"The Boys" isn't exactly a show known for its realism, but the spinoff "Gen V" actually showcases a surprisingly thoughtful and nuanced take on a gender-swapping superhero's identity. Here's what it means for the show and for pop culture.
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00:00 The Boys isn't exactly a show known for its realism, but the spinoff Gen V actually showcases
00:06 a surprisingly thoughtful and nuanced take on a gender-swapping superhero's identity.
00:12 Here's what it means for the show and for pop culture.
00:15 The soup students at Gdalkin University and Prime Video's The Boys spinoff Gen V generally
00:20 have some pretty standard powers, though there are a few truly unconventional ones that stand
00:25 out.
00:26 One of them is Jordan Lee, who can shift between a male and female form.
00:31 Jordan has different superpowers depending on which form they're in, which leads to lots
00:35 of quick switching back and forth between forms in order to have the most useful powers
00:40 for any given situation.
00:41 It's absolutely wild to see, but it's also a pretty interesting allegory for gender-nonconforming
00:46 people in our own world.
00:48 A soup's powers and identity are already inextricably entwined, but it seems like it's even more
00:54 intense in Jordan's case.
00:56 When we first meet them, they're the second-ranked student at Gdalkin and work as esteemed crime-fighting
01:01 professor Brinkerhoff's secretary.
01:04 Despite their loyalty, incredible work ethic, and physical fighting capabilities, they're
01:08 often dismissed because their powers and gender identity are considered too confusing by Vought,
01:14 who owns Gdalkin.
01:16 Confusing is a word that genderqueer and bigender people have heard about themselves forever,
01:20 so let's clear up a few things about Jordan, their powers, and how those powers give Gen
01:24 V a way to explore gender in a new way.
01:27 Jordan's soup abilities give them different powers based on whether they're in male or
01:32 female form.
01:33 As a male, they are indestructible and deflect bullets, while as a female they have agility
01:38 powers and can shoot energy from their hands.
01:40 They can switch back and forth at a moment's notice, giving them the kind of gender fluidity
01:44 many can only dream about.
01:46 In the first two episodes, they appear in both forms interchangeably, and their gender
01:50 is never brought up outside of one character quickly correcting herself when she initially
01:55 uses the wrong pronouns.
01:56 However, the third episode gives audiences more of a look into Jordan's identity.
02:01 During a gala attended by many of the students and their parents, Jordan's father repeatedly
02:06 misgenders them, using he/him pronouns and referring to him as "my son."
02:11 "Don't let him fool ya.
02:12 He was a holy terror as a boy."
02:14 He also comments that Jordan's powers weren't the gift he anticipated giving his child,
02:19 and that Jordan could simply choose to always present as a man.
02:22 Jordan changes to their female form and tells their father that their powers weren't where
02:27 their gender nonconformity began, and that they've always been the same person.
02:32 It's a speech that should absolutely resonate with any non-binary person who has had to
02:35 explain what that means.
02:38 People around Jordan try to fit them into a box of boy or girl, but they're more fluid
02:42 than that.
02:43 Unlike having superpowers, gender can be complicated.
02:46 For people who don't identify as men or women, seeing those complexities on TV is rare.
02:51 Sure, there are more non-binary and genderqueer characters on TV than ever before.
02:56 The problem is, there are too many shows that resort to bad tropes, making tired pronoun
03:00 jokes and providing a very narrow depiction of what non-binary people actually look and
03:05 act like.
03:06 Well-intentioned films and shows can also go to the opposite extreme by portraying non-binary
03:11 people in an overly idealized light, rather than allowing them to be as multifaceted and
03:16 flawed as everyone else.
03:18 That's not the case with Jordan on Gen B, who gets to be their own character, a competitive,
03:23 catty person who's embittered by years of being treated poorly just because of who they
03:27 are.
03:28 They know that they're not being given opportunities from Vought because their ethnicity and gender
03:32 identity won't connect with the conglomerate's conservative audiences, and it's made them
03:36 jaded.
03:37 While their identity is a part of the story, it's not their only identifying trait, either.
03:42 Jordan gets to be a whole person, for both good and bad.
03:46 New episodes of Gen B premiere Fridays on Prime Video.
03:49 [music]