After striking gold with The Boys, Prime Video became home to a pair of The Boys spinoff shows that are set within that famous comic-book world. The spinoffs are an animated show in The Boys: Diabolical and a live-action show that's known as Gen V.
Both were well acclaimed, but without a doubt, Gen V stands out as the more famous of the two, and it arguably outshines the original in terms of straight-up storytelling.
What sets this spinoff apart from its mainline counterpart would be the recurring setting: Godolkin University, also known as God U, which developed into a full-fledged character upon the insurgence of season two, which came out on Prime Video in 2025.
Gen V uses its setting as a character
Whether it's an orphanage like the Red River Institute or a psychiatric hospital such as Sage Grove Center, several locations in the original series become prominent to the plot—that is, aside from the hubs for The Seven and The Boys, those being Vought Tower and the Flatiron Building, respectively.
Houses are also prominently featured, such as those belonging to Becca Butcher and Annie January, along with various food joints like the Noodle Palace and Tony Cicero's Family Restaurant.
Plenty of other spots like Freedom Camp 47, the Tek Cave, and the Church of the Collective Renewal Center could prominently be mentioned, and while there is a dynamic location in The Boys thanks to Vought Tower, it wasn't nearly as fleshed out as a location in Gen V, the popular spinoff show that aired its first season in 2023.
Founded by Frederick Vought and Thomas Godolkin, the institution is known for teaching youthful supes how to be heroic, how to control their powers, and generally how to use them for good.
Secrets lie in abundance beneath the floorboards of Godolkin, as for instance: It’s revealed by Dean Indira Shetty that behavioral scientist Thomas Godolkin conceptualized the school as a means to run experiments on super-powered children. Of course, there's also The Woods, the underground facility revealed in season 1, where supporting character Sam Riordan was held for most of the episodes.
It should also be noted that such Boys characters as A-Train, Black Noir, Queen Maeve, and Tek Knight are alumni of God U, with The Deep even appearing in an episode as a member of the Gamma Epsilon Delta fraternity.
All of these hidden spots and lost facts make God U generally more intriguing of a location than most of its Boys counterparts, but what's perhaps most important is that the lauded institution even undergoes change between seasons one and two.
Discovering the aforementioned secrets appropriately turns the plot directly on its head, making the setting an active story participant. Setting as character is an idea that's mostly explored in literature, but here in Gen V, the confident showrunners bring the topic to life.
Viewers will come to love the various Godolkin staff members, not to mention the students who display some unexpected yet endearing super-powered abilities. Many of these characters develop a bond with Godolkin University in more ways than one, whether they experienced a meaningful, interpersonal moment upon the campus grounds or they were physically held beneath the school in the place that's known as The Woods.
Campus becomes more militaristic between seasons one and two, with the second collection of episodes featuring an unrecognizable God U following the plot points that rendered our heroes incriminated. There's also a new dean at the start of season two, and the entire campus is rife with authoritarian impressions.
Shifting with the plot and brimming with personality, Godolkin University acts as a character in itself, evident by the marketing put forth by Amazon to promote the spinoff series. Fans can visit godolkinuniversity.com to experience a virtual tour of the campus, and there's an array of Godolkin merchandise available on Amazon for anyone wishing to showcase an essence of school spirit.
Unfortunately, Prime Video canceled Gen V after two seasons, according to Deadline, but they also announced Vought Rising, another spinoff, will premiere next year.
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