Gen V’s Villains Are Directly Setting Up The Boys’ Comic Ending

Gen V‘s main story may change the universe of The Boys forever, as the show’s villains are already setting up Billy Butcher’s ending from the comic series. Gen V may have initially seemed like a spin-off that only takes place in the world of The Boys, but it has become clear that the series is integral to the franchise. The villains in Gen V have finally unveiled their plan, and it is something that could shake the very foundation of the supe world. This maniacal Gen V plan is likely something that Butcher will want to get in on, as it perfectly mirrors his endgame from The Boys comics.

Gen V is finally here, with season 1 of the highly-anticipated spin-off of Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys currently releasing. Gen V puts a new spin on The Boys franchise, with the series this time focusing on a college for supes known as Godolkin University. The show follows Marie Moreau, a young blood-bender who gets the opportunity to attend the prestigious Vought-run school, but upon her arrival, Marie and her friends unearth a massive conspiracy. Although they don’t know the full scope of it yet, Vought’s newest plan has the power to change everything – and help Billy Butcher finally take down Homelander and The Seven.

Gen V’s Virus Is Very Similar To Butcher’s Supe Weapon From The Boys’ Comic Ending

Gen V episode 5 revealed that Dr. Cardosa was working on some sort of mysterious virus, but Vought’s full plan wasn’t revealed until episode 6. As it turns out, Vought’s The Woods facility was a project that allowed scientists to experiment on supes in the hopes of creating a virus that can control them. This virus would give the company the power to have a full grasp over all of their supes, preventing rogue actors like Homelander from causing a problem in the future. A mind-controlled Vought army is a pretty terrifying thought, which is why it’s scary that the virus is so close to working.

The end of episode 6 reveals an even scarier purpose for the virus, with it acting in a similar fashion to Billy Butcher’s supe weapon from The Boys comics. In the episode, Dr. Cardosa gives a higher concentration of the virus to an electric supe, with it eventually killing her. Although Cardosa sees this as a failure, Dean Shetty excitedly asks him to find a way to make it contagious, showing that she has other plans. It is clear that Dean Shetty wants to go behind Vought’s back and start wiping out supes for unknown reasons, with her seemingly doing Butcher’s job for him.

Related: All 8 Hidden Clues To Gen V Episode 5’s Secret Villain Twist

Late in The Boys comics, Billy Butcher devises a plan to finally wipe out the supes. Butcher gets his hands on a modified version of Compound V, with him going to a warehouse and using this weapon to kill over 150 supes in one swing. This biological massacre is a huge blow to Vought, and while Amazon’s version of Butcher hasn’t mentioned this plan yet, Gen V‘s virus makes this endgame feel inevitable. If Billy Butcher can get his hands on The Woods’ supe virus, then The Boys could play out in an incredibly similar way to the comic series.

Gen V’s Virus Story Sets Up The Boys Season 4 (& The Show’s Ending)

Now that Gen V has introduced a supe virus, the spin-off is setting up The Boys season 4 as well as the end of the show. The overarching story of the franchise has followed the Boys as they attempt to find a way to kill Homelander. If this virus does what Shetty thinks it does, then this might be the answer to Butcher’s problem. Butcher has shown that he is willing to do anything to take down Homelander, even if that means using a contagious virus to wipe out the supes. If news of the virus gets out by the end of Gen V, it will definitely pique Butcher’s interest.

Related: The Boys: Gen V Soundtrack – Every Song & When It Plays

It seems like The Boys will directly follow up on Gen V‘s virus story, with a significant chunk of The Boys season 4 following Billy Butcher as he attempts to get his hands on the virus. Getting the virus could involve a complicated plot to steal it from Vought labs, as was seen with Hughie and Butcher’s Temp-V storyline in season 3. It could also involve them hunting down Shetty or Cardosa and forcing them to give up the virus. If it truly is able to kill all kinds of supes, the virus could be the most valuable object in season 4, with the Boys racing to get it.

Gen V‘s supe virus also sets up some other potential storylines in The Boys season 4. If the virus is contagious, that means that good supes like Starlight, Kimiko, and Queene Maeve could die along with the evil supes. While Butcher will probably be ok with this, characters like Hughie and Frenchie definitely won’t, creating another rift in the group. Supes like Homelander will probably also want to get their hands on it in an attempt to prevent the biological weapon from being unleashed, meaning that the Boys will have to race The Seven and Vought to get it.

Gen V’s Story Is Too Big To End Before The Boys Season 4

The supe virus is one of the biggest reveals in the history of The Boys franchise, meaning that Gen V‘s story is too big to end before The Boys season 4. This plot element will have to continue on into the main series, as even if the Gen V gang manages to destroy the virus, the recepie is still out there. The cat can’t be put back into the bag now, and with the supe virus affecting so many The Boys characters, it’s hard to see season 4 being about anything else.

It has been teased by several figures involved with Gen V that the series will set up The Boys season 4, and the supe virus is the only element that has done this so far. It’s possible that Gen V characters could appear in The Boys, with Dean Shetty and Dr. Cardosa being likely candidates. Giving Gen V a satisfying conclusion while maintaining the momentum for The Boys season 4 will be tricky, but it can definitely be done, with Gen V‘s supe virus changing everything.

New episodes of Gen V release Fridays on Amazon Prime Video.