Summary

• The Boys should consider spinoffs that carefully build the world around the main characters, rather than making them just for the sake of it. Gen V proves that the franchise can grow without selling out its principals.
• To avoid overstaying its welcome, The Boys must get creative and justify the existence of more spinoffs. There are plenty of interesting characters and mysterious aspects of Vought’s corporate empire that could be further explored.
• Potential spinoffs could include a Payback series set in the 1980s to lampoon the campy superhero culture, a prequel focusing on Stormfront’s dark past and Vought’s rise to power, and a workplace sitcom about Vought’s crisis management department.

The success of Gen V could be the catalyst for a number of great spinoffs for The Boys. Due to the fact that it parodies the excess of greedy media franchises, The Boys shouldn’t make spinoffs just for the sake of it. This would undermine the central conceit. But a carefully considered spinoff which helps build the world around the main characters shouldn’t be immediately disregarded either. Gen V is proof that the franchise can grow without selling out its principals.

The Boys must avoid overstaying its welcome, as so many big superhero franchises keep producing movies and TV shows as long as the money is there for them. This means that The Boys needs to get creative if they want to justify the existence of more spinoffs. Fortunately, there are plenty of interesting characters who deserve more attention, and other sides to Vought’s corporate empire which remain unexplored. The Boys still has the potential for more spinoffs, but they will have to be worthwhile like Gen V.

8 Payback

Supes in the Cold War

Season 3 of The Boys was dominated by the presence of Soldier Boy, as he tracked down members of his former team Payback and killed them one-by-one. Jensen Ackles was a great addition to the show, and a spinoff about Payback in the 1980s could give him a platform for some more blood-soaked violence. The Boys explored a few of the members of Payback, but others are still enigmatic, like Swatto and Mindstorm.

A Payback spinoff could follow the team as they bolster American interests during the Cold War, just like the flashback sequence in The Boys that saw Payback in Nicaragua. The Boys loves to satirize modern superhero media, but a throwback show set in the 1980s could also lampoon the campy, comic book razzle-dazzle that superheroes used to be associated with. It would also be a good way to bring back Black Noir, one of the show’s most tragic characters.

7 The Rise Of Stormfront

Vought’s dark past

Over the course of season 2, it was revealed that Stormfront was the first ever superhero, after receiving the first successful injection of Compound V from her husband at the time, Frederick Vought. It was also revealed that she believed in the hateful philosophy of the Nazi party, and even kept pictures of herself with Adolf Hitler and other important party leaders.

Stormfront’s story mirrors how the United States accepted German scientists after World War II to benefit from their intelligence. A prequel series following Stormfront during or just after the war would provide a fascinating glimpse into how Vought became one of the biggest corporations on the planet, and there are plenty of real-life analogies to be made. Fans have been speculating on Stormfront’s return to The Boys ever since she left, but a spinoff would be a better way to spend more time with the character.

6 Queen Maeve

The origins of Brave Maeve

She represents what could happen to Starlight if she lets Vought wear down her enthusiasm.

When Starlight first joins the Seven, she looks up to Queen Maeve, but quickly discovers that she has become jaded and cynical. Queen Maeve’s public persona clashes with her real personality massively. She represents what could happen to Starlight if she lets Vought wear down her enthusiasm and her passion for justice. Ultimately, Maeve learns a lot from Starlight, and tries to fight back against Homelander and Vought.

A prequel series about Queen Maeve would be a good opportunity to chart how a bright young superhero, top of her class at Godolkin University, ended up the way she did. It would also provide a chance to see how Maeve and Homelander became a couple, which seems utterly implausible based on the way their characters develop later. A Maeve spinoff could also explore in further detail how Vought responds to her sexuality, a few years before they decided to capitalize on it.

5 Crisis Management

Vought behind the scenes

Some of the staff at Vought Tower have big roles in The Boys, like Stan Edgar, Madeline Stillwell, and Ashley Barrett. But most of Vought’s operations take place away from the spotlight. The Boys has only shown a few glimpses into the internal workings of the company. There’s a crime analytics department which is taken over by the Deep, a crisis management department, and a digital marketing department. Each of these could be expanded upon for a spinoff.

A workplace sitcom about regular non-superpowered humans could work very well. It would likely resemble Star Trek: Lower Decks, which stars Jack Quaid like The Boys. The crisis management department is probably the best candidate for a spinoff, because they are the ones responsible for clearing up after supes, and restoring their public image. This spinoff could feature various supes as guests, or introduce a new cast of heroes.

4 Before The Boys

How Butcher and Grace set up The Boys

Season 3 showed why Grace Mallory holds a vendetta against Vought. The massacre in Nicaragua told her that Vought would never be held accountable for the reckless actions of their supes, and she later recruited Butcher to start the Boys. There isn’t much more detail in the show about how the group came together, although Frenchie and Mother’s Milk have both shown signs of their tragic histories.

A spinoff about the first days of The Boys would reveal more about Frenchie’s relationship with Nina and his criminal past, and it could also flesh out the character of Mother’s Milk. Butcher turned against supes after Homelander sexually assaulted his wife Rebecca, but The Boys doesn’t show much detail about their relationship. The focus on Homelander and Butcher’s feud drives the entire show, but Rebecca could get more attention in a spinoff.

3 Ryan’s Future

Homelander’s son following in his footsteps

Ryan has shown signs that he could grow up to be just as powerful as his father, Homelander. He has also shown that he could go down the same dark path, if he lets power corrupt him. Ryan’s mother, Rebecca, died in season 2, and Homelander has taken more and more interest in Ryan since finding out about his own father, Soldier Boy. Since Butcher turned his back on Ryan, his bitterness and resentment have grown even more.

A spinoff about Ryan’s future would have to wait until after the conclusion of The Boys, but it would be fascinating to jump forward in time and see how his extraordinary childhood shapes his future. Ryan was a big part of season 3 of The Boys, and he looks likely to become even more important in season 4. If the show ends before Ryan’s story reaches its conclusion, then a spinoff would be a logical next step.

2 Sandusky, Ohio

A nation of B-list supes

Supes who aren’t as powerful as Homelander or Starlight are assigned to protect smaller towns.

One of the funniest story lines in The Boys season 1 saw the Deep being reassigned from New York City as part of the Seven to Sandusky, Ohio. Vought oversees a whole nation of supes, all of whom would jump at the chance to join the big leagues, but the show mainly focuses on the Seven and a few others. Supes who aren’t as powerful as Homelander or Starlight are assigned to protect smaller towns spread across the country.

A spinoff about these lesser heroes has the potential to be hilarious, following a struggling bunch of supes with lame powers as they get bounced around from town to town. Some of the superpowers in The Boys are extremely unusual, and there must be loads of supes out there with comically useless abilities. A show about these B-list supes would show the less glamorous side to Vought’s operations, far away from Vought tower in New York City.

1 The Dawn Of The Seven

A look at Vought’s media arm

Throughout the three seasons of The Boys so far, the Seven have had to take time out from fighting crime and each other to star as themselves in movies produced by Vought Studios. Each member of the Seven has their own franchise, but they came together for “Dawn of the Seven.” The Vought Cinematic Universe is a clear parody of Marvel and DC, down to the commercials and the movie premieres.

A spinoff show could take this parody one step further, showing an in-universe movie and poking fun at its real-world counterparts. It would be an extremely meta and self-referential way to go, but it could make for some great superhero satire. Otherwise, a show about the production of Vought’s movies could also be interesting, and it would uncover how the company works to enhance the reputations of the Seven even when they commit horrific crimes.