far more natural.

More: The Boys’ Spinoff Can Explain One Of The Biggest Series Questions