Amazon Prime has dropped the second season of its The Boys spin-off, Gen V, and while fans have been bingeing the show – it's now the second most-streamed programme this week on the platform – they've also been left heartbroken. Ahead of filming for the second season, series lead Chance Perdomo died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 27. Filming for the show was postponed in the wake and instead of recasting Chance's character of Andre, the entire season was rewritten to accommodate the news and a reason shared as to why the character would no longer be in the show.
In the opening seconds of the show, a title card flashed up reading: "For Chance," alongside a photo of the star as Andre. In the show, it was explained that Andre had died attempting to escape prison alongside Emma (Lizze Broadway), Jordan (Derek Luh and London Thor), and Marie (Jaz Sinclair). In the opening episode, Jordan explained that Andre had "stroked out" while attempting to use his powers to forge an escape route through a steel door.
The second episode also dealt with death, as medical files shown by Cipher (Hamish Linklater), the new Dean at the academy, revealed that Andre suffered from the same medical condition as his father, Polarity. This meant that every time he used his powers, he got neural micro-tears that resulted in strokes and tremors. The show set up a mystery as while Jordan surmised this meant Andre knew the rescue mission was a "suicide mission", Marie was sceptical over what they were shown. Whether Andre's death is mentioned again in further episodes remains to be seen.
Fan reaction
While fans were touched by the sensitive way in which Chance's death was handled, others were heartbroken over the scenes. One lamented: "This new Gen V hits differently because they're playing into Chance's death, and it is really hitting because he really died. Can't imagine how hard this is for the actors and his family."
A second wrote: "Said I was gonna finally watch Gen V and not be sad, and, of course, the first thing I see is 'For Chance'," while a third penned: "Finally started season 2 of Gen V and immediately got sad when I remembered Chance Perdomo died last year, while a fourth added: "Shoutout to the Gen V team for the 'FOR CHANCE' message at the beginning of the season. RIP Chance Perdomo," and a fifth shared: "I'm watching the second season of Gen V and realizing how much of the plot had to be adapted and inserted due to Chance's death."
Others were thrilled that the show had returned, as one enthused: "Gen V is so back," and a second commented: "If you liked The Boys, Gen V is a perfect expansion on the world they built within that series," and a third joked: "Wait, can the rapture hold on a minute…Gen V new ep is coming Wednesday."
Gen V's synopsis
The official synopsis for season two reads: "School is back in session. As the rest of America adjusts to Homelander's iron fist, back at Godolkin University, the mysterious new Dean preaches a curriculum that promises to make students more powerful than ever.
"Cate and Sam are celebrated heroes, while Marie, Jordan, and Emma reluctantly return to college, burdened by months of trauma and loss. But parties and classes are hard to care about with war brewing between Humans and Supes, both on and off campus. The gang learns of a secret program that goes back to the founding of Godolkin University that may have larger implications than they realise. And, somehow, Marie is a part of it."
Who stars in Gen V?
Jaz Sinclair (Paper Towns) stars as Marie Moreau, alongside Lizze Broadway (The Rookie) as Emma Meyer, Maddie Phillips (Teenage Bounty Hunters) as Cate Dunlap, London Thor (Shameless) as Jordan Li, Derek Luh (Shining Vale) as Jordan Li, Asa Germann (The Boys) as Sam Riordan, and Sean Patrick Thomas (Reasonable Doubt) as Polarity.