We're heading back to the universe of The Boys, as university-set spin-off series Gen V returns for its second season on Prime Video.

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Of course, Gen V isn't the first spin-off to The Boys – that title goes to The Boys Presents: Diabolical, an animated anthology series that aired in 2022.

But with seven seasons of TV having come out of the universe thus far, and two new shows on the way, it can get confusing as to what orders seasons should be watched in in order to keep track of the story.

Never fear – we've laid it all out in the guide below, which runs right through from The Boys season 1 through to Gen V season 2.

Read on for everything you need to know about how to watch The Boys universe in order.

How to watch The Boys universe in order

Here's a full list of how to watch The Boys universe in release order:

  • The Boys season 1
  • The Boys season 2
  • The Boys Presents: Diabolical
  • The Boys season 3
  • Gen V season 1
  • The Boys season 4
  • Gen V season 2

This is also the same as chronological order, for those wanting to track the story right through, although The Boys Presents: Diabolical is more of an offshoot, with few ties to the mainline series.

New additions on the way from the franchise include The Boys season 5, as well as new spin-offs Vought Rising and The Boys: Mexico. Vought Rising will be set in the 1950s, so will go at the start of any chronological watch.

For more information on each of the seasons in The Boys universe thus far, read below.

How to watch The Boys universe in order

The Boys season 1

Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys. Two teenagers are stood either side of him taking a selfie.
Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys. Amazon Studios

The season that started it all, The Boys season 1 introduced us to this messed up world and all the superhero antics, gore and depravity within it.

At the start of the season we met Hughie Campbell, an ordinary man left grieving and vengeful after his girlfriend was killed by the superhero A-Train. He went on to join the mysterious Billy Butcher and his gang of resistance fighters, The Boys, to take on the villainous Supe Homelander and his team, The Seven.

Meanwhile, we also followed Annie January, AKA Starlight, a new Supe joining The Seven who quickly found her dreams were not all they were cracked up to be.

It was in this season that we learnt Vought was responsible for the creation of superheroes using Compound V, and that Homelander had a son with Butcher's wife.

The Boys season 2

Aya Cash as Stormfront in The Boys, holding a microphone.
Aya Cash as Stormfront in The Boys. Amazon Studios

When The Boys returned for season 2, it brought with it a new character – Aya Cash's Stormfront. The new member of The Seven was later revealed to be the first successful Compound V subject, and an evil bigot with roots in the Nazi Party. She formed a relationship with Homelander, meaning he was left devastated when she was severely injured and disfigured.

Butcher's wife Becca was also killed, leaving her son Ryan in his protection.

At the end of the season, it was revealed that Victoria Neumann, a head-popping supe apparently trying to hold Vought accountable, was actually a head-popping supe trying to do anything but.

The Boys Presents: Diabolical

A group of animated characters in The Boys Presents: Diabolical, sat on a sofa looking at a TV.
The Boys Presents: Diabolical. Amazon Studios

This animated anthology spin-off series ran for one season, and featured a host of different one-off stories set within the world of The Boys.

The stories of the various episodes, which are animated in different styles, were created by Awkwafina, Garth Ennis, Eliot Glazer and Ilana Glazer, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, Simon Racioppa, Justin Roiland and Ben Bayouth, Andy Samberg, and Aisha Tyler.

It has been stated that the only episodes that are in the same continuity with the show are Nubian vs Nubian, John and Sun-Hee, and One Plus One Equals Two, while the others take place in other universes than the mainline show.

The Boys season 3

Jensen Ackles and Jack Quaid as Soldier Boy and Hughie Campbell in The Boys standing together looking off camera
Jensen Ackles and Jack Quaid as Soldier Boy and Hughie Campbell in The Boys. Amazon Studios

This third season of The Boys saw the team discover that Soldier Boy, a supe who was operating years ago and long thought dead, was actually alive, and being kept in stasis in Russia.

Now freed, he became their next hope in the battle against Homelander, but proved to be erratic. He was later revealed to be Homelander's biological father, but found his son to be a "disappointment". He ended up back on ice at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Butcher and Hughie started using Temp V, giving them powers for a short time, Starlight finally left The Seven for good and Queen Maeve, one of the leading member of The Seven, went into hiding, believed dead by Homelander and the public at large.

Gen V season 1

Chance Perdomo (Andre Anderson), Jaz Sinclair (Marie Moreau) and Derek Luh (Jordan Li) in Gen V standing in a forest, looking concerned
Chance Perdomo (Andre Anderson), Jaz Sinclair (Marie Moreau) and Derek Luh (Jordan Li) in Gen V. Brooke Palmer/Prime Video

This university-set spin-off introduced us to a group of young supe students at Godolkin University, who started to uncover a secret programme there to develop a supe-killing virus.

The first season ended with a massacre on campus, as supes were pitted against humans. Four of our central characters - Marie, Andre, Jordan and Emma – fought to stop this, while Cate and Sam instigated it.

At the end of the season, Homelander arrived and intervened, with Marie and her friends being imprisoned while Cate and Sam were lauded as heroes.

The Boys season 4

Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk and Tomer Capone as Frenchie in The Boys, stood under a banner which says Truthcon
Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk and Tomer Capone as Frenchie in The Boys. Jan Thijs/Prime Video

This fourth season of The Boys saw Butcher go in search of the supe-killing virus from Gen V, as Neuman, under the thumb of Homelander, got closer to the Presidency, with an election looming.

Butcher, who was dying due to his excessive use of Temp V, eventually ended up taking the real thing and killing Neuman, even as she had agreed to help The Boys to take down Homelander. He got his hands on the virus and fled, hoping to kill every supe on Earth including, now, himself.

Meanwhile, Homelander, with the help of new member of The Seven, Sister Sage, consolidated his power, becoming the de-facto president and imposing his will across the country – including capturing Hughie, Mother's Milk, Frenchie and Kimiko.

Gen V season 2

Hamish Linklater as Dean Cipher in Gen V season 2.
Hamish Linklater as Dean Cipher in Gen V season 2. Jasper Savage/Prime

Gen V season 2, now being released, will see Marie, Jordan and Emma heading back to Godolkin University, having been freed from captivity. There, they will find Cipher, a new Dean promising to make every student fulfil their true potential as a supe.

They will also have a frosty reunion with Cate and Sam, before coming across a new mystery surrounding a project called Odessa.

Gen V season 2 will stream on Prime Video from 17th September 2025. The Boys seasons 1-4 are available to watch now try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days. Plus, read our guides to the best Amazon Prime series and the best movies on Amazon Prime.

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Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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