‘GEN V’ and ‘LOKI’ Season 2 episodes are now available to stream every Thursday night.
The Boys on Amazon was praised when it initially debuted as a unique take on the superhero genre that skewered cliches and corporate goals in equal measure and didn’t hold back with its violence or criticism on the status of Hollywood as a whole. The Boys, which is based on the Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson comic book series of the same name, has established itself as a mainstay of the contemporary superhero landscape after three seasons, with a fourth on the way.
This approval poses an intriguing query for a program that was previously positioned itself as an outsider work, and in the eyes of some fans, this is where the franchise has begun to falter, leaning more into its own mythology and offering commentary that feels increasingly obvious and broad.
The promise of a spin-off from The Boys raises as many questions as it answers: will a show that purports to satirize the superhero genre fall into its greatest trap? Will this new series build on The Boys’ criticisms of the superhero industrial complex, or entirely prioritize its internal lore? What is The Boys without the characters we’ve spent years following? With all of these questions in mind, I went into Gen V unsure of what to expect, or even what I wanted. And to much surprise, the most consistent feeling coming out of the show’s first 6 episodes is confidence. Gen V is incredibly sure of what it is, where it stands in a broader context, and more importantly, what it has to offer.
There have been some significant changes to the creative crew of Loki since the first season came to a close in 2021. Eric Martin, who was a staff writer on season one, has taken over head writer responsibilities from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron. In the directing department, Kate Herron passes the baton to a slew of directors this time around, including Dan Deleeuw, Kasra Farahani, and directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead.
Marvel Studios’ original series lineup for Disney+ has been a mixed bag in these last two years. Some shows have faded away with hardly any lasting impact on both audiences and the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large, while others have earned acclaimed status in what is already a grandiose franchise. Loki was a project that was always destined for success with Tom Hiddleston reprising the titular, fan-favorite villain. The God of Mischief’s character arc has evolved arguably more than any other Marvel character over the years, from first being the MCU’s main villain to now attempting to be its very savior in Loki Season 2.
