When it comes to traditional superheroes, their powers are obvious and well-known. With the superhero young adults from Gen V, a spin-off of The Boys, the powers aren’t discussed so openly, leaving fans to figure it out and learn as each Supe uses them. Some of these powers are traditional superhero abilities, while others are a little more unique, like protagonist Marie Moreau’s ability to control blood.

Many of the characters have revealed their superpowers throughout the first season of Gen V, and fans can’t wait to see what the next season has in store for them. That said, there are some details that fans might find worth knowing about how the powers work, their limitations, and what each Supe can actually do. This includes abilities they might not even have fully realized, including the potential to defeat the strongest and most hateful character in The Boys: Homelander.

Updated on August 4, 2024 by Robbie Robinson: Now that the 4th season of The Boys has concluded, it’s time for any fan who hasn’t watched Gen V to give it a try. It’s unclear how much crossover there will be between the shows in terms of plot right now, but it might end up being beneficial for fans to have knowledge of both casts. This list has been updated to include more information about the characters’ powers as well as to get this list up to current CBR formatting standards.

10Marie Moreau Might Actually Stand A Chance Against Homelander

Played By: Jaz Sinclair

Powers & Abilities
Hemokinesis

Blood Sense

Gen V star Lizze Broadway reveals her obsession with Marvel and which Spider-Man character she would jump at the chance to play in a live-action film.

In short, Marie’s superpower is the ability to manipulate blood, which some on Gen V refer to as being a “bloodbender.” She sadly discovered this power at the age of 12 when she began her first menstrual cycle. Unable to control the blood, she flung it toward her parents, accidentally killing both of them and scarring her sister for life. All Marie needs to do to attack is cut her hand using her pocketknife, then watch her blood rise and control it like a form of lethal lasso.

Marie might not have superhuman strength on par with someone like Sam, but it appears her blood can travel far, fast, and has incredible strength. She can do more, like force blood back into a human (as she did to save a woman at a nightclub), and even sense blood disturbances. She figured out she had been chipped by detecting blood clotting around the device in her shoulder. Most importantly, however, Marie’s Hemokinesis might actually come in handy against Homelander.

In Gen V , it’s revealed that Victoria Neuman’s powers are the same as Marie’s. Fans of The Boys had seen Neuman implode many heads, although it initially never detailed the specifics of her powers. Knowing now that Neuman had those abilities, it’s a shame that fans never got to see her powers in action like Marie’s. This information also ramps up the strength of Marie’s “blood-bending.” It’s already been made clear that Marie is extraordinarily powerful, but knowing that she can also implode someone’s head really highlights how deadly Marie could become.

9Andre Anderson Inherited His Powers From His Supe Father

Played By: Chance Perdomo

Powers & Abilities

Technopathy

It makes sense that, as the son of a Supe named Polarity, Andre has powers relating to magnetism. He can pull and warp metal using just his hand and his mind. But what makes Andre so strong is that this power is combined with superhuman strength. He can not only move small pieces of metal but even cause a crash between two trucks, or move a refrigerator from several feet away. In one case, he even managed to stop a helicopter from crashing.

Andre demonstrated his power many times, first by making a butterfly out of a metal object to impress a girl, then making it fly across the room (but then accidentally killing someone in the process). He also angrily warped the statue of his father. One of Andre’s most interesting abilities is technopathy, allowing him to manipulate computer technology. This is shown when he uses his powers to override a fingerprint reader. Sadly, in a tragic accident, Chance Perdomo passed away, so fans won’t get to see his amazing character in more action, but his character has certainly made his mark.

8Emma Meyer Keeps Discovering New Abilities And Techniques

Played By: Lizzie Broadway

Powers & Abilities
Self-Size Alteration

Amateur boxing

Emma’s power at first glance doesn’t seem to be all that exciting, but it’s useful in many ways. Aside from shrinking to a tiny stature to make hilarious YouTube videos with her pet gerbil, her ability to shrink makes it possible to move through vents and small spaces undetected. She used this ability to enter Sam’s room in the Woods, as well as while escaping enemies.

Emma can find unique ways to kill in this form, too, like crawling through a guard’s ear and through his head to the other side. She can conversely grow to a monstrous size as well, destroying everything in her wake as a Godzilla-like character. What’s saddest about Emma’s powers is that she must vomit to become small and binge-eat to return to her normal size, eating even further to grow very big. She’s often the subject of ridicule or fetish obsession, and used by others, including her own mother.

Emma’s not the only Supe with size-altering abilities. In The Boys , fans got too up close and personal with the private life of the Supe, Termite. Termite’s favorite pastime involved shrinking down and…climbing inside his sexual partners. Although, it doesn’t seem like Termite had the power to also grow in size, like Emma.

7Cate Dunlap Can’t Even Touch People Due To Her Powers

Played By: Maddie Phillip

Powers & Abilities
Telepathy

Emotional Manipulation

Cate’s power of mind control is so pronounced that she has to wear leather gloves at all times to keep it at bay (and earn trust). However, the second she removes a glove, fans know she is about to do something. From getting a table at a busy restaurant to making an obnoxious fellow student embarrass himself repeatedly, Cate is considerably more powerful than many realize. This technique is known as “pushing,” as it can convince people to do practically anything.

She has employed her powers for good as well as evil, saving her friends from danger while also manipulating or erasing their memories. Cate’s backstory is sad as well, having discovered her powers when she angrily told her little brother to leave and never return. She spent the rest of her childhood locked in a secure room by her own parents. If Cate overuses her powers, however, she can suffer from bad headaches and seizures.

Cate has a wide arsenal of powers that allow her to manipulate the minds of people in a multitude of fashions. One person she shares similar powers with is Rufus. Rufus can effectively make people forget things, which is why the Gen V gang assumed that Rufus was the cause of their fragmented memories, even though it had actually been Cate all along. Other characters that Cate shares powers with are Mindstorm and Mesmer. Mindstorm can control minds and Mesmer has the ability to read people’s minds.

6Jordan Li Has Different Powers Based On Their Gender Form

Played By: Derek Luh (Male) & London Thor (Female)

Powers & Abilities
Gender Transformation

Energy Blasts

Gen V‘s Jordan was long considered the second-most powerful student at Godolkin University, behind only Golden Boy. They can seamlessly transition from male to female form and back again. Interestingly, each persona has unique powers. The male version is virtually indestructible, making him almost impossible to defeat. In fact, they are far more invulnerable than most Supes in this form.

The female version can use energy blasts and is ultra-quick, but also strong enough to knock down a door, as they did to save Marie from Rufus. Despite their tremendous power, however, Jordan never receives the respect they deserve, especially when in female form. Their non-binary nature makes Godolkin skeptical about having Jordan be the face of the university. That said, the rapidly changing sociopolitical atmosphere surrounding Godolkin might fix this problem in the near future.

For now, Jordan is the only known Supe with ability to change gender at will. However, their energy blasts are reminiscent of two characters. One character, The Starlike, is only known by name. She was mentioned by Homelander and Firecracker in The Boys. The other character is Sun-Hee, who is seen in the animated series, The Boys Presents: Diabolical. Suffering from cancer, Sun-Hee’s husband stole a batch of Compund V in order to heal her. All fans know how that could turn out. Of course, Sun-Hee walks away with some newfound abilities.

5Luke Riordan Was Known As The Golden Boy Of Godolkin

Played By: Patrick Schwarzenegger

Powers & Abilities
Thermonuclear Aura

Self-Detonation

Season 1 of Prime Video’s Gen V has many inconsistencies in the plot pop up, and quite a few odd mysteries set up for The Boys Season 4 to dissect.

The Golden Boy of Godolkin, Luke can literally set his entire body on fire and use it as a shield to protect him from enemies. Once he produces fire, including light burning from his eyes (which indicates he’s about to burst into them), Luke can manipulate the blaze to do whatever he wants. In addition, he can fly by using his fire powers to propel him through the air, not unlike Stormfront.

Luke is arguably one of the strongest students at Godolkin. He is so powerful, in fact, that he’s seemingly able to break through Cate’s mind control. Despite her having wiped his memories repeatedly, he continues to get visions of his brother Sam in the woods. Luke also has the more-human power of charisma, easily getting others to like him. He could have gotten into the Seven after graduating, but his untimely death changed everything for the university.

Golden Boy has a few points of his powers that are like other Supes. He’s completely immune to fire (which, makes sense considering he can turn his whole body into flames) and others Supes that share that quality are Hyperion and Ironcast. Fans never actually got to meet Hyperion, as she was only seen as a potential candidate for the Seven. Ironcast is also never met, though it’s told that he has iron skin, making him immune to fire. Picante Balls is a character from the animated series, Diabolical , and he can make heat from his testicles. There’s certainly no shortage of interesting powers in The Boys universe.

4Maverick Is The Son Of Translucent, One Of The Famous Seven

Played By: Nicholas Hamilton

Powers & Abilities
Carbon Skin

Invisibility

The first student that Marie meets when she arrives at Godolkin University is Maverick, who very obviously has the power of invisibility. He is seen only as a pair of glasses with a baseball hat hovering above her head and tells her he’s there to guide her through her first day. In other words, he’s comfortable walking around the dorms in his birthday suit.

Maverick is a jokester who enjoys his powers, admitting to other students, for example, that he is completely naked while greeting Marie. He doesn’t appear to be as lethal as the others, but based on his counterpart from The Boys, Translucent, being invisible can be quite powerful. It’s unclear if Maverick has the same indestructibility as Translucent, who had carbon metamaterial skin that bent light. It’s highly possible, however, given that he’s Translucent’s biological son.

3Sam Riordan Doesn’t Appear To Have Any Limit To His Strength

Played By: Asa Germann

Powers & Abilities
Immeasurable strength

Extreme durability

Sam might actually be the most powerful Supe in Gen V, even more powerful than his brother Luke. Unfortunately, due to his mental illness and hallucinations, likely a by-product of all the experiments he undergoes in the Woods, he is trapped in a lab where he is constantly tortured and abused. He is often restrained physically or by drugs, which hinders his abilities, explaining why fans were so shocked when Luke first revealed his true strength.

Any time he has escaped or fought back, it’s clear that Sam’s powers have no limit. He can crush human skulls, tear apart bodies (even if he views them as muppets as he does it), and run at incredible speeds. According to Andre, Sam relies on the same leaping technique as Queen Maeve, further demonstrating his potential. Because of his deep trauma, however, Sam is extremely reactive and impulsive, unable to control his own strength and actions, which makes him very dangerous.

2Rufus Can Control Minds And Perform Astral Projection

Played By: Alexander Calvert

Powers & Abilities
Telepathy

Clairvoyance

The first Gen V blooper reel sees F-bombs galore, starring Lizze Broadway, Jaz Sinclair, and the rest of the cast, with Homelander making a cameo.

Rufus is the resident psychic at the school, able to control minds. This is why Marie and Andre initially believed him to be the one who wiped their memories. He also has astral projection abilities, able to cause others to have out-of-body experiences. Clairvoyance is another of his powers: he can see and predict the future or other things going on, though he claims he needs to be close enough to someone to be able to use it.

He also appears to have the ability for regenerative healing. After Marie exploded his private parts, Rufus is seen again apparently unharmed. This suggests he might have been able to heal himself entirely, or at least heal himself rather quickly. The problem with Rufus, unfortunately, is that he’s an inveterate date rapist. In fact, the executive producers of Gen V have gone on record calling him “a walking roofie.”

1Robert Vernon’s Unique Abilities Make Him A Master Interrogator

Played By: Derek Wilson

Powers & Abilities
Superhuman Deduction

Super Senses

A past student of Godolkin University, Robert is seen visiting the school where he makes Dean Indira Shetty uncomfortable with his investigations. Robert is a former Supe who now works as a TV host for a show about unsolved cases. His superpower is that of enhanced deduction, which includes the heightened senses of hearing, sight, and smell. That said, Robert isn’t on the same level as Batman or Sherlock Holmes.

Robert’s abilities are so fine-tuned that he can see tiny beads of sweat building on someone’s face because they’re nervous. This makes him a master interrogator, which is why he was sent to Godolkin in the first place. While Robert’s powers don’t seem as impressive as others, he has developed a reputation for being able to cause lethal reactions when others cower before his perception. He is deeply affected by a fatal brain tumor, however, which causes him to have unusual proclivities.