After the events of the season three finale of “The Boys,” the public is led to believe that Queen Maeve is dead, but really, she’s alive and has fled town for her own safety. Still, she’s popular among fans of The Seven. 

Golden Boy is the “Gen V” version of Marvel’s Human Torch and is played by Patrick Schwarzenegger. He’s a student at Godolkin University, the college for heroes-in-training. 

Prior to the release of “Gen V,” it was confirmed that the first season would be set between seasons three and four (which hasn’t received a release date yet) of “The Boys.”

“Ever since Starlight left The Seven, I’ve just been inspired to speak my own truth,” the person says while sitting in a circle with Marie and others on the series premiere. “I mean, we all have boundaries, right?”

This is a reference to season three of “The Boys,” which was released in 2022.

On the season finale, Annie January/Starlight threw out her supe costume and quit The Seven so she could serve justice her way, not through Vought’s warped and calculated methods. 

Brink’s book has a quote endorsement from a writer named Jess Stein, who calls it an “inspirational read for every aspiring Super.”

This is likely a nod to Jessica Stein, who’s credited as a first assistant art director on the show’s graphics team. 

Remember “The Boys” character who was murdered via an “ass bomb” on season one? The season two premiere revealed that the supe, who had the power of invisibility, had a son named Maverick. 

On “Gen V,” as Marie makes her way to her dorm, she encounters her RA who also has the power of invisibility and has the same name as Translucent’s son. It’s unclear if this is just a coincidence or yet another connection to “The Boys.” 

The banner on the channel reads: “New evidence Russia plotted 7 Tower attack. Homelander lawyer: ‘He stood his ground.'”

As a refresher, The Seven’s HQ in New York was damaged during the season three finale’s big fight scene, which culminated in Queen Maeve smashing through the window with Soldier Boy to prevent his blast from killing everyone in the building. 

During episode one, Justine tells her peers that her reps are sending her to an audition for a limited series at Vought+. 

“It’s an elevated superhero thing, really a meditation on grief, told through 70 years of sitcoms,” she says. 

Her description of the show sounds similar to “WandaVision,” Marvel’s 2021 limited series that explored Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch’s grief through sitcom-inspired episodes. 

During episode one, Brink tells Luke Riordan/Golden Boy, the star student at God U, that he’s basically guaranteed a spot in The Seven and he doesn’t need to go through the drafting process.

In fact, the New York-based team is already working on creating a heat-resistant suit for him. 

“Would you rather take Maeve’s old department or Starlight’s?” Brink asks Luke. 

Of course, this plan all goes down the drain after Luke murders Brink and subsequently commits suicide in the final moments of the series premiere. 

Even so, with “Gen V” functioning as a spin-off and bridge between seasons three and four of “The Boys,” Brink’s mention of The Seven lineup teases some shakeups that will likely unfold when “The Boys” eventually returns. 

The TV channel NNC (an obvious play on CNN) displays a photo of an angry-looking Homelander accompanied by a breaking news banner that reads, “Homelander on trial.”

An off-camera news anchor also mentions the supe “brutally murdering an innocent protester.”

This is a reference to The Seven’s unhinged leader killing a fan of Starlight with his laser eyes in broad daylight, in front of the public.

Based on the quick tease on episode two of “Gen V,” it seems like the fallout of his actions will be a plot point on season four of “The Boys.”

The two classmates discuss Termite after coming across his movies while searching for a scene to work on for their acting class. 

“I went to these huge parties he’d throw with Bryan Singer in the Hollywood Hills. It was gross. I think he just OD’d,” Justine says of Termite. 

A flashback scene during episode three shows Luke and Cate Dunlap going to the psychiatric hospital to visit Sam, Luke’s younger brother.

As they walk through the halls, the camera briefly shows Love Sausage’s elongated penis in a window of a cell. 

Fans of “The Boys” will recall that Love Sausage attacked Mother’s Milk at Sage Grove during season two, episode six. The character returned for season three’s “Herogasm” episode. 

Season three of “The Boys” revealed that Black Noir was part of the Payback prior to joining The Seven. 

The marquee outside the drive-in lists two films: “Red Thunder” and “That Four Letter Word.” Inside the drive-in, you can see a poster for “Red Thunder 2” behind Sam. 

“Red Thunder” is a movie that starred Jensen Ackles’ “Boys” character Soldier Boy. Ackles actually filmed scenes for the movie, which didn’t make it into season three of the show.

However, fans got to see the footage when it was released online in August 2022.

Tek Knight, who’s been referenced on past episodes of “The Boys,” makes his debut on episode four of “Gen V.” 

On the spin-off, he’s the host of a true-crime show “The Whole Truth” and returns to his alma mater to investigate why Luke Riordan killed himself. When Indira Shetty, the dean of God U, confronts him in the woods, she threatens to blackmail him if he doesn’t quit his snooping and leave the campus. 

He has a small tumor in his brain, which causes him to attempt to have sex with any object that resembles an orifice. This includes anything from traffic cones to vacuum hoses. This is a reference to the comic-book character, who has the same insatiable issue.