Gen V Season 2 Episode 8: Did Homelander Crash the Party?

So, no, Homelander doesn’t pop up in the Gen V Season 2 finale. If that was your main hope for the episode, adjust expectations. The finale, Trojan, goes in a different direction: it caps the Godolkin University storyline with a nasty campus showdown, drops a lore nuke that reshapes the whole Vought-verse, and then quietly sets the table for The Boys Season 5 with a clean time jump. Honestly, the cameo would have been the least interesting thing about it.

The real twist: V1 exists, and it changes everything

The big reveal isn’t who shows up — it’s what was hiding in plain sight. Meet V1, the earliest version of Compound V. Thomas Godolkin (Ethan Slater) — yes, the once-thought-dead founder, now freshly revived and very smug about it — spills that he survived the 1967 Project Odessa lab fire because he injected V1. Side effect: you stop aging. Functionally immortal. Which, if you’re keeping score, explains a lot.

He also confirms two heavy hitters are V1 users: Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) and Stormfront (Aya Cash). That’s not just a cute retcon; it’s setup. Amazon’s next spinoff, Vought Rising, is set in the 1950s and will lean hard on those two, tying their long shelf lives directly to this formula. Between standard Compound V, the limited-use V24 (Temp V), and now V1, we’re at least three variants deep.

Showrunner Michele Fazekas even admitted in an October 15 interview that they sprinkled breadcrumbs for this all season. If you rewatch, you’ll see the trail.

Kripke loved the fan sleuthing... and kind of hated it

"They’re very, very smart, and I give them credit. In the same breath, I’m irritated, they figured it out."

And about The Boys S5’s timing: "about six months after 'Gen V' Season 2 ends"

Fans called the Compound V twist early, which Eric Kripke both applauded and grumbled about. Either way, he confirmed the part that matters: The Boys Season 5 picks up roughly six months after this finale. That buffer lets the Godolkin massacre ripple through politics, media, and whatever passes for public safety in this universe before we rejoin Butcher and company.

What Trojan actually does (beyond dodging a cameo)

The episode’s main event is a brutal wrap-up on campus that finally takes down the season’s big antagonist. But its real job is future-proofing. With V1 on the board, the franchise now has a clear timeline for its old guard, and it puts a target on Marie Moreau’s back. The show positions her and Homelander as survivors of the original Odessa project, which makes their collision course feel inevitable. Add in the existence of immortal Supes and suddenly the endgame isn’t just bloody — it’s generational.

Also worth flagging: Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) is set to return, which usually means people with power are about to get outmaneuvered by someone with more of it.

Yes, Gen V is done — by design

Gen V wraps with Season 2. The finale isn’t built around stunt casting because it doesn’t need to be. It’s the handoff: a clean, nasty, purposeful bridge into The Boys’ final push in Season 5. By the time that season starts, this world will already be in recovery mode — and maybe realizing it can’t recover from some of this at all.

Quick facts

• Show: Gen V
• Creators: Eric Kripke, Michele Fazekas
• Finale episode: Trojan
• Finale writers: Justine Ferrara & Michele Fazekas
• Seasons: 2 (Series complete)
• Network: Prime Video
• IMDb: 7.6
• Rotten Tomatoes: 91% Critics, 69% Audience
• Main cast: Jaz Sinclair, Lizze Broadway, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, Sean Patrick Thomas, Hamish Linklater
• Spinoff setup: Vought Rising (1950s), centered on Soldier Boy and Stormfront, tied directly to the V1 reveal
• The Boys S5 timing: starts about six months after Gen V S2 ends

Where to watch

Gen V Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now on Prime Video.