“In our minds, it’s only a couple of days after whatever the events are of Gen V,” Kripke said. “We try to keep the timeline super simple because all that folding-in-on-itself timeline stuff that I think other comic book universes find themselves having to do is just bewildering for me as a viewer.”

He continued, “So it’s all very modular. It’s like there’s Season 3 of The Boys, and then after that Gen V takes place, and then after that The Boys Season 4 takes place. And then after that, Gen V Season 2 takes place. It’s all more like cars on a train than it is a plate of spaghetti.”

Gen V Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger, where Marie, Jordan, Andre, and Emma wind up at a hospital-like facility after defending non-Supes from Sam and Cate’s rampage. Prior to the finale, Kripke along with showrunner Michele Fazeker previously teased the impact of the spin-off’s Supe-killing virus on The Boys Season 4, revealing that both shows’ writers’ room were in close communication with each other about how to handle the massive storyline.

Gen V Almost Featured a Twilight Saga Vet

Before Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy cameo was confirmed, Kripke admitted that they were originally planning to cast The Twilight Saga alum Taylor Lautner to become Cate’s imaginary boyfriend instead of Soldier Boy. “If I remember correctly, in the earliest drafts it was Taylor Lautner,” he recalled. “And the characters were wandering through the woods, and then they’re like, ‘Taylor Lautner?!’ And he’s like, ‘Ya, I’m Cate’s crush! Cate used to masturbate to me. Anyway, here’s the rules.’ And then he blows up.”

Before Gen V ended its 8-episode first season run, Amazon Studios had already granted the coming-of-age superhero series an early Season 2 renewal, thanks to the positive reception it has been receiving from critics and fans since it made its debut last Sept. 29. The next installment is expected to feature returning cast members Jaz Sinclair as Marie, Londor Thor and Derek Luh as Jordan, Lizze Broadway as Emma, Chance Perdomo as Andre, Maddie Phillips as Cate, and Asa Germann as Sam. It’s currently unclear if some of these characters would also have cameo appearances in The Boys Season 4, especially when they’re the ones who exposed the truth about The Woods.