Following Chance Perdomo’s death in 2024, there has been considerable speculation about how Gen V would handle his passing. The series jumps right in with “New Year, New U,” the season 2 premiere of The Boys spin-off. Bringing together the characters and forcing them to confront the horrors some have lived through in the last year, Gen V gets off to a slow but meaningful start.
Gen V — “New Year, New U” Plot
After a “For Chance” title card, we flashback to 1967. A scientist sprints through a building, trying to stop his co-workers from injecting themselves with a serum. He is too late, and their bodies start to explode. When one spontaneously combusts, the scientist, Dr. T. Godolkin, passes out while reaching for the fire alarm.
We jump to the present, where an ad from Vogt tells us Queen Maeve, Ezekiel, and Ted Knight are dead. The ad blames Starlight for killing Victoria Neuman. Godolkin U ensures its campus is free from the “woke” agenda while highlighting Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Sam (Asa Germann) as top students. Justine (Maia Jae Bastidas) and Rufus (Alexander Calvert) are also highlighted, as is the all-superhero faculty. Cipher (Hamish Linklater) is the new dean, and he asks prospective students to join him.
Jordan (London Thor & Derek Luh) and Emma (Lizzie Broadway) are grabbed from their cells and tossed into a van. Emma thinks they’re being taken to their deaths as they drive through the night. The next morning, the doors open, and Cate greets them. She tells them she arranged for them to get out. She asks them where Andre is but discovers he was killed at Elmira.
Stacey Ferreira introduces herself and praises Cate for getting them out. They’ve been brought back to school and will be forced to read statements in front of the school if they want to avoid jail time. They agree and are pushed out in front of the crowd. It is revealed that the Godolkin Committee pinned all the blame for The Woods on Indira Shetty. They read their statements and are rushed off the stage.
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Jordan confronts Cate, asking her what happened to Marie. Beyond escaping custody, Cate genuinely does not know. She cries for Andre, which prompts Jordan to punch her in the face. Emma steps in to stop the fight, and the girls leave Cate on the ground.
The next day, Dean Cipher tells the assembly about the virus and thanks the Guardians of Godolkin for exposing the truth. Humans are the enemy of supers, and he plans on ensuring they build a community on campus. Jordan recognizes Cipher from Elmira, and Emma is unable to find any other information on him. They agree to tell Andre’s parents about his fate.
Cate demands to know what happened to Andre from Cipher. When he refuses, she threatens to call Homelander. He laughs and grabs her remaining arm, threatening to put it in a blender. She relents, and he tells her to find the missing superhero.
Marie (Jaz Sinclair) keeps her hood up and her profile low while walking into a Vought gas station. She goes to buy a protein bar, and another patron gives her the extra money to cover the cost. She returns to a motel and tries to find her sister. When that goes poorly, she flips on the TV and hears about her friends.
The next day, Marie sees Hometeamers harassing the man who paid for her meal. She interrupts the lead Hometeamer, and when he throws a punch, she uses her powers and takes him out. The man believes he recognizes her, but she tells him to forget her.
Emma steps into Polarity’s (Sean Patrick Thomas) house to tell him about Andre. However, Polarity already knows. He’s drinking in his basement and yells at her to leave the school. Polarity insists that he no longer cares. He tells her to get out. Before she leaves, Emma reminds Polarity that Andre would never give up. Later, Polarity researches Cipher.
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Dogknot (Zach McGowan) arrives at the gas station where Marie bought food and picks up her scent. Rufus leads women into a frat party, where Jordan proceeds to binge drink. They get annoyed when one of the bros buttchugs, and when the guy disrespects her, they punch the guy (causing him to spray beer all over the crowd).
Emma sits alone in another room when Justine tries to get Emma to join her podcast. When Justine grabs her, Emma throws her into the other room. Sam asks what’s wrong with her, and Emma makes fun of him for being in a body swap movie. He tells her they need to move on, but Emma breaks it to him that Andre is dead and then leaves.
When she cries in the bathroom, Emma shrinks again. Sam confronts Cate about Andre’s death, but she uses her powers to get him to reset his feelings. Emma cannot get big again but takes a hula totem’s clothes so she can rejoin the party.
Marie hides in her hotel room, trying to set a trap for Dogknot. Her attempt to knock him out does not go well, so she cuts her hand to use her blood powers. They destroy the hotel room as they fight, throwing each other through furniture and doors. Before he can inject her with a serum, a light suddenly throws him across the room. Marie looks up, and Starlight (Erin Moriarty) introduces herself.
They leave the hotel, where Starlight tells Marie she needs to be careful on the run. She suggests that Marie take the offer to return to school so that she can be a spy for Starlight on the inside. Starlight knows that Vought is spinning back up Dr. Godolkin’s “Project Odessa,” but Starlight and her team do not know what the project was focused on. Marie does not like the plan and refuses. However, Starlight pleads to her good nature, reminding Marie she cannot stand on the sidelines.
Back at the party, Emma watches the aftermath of Marie’s fight with the Hometeamers on TikTok. She shows Jordan so they can go help her, but Jordan is mad that Marie left them in the Elmira “Adult Rehabilitation Center.” Emma does not fault Marie for escaping, but she knows they have to help their friend.
They find her in the town where the TikTok was geo-tagged. When she sees them, Marie tries to run. However, Jordan tells her what happened to Andre and that he died trying to get the rest of them out. Marie is devastated, but the arrival of Cate snaps her back to attention. Cate tries to convince Marie to rejoin them at school, but when she reads Marie’s mind, she demands they tell Vought about Starlight.
When Marie refuses, Cate moves forward to use her powers. Jordan instinctly uses hers first, throwing Cate against an electrical fuse box. She’s bleeding so much out of her skull that she cannot push it back in without touching her. Afraid that she’ll use her powers to control Marie, the three women leave her bleeding out.
Is “New Year, New U” worth watching?
Yes, this is a good recalibration for Gen V considering the immense tragedy the team has had to suffer through. Most of the episode surrounds the death of Chance Perdomo, and in many ways, “New Year, New U” is a love letter to their friend. He was undeniably one of the stars of Season 1 and was poised for much larger roles ahead. Choosing not to recast Andre was wise, and while it is tragic that he died off-screen in the show, “New Year, New U” works hard to give him a truly heroic death.
Gen V finds a unique way to get its characters back together as well. While Cate’s fate looks particularly bad, we already know she’s going to return for future episodes based on the “this season on Gen V.” The way the women’s relationships change in the aftermath of leaving her for dead will undeniably affect the future of the show and make it clear they cannot trust each other.
“New Year, New U” also introduces the excellent Hamish Linklater to the series as Cipher. Linklater has been a stunning addition to several shows, including Midnight Mass, Legion, and even voices Batman on Caped Crusader.
He’s often shown incredible talent and skill with complex characters, so we’re thrilled to see him in this series, where Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters can get the most out of a legitimately terrifying antagonist. However, his motives are still very much up in the air, so do not write him off in any direction yet.
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With some great cameos (shoutouts to Erin Moriarty), Gen V returns with some momentum. However, it is very much an episode premised on resetting the chessboard. The effects on God U clearly shifted the way we see the school this season, but the mystery around Odessa and Godolkin’s work will need to be very intriguing to keep us engaged.
Gen V releases on Prime Video every Wednesday. “New Year, New U” was released on September 17, 2025. The first three episodes premiere on September 17, and then the series releases one new episode every week from there.