The Prime Video series Gen V returns for its second season this week, and the first reviews have arrived online with a unanimously positive reminder that this is must-see TV for fans of superhero shows. Set in the same world as The Boys, the spin-off continues to follow young supes at “God U,” which is now preparing for war with humans. This season will satisfy fans of both series with its humor, violence, and performances, and some say it’s even elevated through its addition of Hamish Linklater as a new villain.
Here’s what critics are saying about season 2 of Gen V:
Is Season 2 still essential viewing?
Still raunchy, hilarious, and timely, Gen V season 2 is a must-watch for fans of The Boys.
— Alex Zalben, GamesRadar+
Gen V returns for an equally compelling second season that feels simultaneously like a perfect fit for its overarching universe and a unique show that works just as well on its own.
— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz
Gen V Season 2 is an admirable new chapter as The Boys races towards its final bow.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
God U is just as awful as ever; thank goodness for that.
— Vicky Jessop, London Evening Standard
For a sophomore effort of a spin-off of a top-rated, streaming show, Gen V doesn’t disappoint.
— Allison Rose, FlickDirect
The second season of Gen V is a refreshing change of pace for this universe that stays relatively strong from start to finish.
— Amelia Emberwing, Paste Magazine
Gen V is not at the peak of its (super)powers in Season 2, but a diminished version of this concept is still a highly watchable one.
— Alison Herman, Variety
An occasionally bumpy journey can’t stop Gen V from delivering a sophomore semester worth enrolling in.
— Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
How does it compare to Season 1?
Gen V Season 2 is as strong as the first season, if not stronger.
— Alex Zalben, GamesRadar+
Gen V is back for its sophomore year – and it’s even better than before.
— James Hunt, ComicBook.com
Gen V’s sophomore season delivers just as much gruesome action, dark humor, poignant themes, and engrossing drama as before.
— Cassondra Feltus, Black Girl Nerds
Season 2, perhaps by nature of being a memorial for Chance Perdomo, is a more compassionate, hopeful entry than we’ve come to expect from The Boys franchise.
— Amelia Emberwing, Paste Magazine
It retains much of what made Season 1 such a thrilling debut, but also shows some entirely understandable awkwardness in making an unanticipated pivot.
— Alison Herman, Variety
Compared to both Gen V Season 1 and the previous seasons of The Boys, Gen V Season 2 dials back on a lot of the action quite a bit.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
Some of the novelty has definitely worn off since Season 1.
— Jesse Schedeen, IGN Movies
Does it still stand on its own?
The show is largely allowed to be its own thing… What’s clear is that Gen V does not need The Boys to work.
— James Hunt, ComicBook.com
It remains tethered to the original series with a handful of cameos and references, but they’re not distracting or substantial enough that any more context is needed.
— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz
A very solid series in its own right. Gen V weaves itself effortlessly into the ongoing story without expecting fans to remember exactly what happened last in The Boys, while expanding the ongoing fight against The Seven and Vought’s growing totalitarian power.
— Amelia Emberwing, Paste Magazine
The distinct identity of Gen V is eroded even further by the increasing pace of visits from the mothership… As The Boys heads into its final season, the franchise seems to be merging into a single story with a shared destination.
— Alison Herman, Variety
With parent show The Boys now in its endgame, Gen V helps bridge the gap between the penultimate and final season of the show, but does so without ever losing focus on the young supes that viewers came to bond with during the first season.
— Kat Hughes, THN
For diehard fans, cameos from The Boys abound… It’s fun, though it does require you to have watched both series to get the most out of seeing them.
— Vicky Jessop, London Evening Standard
Season 2 is essentially The Boys Season 4.5.
— Alex Zalben, GamesRadar+
Is it still funny?
Very, very funny… The supporting characters and situations in Gen V Season 2 continue to skewer society in a way no other show is able to.
— Alex Zalben, GamesRadar+
Whoever writes the jokes for these shows is just as caustically funny as ever.
— Vicky Jessop, London Evening Standard
Gen V starts to neglect some of the college-specific satire that helped define the show’s humor and connect it to real life.
— Alison Herman, Variety
How is the writing?
The writing is astonishingly clever, finding new ways to introduce mind-boggling powers and stunning visual representations of how they play out both in everyday life and in the heat of battle.
— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz
The show deftly juggles plotlines, leaving breathing room as it does for quieter moments that dig into the psyche of the leads.
— Vicky Jessop, London Evening Standard
The central characters, particularly in Season 2, feel more layered, and for me personally, I’m more emotionally invested in them than I am in the majority of the characters from The Boys.
— James Hunt, ComicBook.com
Each main character does ultimately undergo a satisfying, cohesive arc in Season 2.
— Jesse Schedeen, IGN Movies
Season 2’s story is a strong one… Polarity’s arc is worth the price of admission alone.
— Amelia Emberwing, Paste Magazine
The writing is half the reason the cast is as good as they are.
— Allison Rose, FlickDirect
While Season 2’s overly gross moments are starting to feel more and more juvenile, the things that Gen V is trying to say about our current world are anything but.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
Are there a lot of shocking moments this season?
Expect the unexpected this time around, because nearly every major moment of Gen V Season 2 is a big shock.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
Gen V Season 2 delivers shocking twists.
— Allison Rose, FlickDirect
The shock value isn’t offensive, but the constant bombardment of it is unnecessary and, perhaps most ironically of all, makes the most narratively shocking moments even less so.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
Is it still ultra violent?
There’s still enough blood and gore to keep action fans satiated.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
There is plenty of blood and violence to appease the action/horror-minded viewer.
— Allison Rose, FlickDirect
There’s no getting around all the usual hallmarks of The Boys universe that hardcore fans have come to expect: head-popping violence as gruesome and gratuitous as ever.
— Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
For those that watch these shows for the extreme violence..there’s no shortage of goopy, disgusting gore to be had. Limbs, heads, and other body parts explode, and often.
— Jesse Schedeen, IGN Movies
Gen V continues to incorporate a great deal of violence, but it’s in service of showing how destructive these students can really be if they don’t know how to use their powers or, worse yet, don’t care because they believe they’ve been endowed with abilities to mete out as they see fit without moral contemplation.
— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz
It dials the violence and gore up to eleven…but it does so in a way that does not feel as if it is there for the shock value. It makes sense within the story being told.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
How is the addition of Hamish Linklater?
Hamish Linklater gets a well-deserved A+.
— Marta Medina, mundoCine
The casting of Linklater is a particular boon for this show…he brings a marvelous mix of extremely dry humor and quiet intensity to [his] character.
— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz
He plays Cipher with the right amount of intensity, weirdness, and mystery.
— Cassondra Feltus, Black Girl Nerds
Linklater is just so much fun as the demented dean…[and] Cipher is one of the best and most compelling characters this universe has yet produced.
— Jesse Schedeen, IGN Movies
Cipher is the terrifying combination of a genius-level intellect wrapped up in a quietly wicked presence, and you can’t cast that better than Linklater…[he’s] perhaps the best villain yet out of either show.
— Amelia Emberwing, Paste Magazine
Gen V Season 2 gives fans of The Boys’ universe one of the best villains that it has ever seen. Hamish Linklater is sure to send chills down everyone’s spine as Dean Cipher…an unforgettable performance.
— Tessa Smith, Mama’s Geeky
Are there any other standouts in the cast this season?
Lizze Broadway’s Emma is the standout here, as she brings both an infectious, good-natured charm and a deep-seated sense of pathos to a character who can only shrink and grow based on her emotional state.
— Jesse Schedeen, IGN Movies
The season’s real stand-out [is] Broadway, who gets the most laugh-out-loud moments as well as heroic and emotional ones.
— Alex Zalben, GamesRadar+
The standout once again, and perhaps even more so than in the first season, is Broadway. Her perky, yet sarcastic wit makes almost every scene she is in memorable.
— Allison Rose, FlickDirect
Broadway in particular does great work as the perpetually frazzled Emma, while Phillips is compellingly watchable as the increasingly bruised and battered Cate.
— Vicky Jessop, London Evening Standard
The surprise superstar of Season 2 is technically a tie, as Thor and Luh are nothing short of brilliant as Jordan Li…they explore Jordan as a character in a way most superhero stories only dream of.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
How well does it handle the real-life death of “Andre” actor Chance Perfomo?
Perdomo’s absence is certainly felt, but the way in which his death is handled is about as elegant and respectful as could be hoped, given the situation.
— Jesse Schedeen, IGN Movies
From the Season 2 premiere to the finale, Andre’s presence is felt throughout, with the show paying as touching a tribute to Perdomo as one would hope.
— Aidan Kelley, Collider
Showrunner Michele Fazekas and her collaborators make sure Andre, and by extension Perdomo, is mourned — much more so than the many minor players whose deaths are used to fuel the series’ signature pitch-black comedy.
— Alison Herman, Variety
It was surely a difficult decision to figure out an appropriate way to pay tribute to this actor and the character he created, and this feels as fitting as possible, ensuring that his legacy remains part of the fabric of the show without handing it to another actor to keep up the mantle.
— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz
There are clearly real tears and real feelings coming from the cast as they discuss this aspect of the season, and his spirit is used as a motivating force to keep nearly every one of the main characters moving forward, even when they’re stuck in grief.
— Alex Zalben, GamesRadar+
Will this season leave us wanting more Gen V?
If it can continue being this good, it should have a very bright future.
— James Hunt, ComicBook.com
This show feels like it’s just getting started, continuing to evolve its premise and find new ways to one-up the craziness it’s already shown.
— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz
If Season 2 is ultimately the end of the road for Gen V, the finale delivers a satisfying sendoff for Marie and the gang.
— Jesse Schedeen, IGN Movies
Gen V: Season 2 premieres on Prime Video on September 17, 2025.
