The Boys creator teases "darker", "more confident" Gen V season 2, says it'll give us our "first solid peak" at how Homelander has changed the world

We're still over a year away from seeing The Boys season 5 wrap up one of the best superhero shows running, but creator Eric Kripke says fans will get some answers before the final season drops, in Gen V season 2.

"Coming off of the season four finale of The Boys, Gen V is our first real, solid peek into how Homelander has changed the world, referencing just what is happening out there in the world, ever since he took over the country. And also where Starlight is, and what's going on with the Starlighters, and what's going on in media," says Kripke in the new issue of SFX magazine, which features Predator: Badlands on the cover and hits newsstands on Wednesday, September 10.

The Boys season 4 ended with Homelander firmly in the Oval Office after his fellow antagonist, Steven Calhoun, was elected as president. Homelander and Calhoun declare martial law, putting supes in positions of power. Soon after, all of The Boys, apart from Butcher and Starlight, are captured. With events from The Boys season 4 directly impacting Gen V and students at Godolkin University, the two shows are now more intertwined than ever.

"I love that each show is its own show – they each have their own story – but because they all exist in the same world, you can really spread consistent and interesting details throughout them," adds Kripke. "You just have that much more room to let the world evolve, which is really exciting. So the world [in Gen V season two] is kinda fucked, but then again, so is our world. So it all checks out."

However, just becasue The Boys is approaching its final season, that dosen't mean the main show will overshadow spin-off Gen V. "Season two has higher stakes. It's a little bit of a darker show. The characterisations are a little bit more complicated," says Kripke, "Season two is just a lot more confident, and it knows what it is and it takes some bigger swings."

Welcoming back Jaz Sinclair as Marie Moreau, Lizze Broadway as Emma Meyer, and London Thor and Derek Luh as Jordan Li, Gen V season 2 follows the students of Godlkin as they embark on their sophomore year under Homelander's new US. All the while, there is a war brewing between humans and Supes.

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Gen V season 2 releases on September 17. Read more in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which will be available from Wednesday, September 10. Here's the Predator: Badlands cover you need to be looking out for on newsstands below...