Did you spot the Gen V cameo in The Boys season 4 episode 4? And no, we’re not talking about Sam and Cate, we’re talking about Tek Knight.
In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment after Hughie visits his dad in the hospital, a commercial for the V52 Expo convention flashes up followed by an ad for a true crime show titled The Whole Truth with Tek Knight.
So, who is Tek Knight? Well, if you watched the spin-off show Gen V or have a super good memory and can recall the few times he is mentioned in The Boys, then his name might ring a bell. But despite his on-screen absence, the character has been thoroughly explored in the comics and is a whole lot darker than you could imagine.
Who is Tek Knight?
Tek Knight is an extremely rich Supe and renowned celebrity superhero detective who, just like Iron Man, doesn't have any real powers of note, but uses his wealth and technology to advance his already V-d up abilities. He does however have super hearing, strength, and durability. From what we have seen so far, Tek is corrupt and uses his money to get what he wants, which is not rare in the world of The Boys.
In The Boys comics, Tek Knight, real name Robert Vernon, is an ordinary human who relies on gadgets and his power suit which allows him to fly, shoot electromagnetic shockwaves, and hold many different weapons. But Tek has a major dark side. Throughout the comics, he develops a psychological problem that causes him to have sexual relations with creatures and inanimate objects. At one point he even attacks his butler. We don't know about you, but that's not the Tony Stark and JARVIS we remember.
Where have I seen Tek Knight before?
Although he hasn't played a major role in the series so far, you may remember Tek by name, as he has actually been mentioned many times in the show.
In season 1, Tek’s name is brought up at an Association of Collateral Damage Survivors meeting attended by Hughie when his victim shares that whilst being saved by Tek, he ended up breaking her spine and left her paraplegic. We later see a newspaper clipping of the event in MM’s closet in season 3. In season 2 the Supe is mentioned again by ex-Vought CEO Stan Edgar when he dismisses Homelander saying, "Now, I believe you have a premiere of Tek Knight Lives to go to."
But the place where you probably recognize him from is the 2023 spin-off Gen V season 1. In episode 4, Tek shows up at Godolkin University under the guise of investigating Golden Boy’s death for his true crime show, but really he is there to find a student to pin it on and cover up the truth of Vought’s Supe testing labs. However, he decides to blame the suicide on Principal Shetty but later drops it when she threatens to leak footage of him sticking his you-know-what into various holed objects. And that is the last we saw of Tek, until now.
Although so far Tek has only been shown in small snippets in The Boys season 4, both as a playable character in Ryan’s video game Vought Tournament of Heroes, part of the list for possible Seven candidates, and in the commercial on TV, we have a feeling we will be seeing him again.
The Boys season 4 episodes 1-3 are streaming on Prime Video now, with new episodes dropping every Thursday. For more, check out The Boys season 4 release schedule and the best shows on Prime Video.
