The political divide over “supe rights” in Gen V could be setting up The Boys’ own version of the fight between the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants from Marvel Comics. In Gen V season 1, episode 7, “Sick,” Victoria Neuman came to the campus of Godolkin University for a town hall meeting, which led to student protestors spearheading the “Supes Lives Matter” movement (a clear parallel to the real-world “Black Lives Matter” movement). This politically charged storyline tied The Boys spin-off back to some of the debates and plot threads from the flagship series, and teased an all-out war amongst supes in the franchise’s future.
In Marvel’s X-Men comics, mutants are depicted as a stand-in for every underprivileged community that faces prejudice. The X-Men’s leader, Charles Xavier, envisions a utopia in which mutants and non-mutants live side-by-side, while the Brotherhood of Mutants’ leader, Magneto, believes that mutants are genetically superior and need to seize control of the world from the non-mutants. Xavier is sometimes compared to Martin Luther King, Jr., while Magneto is compared to Malcolm X (although King wasn’t passive like Xavier and X wasn’t a killer like Magneto). Gen V’s “Supes Lives Matter” storyline seems to be setting up The Boys universe’s own version of Marvel’s battle between the X-Men and the Brotherhood.
Gen V Is Creating A “Supe Rights” Divide
The debate over “supe rights” in Gen V has created division amongst the superhero community. Not only did Neuman’s comments spark a divide in the world at large; she even created divisions among the core group of Gen V characters. The fact that Cate has been found out to have betrayed her classmates is already threatening the camaraderie of the group. Marie insists that the others should trust Cate, because she believes she’s really changed, while the others are skeptical. The “Supes Lives Matter” debate incited by Neuman’s comments at the town hall meeting could be what finally tears the group apart.
Every supe believes that they deserve equal rights with the non-supes, so the disagreements will stem from how to go about gaining those rights. Some of them will want to go on a rampage and spill some non-supe blood to force their hand, while others (like Marie) will want to use a more compassionate and non-violent method. This is almost identical to the conflict between Xavier and Magneto’s respective groups. They were once best friends, and they both wanted the same thing – equality for mutantkind – but they had vastly different ideologies that turned them into enemies.
Sam & Cate Could Become Gen V’s Brotherhood
Out of all the characters in Gen V, Sam and Cate seem to be the two most likely to form their own version of the Brotherhood of Mutants. They’re the ones who got the most militant when the dark secrets of “The Woods” were revealed. As a former resident of “The Woods” who spent most of his life being tortured by the people who want to wipe out all supes, Sam has the most personal connection to this war. Cate has been forced to do Shetty’s bidding for so long that she’s desperate to get as far into the other side of the fight as she can.
Marie, on the other hand, is likely to become the Xavier of the equation. When she tried to convince Neuman to expose “The Woods” to the top brass at Vought International, Neuman told her to instead focus on rising to a position of power. After that, Neuman says, she can use her political and cultural influence to affect real change. This scene seems to foreshadow a future in which Marie leads a more peaceful pro-supe movement. While her fellow supes take a more aggressive approach to protecting supe lives, Marie will attempt to turn the world into the utopia that Xavier imagines in the X-Men comics.
The Boys Season 3’s Homelander Vs. Starlight Debate Already Teased A Supe Split
Starlight’s daring but moralistic decision to call out Homelander in The Boys season 3 already teased a divide amongst the supes in this comic book universe. In season 4, the supes might be forced to choose whether they side with Homelander or Starlight. This could lead to The Boys’ own version of the superhero-on-superhero conflict of Captain America: Civil War. Some will side with Starlight because it’s the right thing to do, while others might side with Homelander out of fear. If The Boys continues to explore this story thread, then the supe divide in Gen V is just the beginning.
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