Gen V, a hilarious and much-awaited spin-off of Eric Kripke’s The Boys, takes us to Godolkin University, an institution where a new generation of superheroes is being trained. While the show is an enjoyable and satirical take on the superhero genre, it highlights Generation Z’s (1997-2012) struggle with mental illness.

Every student at Godolkin is gifted in some way. Interestingly, many of the superpowers the main characters have represent a specific mental illness. As the characters learn to control their powers, they must face the struggles these disorders represent. For example, Emma Meyers has the ability to shrink and grow. However, to activate her shrinking power, she must purge herself. Although she insists that she only vomits to make herself small, we see that she also uses it as a coping mechanism when she is stressed. Tellingly, she also never binge-eats, which would give her the ability to grow. These are all indicators of an eating disorder. 

Marie Moreau, the main character, also has powers that represent a disorder: self-harm. To draw upon her blood-bending powers, Marie cuts open her hands to access her blood. We later learn that she does not need to bleed to use her powers. Instead, just like Emma, she uses self-harm as a coping mechanism and her powers as an excuse for her cutting behaviours. Marie also struggles with depression, a result of her parents’ deaths and her time in an orphanage for superheroes called the Red River Institute. While we don’t delve deeply into Marie’s time at Red River, we know that it is a highly abusive and exploitative environment. These conditions, and the mental health issues developed by the children of Red River, are highly representative of the effects of our world’s foster care system, a concern that is frequently overlooked.

One of the more subtle representations of mental illness in the show, burnout syndrome, is portrayed through the storyline of Luke Riordan, also known as Golden Boy. A pyrokinetic who was first in his class, beloved by peers, and the top-ranked super-student at Godolkin, Luke had it all. However, it suddenly became clear that he was struggling with his mental health when he self-immolated after a violent outburst, quite literally burning out. Other themes around mental illness that Luke’s character arc represents are the culture of silence around men’s mental health, PTSD, and suicide.

To watch the trailer, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmkLMXN_lpI

Image Credit: Photo by Prime Video via EW