Screen Rant’s in-depth coverage of The Boys‘ panel at San Diego Comic-Con featured many reveals about the future of the Prime Video franchise. Since its debut in 2019, The Boys has become one of the most successful streaming series, leading to the animated anthology series The Boys Presents: Diabolical, the live-action collegiate series Gen V, an upcoming spinoff titled The Boys: Mexico, and a recently announced prequel revealed at SDCC 2024. While The Boys is ending with season 5, the panel proves that the franchise is not slowing down any time soon.

New insights were given into The Boys‘ recently concluded season 4, along with a major casting announcement for season 5. A trailer for Gen V season 2 confirmed a prominent character from The Boys will make his debut in the spinoff series, and new footage teased how the story will progress after season 1’s cliffhanger. The most shocking reveal of all was the announcement of a new live-action prequel series starring two familiar characters.

10Vought Rising Spinoff Confirmed

Vought’s Early Days Will Be Revealed

The Boys‘ Vought Rising spinoff is the new live-action prequel series announced at San Diego Comic-Con. The story will revolve around the origins of the Vought corporation that plays a central role in The Boys. According to The Boys’ creator and showrunner Eric Kripke, who will be a producer on Vought Rising, the origins of Vought are tied to “a twisted murder mystery,” and it will be “a grisly saga drenched in blood and Compound V.”

Paul Grellong, who has served as an executive producer on The Boys, will be the showrunner for Vought Rising. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Ori Marmur, Pavun Shetty, Ken Levin, Jason Netter, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, and Michaela Starr will also be producers for the series, continuing their behind-the-scenes roles from the main series. This follows the trend of Gen V, in which many of the same individuals were involved, but Kripke handed the reins to another showrunner.

9Soldier Boy And Stormfront Are Returning For Vought Rising

Jensen Ackles And Aya Cash Will Reprise Their Roles

Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash are confirmed to be reprising their respective roles as Soldier Boy and Stormfront for Vought Rising. Their inclusion aligns with the established lore of being among the oldest supes who have been around since Compound V was invented and since the early days of the Vought corporation. While Stormfront has taken on many names throughout her long name, according to Kripke, she will be going by the name Clara Vought in the prequel, while her superhero alias will be Liberty.

This means that her husband, Frederick Vought, is likely to appear in the series as well. He is a former Nazi scientist who is the inventor of Compound V and the founder of the Vought corporation. With Soldier Boy being absent for nearly all of The Boys season 4 and Stormfront being dead since season 3, learning more about the characters’ extensive backstory and having them at the forefront of the prequel series is exciting.

8Vought Rising Takes Place In The 1950s

It’s An Important Decade In The Boys’ Universe

Vought Rising will be set long before the events of The Boys and Gen V as it will take place in the 1950s, by far the earliest story in the franchise’s expanding timeline. This confirms that the series will be taking place only a handful of years after World War II, during which Frederick Vought defected from Nazi Germany to the Allies once he saw that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis had no chance of winning the war. The period works well with Vought, Soldier Boy, and Stormfront beginning the era of normalizing supes.

Taking place in the 1950s provides potential opportunities for Vought Rising to incorporate real historical events into the story it is telling, including the Korean War, the Red Scare, and the space race. The Boys season 3 revealed that Soldier Boy and Stormfront founded the first-ever Herogasm in 1952, an event that seems highly likely to be included given the characters and time of Vought Rising. The first Vought Studios movies were also released during this decade.

7Gen V Season 2’s Release Window Is Confirmed

It Follows A Familiar Pattern

Gen V season 2 is confirmed to be released on Prime Video in 2025. The spinoff is currently in production, which began later than anticipated after the tragic passing of Chance Perdomo, who played Andre Anderson in season 1. Season 2 needed to be rewritten as Gen V‘s showrunners and producers committed to not recasting Andre and instead acknowledging and honoring the legacy of the actor and the character in the upcoming episodes.

Chance Perdomo sadly passed away on March 30, 2024.

With The Boys season 5 not in production yet and estimated to be released at some point in 2026, Gen V will help fill the hiatus between the final seasons of the mainline series. This follows the pattern of The Boys releasing season 3 in 2022, Gen V season 1 debuting in 2023, and The Boys season 4 having recently completed its 2024 release schedule. It is not yet known when, in 2025, Gen V season 2 will premiere.

6The Deep Will Appear In Gen V Season 2

His Villainous Arc Will Likely Continue

The Gen V season 2 trailer included footage of Chace Crawford’s the Deep appearing in the spinoff series. The Deep’s Gen V role is troubling for Marie Moreau and her friends, as the Deep further committed himself to being a ruthless villain and loyalist to Homelander in The Boys season 4. Since Gen V season 2 takes place after The Boys season 4 and before season 5, the Deep’s character should be consistent with when he was last seen.

The Deep may act as an enforcer to ensure that everyone at Godolkin University is complying with the demands made by Homelander, and punishing those who do not fall in line. He is not the smartest individual, but the Deep will kill others without hesitation if Homelander orders him to do so, which puts the students and faculty of Godolkin University at great risk. The Deep’s story in Gen V season 2 can also hint at what to expect from him in The Boys‘ final season.

5Gen V’s Cate Shows Remorse For Her Actions

This Is A Surprising Shift For Her Character

Cate Dunlap ended Gen V season 1 and The Boys season 4 on a villainous note. Cate killed Dean Shetty and violently retaliated against the world that tried to control her in Gen V, helped beat Cameron Coleman to death in The Boys season 4, and was last seen using her powers to control and abduct Frenchie in The Boys season 4 finale. These developments make it surprising that Cate is shown to be remorseful for her actions in the Gen V season 2 trailer.

If Cate is genuinely remorseful, this would seemingly contradict her aligning with Homelander and joining his supe army. Her power to influence and control others simply by speaking to them could provide an enormous advantage if she decides to resist Homelander and the establishment of authority that surrounds him. Gen V season 2 could be her redemption story after her villainous turn in season 1 and her brief appearances in The Boys.

Cate Brings Marie, Jordan, And Emma Back To Godolkin University

This Addresses The Season 1 Cliffhanger

Gen V season 1 ended with a major cliffhanger as Marie, Emma Meyer, Jordan Li, and Andre found themselves dressed in hospital gowns and trapped in a mysterious white room. The Gen V season 2 trailer reveals that they will not be there for too long, as Cate is seen transporting Marie, Emma, and Jordan back to Godolkin University in a prison van. Despite being blamed for what transpired at Godolkin University, Marie and her friends will be back on campus.

This may be because Homelander and Sister Sage want to use the university to build the ranks of their supe army. Marie’s blood manipulation powers make her particularly formidable and someone who Homelander would definitely want added to the growing forces under his command. The events of The Boys season 4 will make it even more difficult for Marie, Emma, and Jordan to use their powers for the right reasons and not for harmful purposes.

3Sam Continues To Be A Villain In Gen V Season 2

His Tragic Arc Seemingly Continues

Unlike Cate, who appears remorseful about her actions and the path she has chosen, the Gen V season 2 trailer shows Sam Riordan continuing to be a villain. After being experimented on and kept in the Woods for years, Sam likely feels justified in being able to exert his power and unleash his full potential. Beating Cameron Coleman to death and serving in Homelander’s supe army has already given him license to feel this way in The Boys.

Sam may find himself at a crossroads in Gen V season 2 and will have to decide if he will continue embracing the destructive path he is currently on or choose to take the more difficult road of redemption. Either direction will bring immense consequences given the strength of Sam’s power. The return of Emma, who Sam grew close with in Gen V season 1, may motivate him to be better or could lead to him pushing her further away as he previously did.

2Jensen Ackles Is A Series Regular In The Boys Season 5

Soldier Boy’s Relationship To Homelander Will Be Important Again

Even though his only appearance in The Boys season 4 was in the finale’s mid-credits scene, Jensen Ackles will play a prominent role in The Boys season 5 as he is promoted to a series regular. Season 5 will follow up on the tease of Homelander finding his cryogenically frozen father and deciding what to do with him. Homelander and Soldier Boy’s relationship will once again be a significant piece of The Boys and may determine the outcome of the series.

While Soldier Boy views Homelander as pathetic, he may agree to join Homelander’s army as he will be able to unleash his rage and destructive powers without consequences. Soldier Boy is unlikely to team up with the Boys again or have any sympathy for their attempts to stop supe supremacy. It would be satisfying to see Soldier Boy take Homelander’s powers away, as he has been able to do to others, robbing Homelander of what makes him feel superior. The Boys also needs to bring a satisfying conclusion to Mother’s Milk’s unresolved trauma and anger toward Soldier Boy.

1Hughie Will “Rise To Victory” In The Boys Season 5

There Is Hope For His Ending

Eric Kripke addressed Hughie’s divisive season 4 arc at Comic-Con. According to Kripke, “When you’re like, basically, at the end of act two of your movie, it’s your darkest point, and then there’s a whole other season for him to rise to victory, which I could say that spoiler, that he’s going to do.” While this does not directly address some of the more divisive aspects of Hughie’s season 4 story, it does bode well for how his story will end in season 5.

As bleak as The Boys‘ season 4 ending is, it is promising to hear that Hughie will “rise to victory,” which sounds like a triumphant end to his personal journey, and means he will likely play a pivotal role in saving the world from Sage, Homelander, and their supe army. After all the loss and trauma Hughie has endured, and how much he has grown despite these challenges, he deserves an ending befitting of his tumultuous journey. The Boys is unlikely to have a happy ending, but perhaps Hughie can at least save the world and ride off into the sunset with Starlight.