Gen V, Prime Video’s new spinoff series ofThe Boys, follows a group of aspiring college aged Supes learning to harness their powers at Godolkin University. InThe Boysuniverse, being a Supe doesn’t make you a hero, and superpowers often have a dark side, whichGen Vexplores through a cast of younger characters competing with each other and exploring future career paths. Characters like Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) and Emma Meyer (Lizzie Broadway) — who essentially have to engage in self-harm in order to use their powers — show how different students’ powers negatively affect their personal lives, familial relationships, and self-image to the point where it seems like their powers do more harm than good.
This premise is reminiscent of that ofthe British sci-fi dramedyMisfits, about a group of young delinquents sentenced to community service who suddenly acquire supernatural powers after a mysterious electrical storm. Like those inGen V, the supernatural powers acquired by the characters inMisfitsprove to be a double-edged sword, greatly complicating their individual lives and forcing them to work together to cover up the death of their probation officer. ThoughMisfitsstarts to jump the shark in the later seasons, the chemistry between the main cast, the many adverse consequences of their powers, and a hilarious standout performance fromRobert Sheehanmake the show worth a watch for any fans ofGen V.
‘Gen V’ Already Gets How to Do a ‘Boys’ Spin-off
Gory? Check. Raunchy? Check. Yep, this is a spin-off of ‘The Boys.’
What Is ‘Misfits’ About?
Misfitsfollows a group of five young adults in southeast London who have all been forced to work in a community service program together. Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) was sentenced for possession of cocaine, Kelly (Lauren Socha) for fighting a girl who called her a slag, Simon (Iwan Rheon) for attempted arson, Nathan (Robert Sheehan) for petty theft, and Alisha (Antonia Thomas) for repeated drunk driving. On the first day of their sentence, they get caught in a thunderstorm which gives each of them a different supernatural power. It also affects their probation worker Tony (Danny Sapani), who suddenly gains super strength and a murderous rage towards the Misfits, killing Gary (Josef Altin), another member of the group, and attacking the others, including Kelly, who kills him in self-defense. She and the rest of the gang bury the bodies under a nearby overpass and spend the rest of the first season trying to cover it up.
Each of the Misfits struggles with a different supernatural power that reflects a certain aspect of their personality or backstory. Curtis, a former Olympic hopeful, earns the ability to manipulate time, allowing him to go back in time and change the sequence of certain events. His ability is only triggered at moments where the original consequences might be disastrous for him and those around him, reflective of the regret he carries with him about the night of his arrest. While Curtis was only given community service and a two-year ban from athletics, his ex-girlfriend Sam (Anna Koval) took most of the blame and was sent to prison.
Kelly, introduced as the stereotypical “chav” character, receives the power of telepathy, reflective of her insecurities over being judged and ridiculed for the way she looks and speaks. The shy, socially awkward Simon is given invisibility, an obvious allusion to his social isolation and loneliness that made him feel invisible even before he got his power. Alisha, known for her beauty and promiscuity, has the power to make anyone she touches immediately sexually aroused and want to have sex with her, even forcibly. She enjoys this power at first but soon realizes she can never truly be touched by anyone she has feelings for since they will only be compelled to sleep with her because of her power. A running gag throughout Season 1 is that Nathan, the most annoying and attention seeking member of the group, seemingly received no power from the storm — until Episode 6, when he’s killed and later wakes up inside his coffin, discovering he’s immortal.
We Wouldn’t Have ‘Gen V’ Without Shows Like ‘Misfits’
Though their premises are different, there are several similarities betweenMisfitsandGen V, particularly the ways in which they portray the complexities ofan ensemble of characters who have superpowers forced upon themand must learn to control them, tackling various social issues in the process. Running from 2009 to 2013,Misfitsdissected stereotypes of working class young adults in London during that time period, whileGen Vlooks at the commercialization of superheroes and how young Supes use and abuse social media for their own gain. In both series, the characters' complicated backstories and trauma inform their actions and the ways they use their powers, striving to overcome their past wrongs and change for the better.
The characters in bothMisfitsandGen Vhave superpowers that aren’t entirely beneficial and often wreak havoc on their personal lives, but there’s also plenty of typical young adult drama to go around. Sex, drugs, love triangles, and group infighting are common and further complicated by the characters' respective powers. Forcing characters who wouldn’t typically interact with each other in their individual lives come together toform an unlikely group of friendsalways makes for great drama, further heightened by adding superpowers into the mix.
‘Misfits’ Short-Lived Brilliance Paved the Way for Its Ensemble Cast
The first three seasons ofMisfitsreceived critical acclaim and three BAFTA nominations for Best Drama Series, winning for Season 1 in 2010.Misfitsworked well for a number of reasons, particularly due to the chemistry between an ensemble of talented actors, a killer soundtrack, and its distinct sense of humor. It may be categorized as a drama, butMisfitsnever takes itself too seriously, thanks in no small part to the character of Nathan. Before he was Klaus Hargreeves inThe Umbrella Academy, Sheehan delivered a standout performance as the similarity chaotic Nathan, with the first two seasons ofMisfitsrelying heavily on him for comic relief. His pitch-perfect line delivery and physical comedy made Nathan a fan favorite, but Sheehan still brought a sense of depth and sympathy to such an outlandish yet troubled character too proud to ask for help from others.
In addition, Rheon, whose character Simon Bellamy would have a major arc over the series' first three seasons, would go on to have an impressive career in television, becoming most known forhis portrayal of the villainous Ramsay Bolton on HBO’sGame of Thrones. Later seasons of the show would see some significant cast shakeups, with Sheehan departing after Season 2 and Socha, Thomas, and Rheon leaving at the conclusion of the third season. With Nathan gone, Rudy (Joe Gilgun) did a decent job of replacing him in Season 3, but by Season 4 the show was on the decline, with the rest of the original cast, aside fromStewart-Jarrett, not returning, and introducing new characters that just weren’t as compelling. Though the series suffered from a decline in quality in its later two seasons without the benefit of the original core group’s chemistry, the first three seasons ofMisfitsare definitely worth a watch for any fans ofGen V.
