‘Gen V’ Feels Like A Cautionary Tale To Family Vloggers Everywhere
The Boys spin-off series Gen V expands the satirical superhero universe to a university, and it’s so goddamn fun. Set in between Season 3 and the upcoming Season 4 of The Boys, Gen V follows the first generation of up-and-coming superheros whose powers are derived from a test tube rather than natural selection.
When I first started Gen V — a spin-off of the show which featured one superhero shrinking down to fit into a man’s penis, only for said hero to sneeze and accidentally blow him up from the inside — I really didn’t expect to end up pondering the legal ramifications for child social media stars, but such is the beauty of this unhinged series. And we’re only on the third episode.
If you’ve never watched The Boys, you’re missing out. This show’s hard to describe with just words (you really have to witness this chaos first-hand) but I’ll do my best. The first scene features the main character’s girlfriend being completely vaporised before his eyes because a superhero with super speed accidentally ran straight through her while they were chilling on the sidewalk. Our main character then has to figure out if he wants to accept a $45k settlement for her wrongful death. So, it’s pretty dark, but it works. When The Boys first came out in 2019, it cut through the saturated superhero market with biting satire and sharp commentary about what a world with superheroes might actually look like, featuring a lot of dicks.
Gen V eases up a little on the shock value (don’t worry, there’s still dicks) and throws in some additional challenges to the superhero experience. The students at Godolkin University are the first generation to know that their powers were derived from Compound V, given to them by their parents when they were born. Those powers can manifest in dangerous ways, as is the case with Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) who can wield her blood as a lethal weapon. And, yes, her first period is an issue.
More often than not, these powerful abilities come at a cost. In The Boys universe, superheroes, or Supes, are heavily tied up with corrupt politics, money-hungry corporations, and celebrity culture. Much like being a celebrity in our world, being a Supe comes with a whole lot of baggage.
Gen V takes it a step further and asks: what if becoming a Supe isn’t your choice and is, in fact, artificially induced through an experimental superhero serum given to you by your parents? Top Supe students are paraded around by the university, their parents, or both, in a bid to attract funding and fame. Characters comment that they “didn’t choose this”, or that they’re a result of parents looking to make a buck off their kids.
Now, exploiting your child for fame certainly isn’t a phenomenon unique to our current generation. But something about the way that Gen V presented this sentiment felt particularly relevant to a trend that’s unique to us right now: family vlog channels.
Social media fame is a relatively novel form of fame that is always evolving: we’ve seen content creators go from hobbyists to literal millionaires before our very eyes. And the laws are only just now attempting to catch up. In August this year, Illinois passed the first legislation of its kind in the US to guarantee a portion of profit is put aside for child influencers, modelled after child actor laws passed in 1939 commonly known as Coogan Law. France adopted similar laws in 2020.
Everywhere else, though, is lagging behind. And it’s not just about the money: what if children don’t fully comprehend what they’re saying yes to when they agree to be on camera? What are parents unknowingly, or knowingly, sacrificing when their children become internet superstars? What happens to the children who get thrust into the limelight, and experience all the strings that go with it, without actively choosing it for themselves? And, of course, we’ve seen what goes down when parents decide the jig’s up altogether.
Who knew Gen V would have me researching child influencer legislation around the world, but with this series, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. And with five more episodes coming out over the next five weeks, I’m bracing myself for the ride.
Image credit: Gen V, Amazon Prime Video