Season 1 of Gen V begins with Marie Moreau arriving at Godolkin University (God U), a college for young superheroes. Marie has the power to control blood with her mind, a power that manifested during puberty and tragically caused her to accidentally kill her parents. She and her sister were separated into foster care, and now Marie attends God U on a scholarship sponsored by Congresswoman Victoria Neuman. Upon arrival, Marie quickly befriends her roommate Emma, who can shrink or grow her body by purging or binging food. Marie also meets Luke, known as Golden Boy, a superstrong and pyrokinetic student who is the most popular and on track to join the elite superhero team, the Seven, after graduation. Luke's best friend is Andre, who can manipulate magnetism, and Luke's girlfriend is Cate, who controls minds by touch. Another student, Jordan, is a gender-shifter.

Early in the season, the group attends a nightclub where they experiment with drugs. During this outing, Andre accidentally cuts a stranger's throat with a manipulated piece of metal. Marie demonstrates her healing powers by stopping the bleeding and saving lives, which leads to her going viral online. However, this incident triggers a series of tests to prove her worth and defend her place at God U. Despite her efforts, Marie is expelled by Professor Brink, who uses her as a scapegoat for the nightclub incident.

Marie confronts Professor Brink but arrives just in time to witness Golden Boy attacking him with flames. Luke targets Marie, fearing she knows about a secret called "The Woods." This confrontation escalates into a fierce battle between Luke and Jordan. After the fight, Luke leaves the school building and finds Andre. Overcome with guilt and despair, Luke embraces Andre, whispers his final words, and then flies upward to take his own life.

Following Luke's death, Andre teams up with others to understand Luke's strange behavior and uncover the truth behind "The Woods." This leads to meeting Sam and discovering a larger conspiracy involving Dr. Cardosa and Dean Shetty, who have created a virus capable of killing supes. Meanwhile, Andre faces pressure from his father, Polarity, a God U alumnus with similar magnetic telepathy powers, who urges him to clean up his act and focus on joining the Seven.

Throughout the season, the students navigate the corrupt and dangerous environment of God U, facing moral dilemmas, physical confrontations, and the dark realities behind their powers and the institution. Key events include the nightclub incident, Marie's expulsion and fight with Luke, Luke's suicide, and Andre's investigation into the conspiracy involving the virus and "The Woods." The season ends with the students grappling with these revelations and the implications for their futures as superheroes.

The ending of Gen V Season 1 culminates in a chaotic and violent showdown at Godolkin University. Cate, enraged by betrayal and the exploitation of supes by humans, unleashes havoc on the school's staff and frees the prisoners held in the secret "Woods" facility. Andre's father, Polarity, loses control of his powers. Marie emerges as a hero, gaining recognition for stopping a major threat. The season closes with Homelander arriving to "save the day," but the aftermath leaves the campus in disarray, with the main heroes--Marie, Emma, Andre, and Jordan--in custody, while Cate and Sam are spun by Vought's PR as heroes, setting up a tense future conflict between supes and humans.

The final episode, titled "The Guardians of Godolkin," opens amid escalating tensions at Godolkin University. Cate, feeling deeply betrayed by Dean Indira Shetty--who had been secretly experimenting on supes and even killing some for a super virus--redirects her fury toward the human staff. She returns to campus with Sam and delivers a powerful speech to the supes, rallying them against their human oppressors. This speech ignites a violent uprising as Cate releases all the prisoners held in the hidden "Woods" facility, a secret containment area run by Shetty.

Meanwhile, Andre's father, Polarity, who has been a looming threat throughout the season, loses his ability to freely use his magnetic powers, weakening his influence and power. This loss is significant as it diminishes one of the major antagonistic forces.

Marie Moreau, who has been the central protagonist, steps up heroically during the chaos. She manages to stop Luke, a major threat who had been spiraling out of control, and as a result, she becomes the first freshman to enter Godolkin University's top 10 rankings. Her actions earn her sole credit for saving the day, marking her rise as a true hero within the university.

As the campus descends into chaos, Homelander makes a dramatic appearance. In his characteristically cold and menacing manner, he intervenes to "save" the day, but his arrival is unsettling rather than reassuring. His intervention results in the four main heroes--Marie, Emma, Andre, and Jordan--being taken into custody. This outcome contrasts sharply with Cate and Sam, who, despite their violent actions, are portrayed by Vought's powerful PR machine as public heroes, highlighting the manipulation and spin that Vought exerts over public perception.

The episode ends with Godolkin University in utter disarray: dead bodies are scattered across the grounds, and the fragile peace between supes and humans is shattered. The stage is set for a looming Supes vs. Humans conflict, with ideological divisions deepened by the events. Cate has fully embraced a supe-supremacist stance, while Marie and her friends face uncertain futures under Vought's control.

In terms of character fates:

• Marie Moreau rises as a recognized hero but is taken into custody, her future uncertain but marked by newfound status.
• Emma is also in custody, her powers and personal struggles unresolved but central to the ongoing conflict.
• Andre is detained as well, having lost his father's support and facing the consequences of the uprising.
• Jordan shares the same fate, caught in the fallout of the violent climax.
• Cate fully embraces her darker, chaotic side, unleashing destruction and becoming a supe-supremacist figure, publicly hailed as a hero by Vought.
• Sam aligns with Cate and is similarly spun as a hero despite his antagonistic role.
• Homelander remains a menacing force, intervening to control the situation but leaving an uneasy atmosphere.

This ending sets up a complex and morally ambiguous landscape for future seasons, emphasizing themes of power, betrayal, and the manipulation of truth within the superhero world.

Yes, Gen V Season 1 has a post-credits scene in episode 8. The scene takes place in the abandoned Woods facility under Godolkin University, where Billy Butcher is seen walking through dark hallways holding a torch or flashlight. He appears to be searching for something, likely related to the supe virus that was developed there during the season. Butcher delivers one of his trademark lines, expressing his disdain with the phrase, "What a buncha cunts." This scene sets up future storylines, possibly linking to The Boys Season 4, as Butcher may be looking for an anti-supe weapon or dirt on Vought.

The post-credits scene appears shortly after the stylized credits of the finale and is the only extra scene included.

Marie Moreau has the ability to control blood with her mind, a power that unexpectedly developed during puberty and caused her to accidentally kill her own parents, leading to her and her sister being separated in foster care. At Godolkin University, she struggles with her powers and her past trauma while forming friendships, especially with her roommate Emma. Marie's powers are still developing, and she can create weapons from blood, with potential to be extremely powerful. Her abilities and emotional state deeply influence her decisions and interactions, including her involvement in the conflicts surrounding The Woods and the Supe uprising.

Sam Riordan is Luke's younger brother, a superpowered individual with incredible strength who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and institutionalized. He is angry about being given Compound V, which caused his powers and the death of a security guard. Sam is held in a secretive facility called The Woods, where experiments worsen his mental state. Emma helps him escape, and they develop a complex emotional and romantic connection. Sam's schizophrenia causes hallucinations, and he struggles with his identity as a Supe. He eventually joins Cate and the Supe uprising, becoming one of the New Guardians of Godolkin and pledging allegiance to Homelander by the end of the season.

The Woods is a secretive and sinister facility where Supe experiments are conducted, including on Sam Riordan. It is revealed that Cate helps Shetty erase memories of Luke and Sam to manipulate them. The facility is central to the mystery of Compound V's effects and the darker side of Godolkin University. Emma infiltrates The Woods to find Sam, leading to his escape and the exposure of the facility's cruel experiments. The Woods symbolizes the corrupt and dangerous underbelly of the Supe world and drives key plot developments and character motivations.

Luke is the popular, superstrong, pyrokinetic Supe aiming to join The Seven. His girlfriend Cate can control minds by touch, and his best friend Andre manipulates magnetism. Cate and Andre have a secret relationship and discuss the dangers of their powers and the risks involved. Emma, Marie's roommate, becomes involved with Andre's plan to infiltrate The Woods and later develops a romantic connection with Sam. Conflicts arise from Cate's secret manipulations, including memory erasures, and the moral dilemmas faced by the group as they uncover the truth about Compound V and The Woods. These relationships are marked by trust issues, betrayals, and shifting alliances.

Key unanswered questions include the full extent and potential of Marie's powers, especially whether she could kill someone as powerful as Homelander; the true plan and motives of Victoria Neuman, a vice presidential hopeful and secret Supe who has obtained a virus targeting Supes; and the unexplored aspects of Emma's powers, such as her ability to shrink without the usual physical triggers. These mysteries set up anticipation for Season 2 and deepen the intrigue around the characters and the corrupt world of Godolkin University.

The TV show Gen V (Season 1, 2023) is rated TV-MA, indicating it is intended for mature audiences and is not family friendly for children or sensitive viewers.

Potentially objectionable or upsetting content includes:

• Graphic violence and gore, including bloody and gruesome scenes involving blood manipulation and fatal injuries.
• Graphic nudity and sexual content.
• Drug use and foul language throughout the series.
• Morally ambiguous and corrupt characters, with themes of intense competition and ethical boundary-pushing.
• Mental health issues such as self-harm and eating disorders are depicted seriously but may be distressing.
• Scenes involving trauma and emotional distress, including flashbacks to violent family incidents.

Overall, Gen V contains intense, graphic, and mature themes similar to its parent show The Boys, making it unsuitable for children and potentially upsetting for sensitive viewers.