The Boys Franchise Timeline Explained (All Shows)

Summary

• The Boys
  ‘ timeline is complex, with spinoffs like
  Vought Rising
  set in the 1950s, expanding on key character storylines and the universe.
• Each season is generally set around its release year, connecting the show’s realism with viewer excitement and familiarity with the premise.
• Spinoffs like
  Gen V
  and
  Diabolical
  weave their narratives into the main show, adding depth and complexity to the overall universe.

Since The Boys began in 2019, the dark superhero satire show has expanded into a sprawling franchise, but not all the spinoffs cover the same period within the fictional universe. The franchise’s timeline has some important milestones that are used to navigate it, like when Billy Butcher gained Supe powers in The Boys season 3, and the debut of key new characters like Jenson Ackles’ Soldier Boy. However, the story has now been split between various shows to create an intertwined narrative, but there are clues in each installment that reveal when they’re set and how they influence one another.

The Boys franchise began life as a comic book series written by Garth Ennis. While the source material shares no canonical connection to Prime Video’s live-action adaptation, it’s still the spark that got the TV universe started. With so many shows, The Boys has arguably strayed from its intent to parody the superhero genre by spawning so many spinoffs, but the universe is so detailed and compelling that it’s no surprise they’ve all been created.

Vought Rising Will Be Set In The 1950s

The Boys prequel will show the earlier years of Vought International

Revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Vought Rising takes place in the mid-twentieth century, when Supes were still believed to have been naturally occurring. The 1950s prequel to The Boys has been confirmed to feature the return of Aya Cash’s Stormfront and Jenson Ackles’ Soldier Boy to the franchise. With Solider Boy still active in the present day – as teased in The Boys‘ season 4 ending, it’s perhaps Stormfront’s comeback that is the most exciting.

Other characters like Crimson Countess and an earlier iteration of Black Noir could also logically appear in
Vought Rising
.

Short bursts of this portion of the timeline have already been shown in The Boys, so Vought Rising won’t be starting from scratch. Other characters like Crimson Countess and an earlier iteration of Black Noir could also logically appear in Vought Rising. While several of the key characters have already proven to have survived until the show’s modern-day, their plot armor needn’t detract from how exciting and informative the prequel could be.

The Boys Season 1 Is Set In The Same Year As Its Release

The run that began The Boys franchise aired in 2019

Generally speaking, every season of The Boys is set roughly in line with the year of its release. The Boys season 1 debuted in 2019, and this is confirmed to be when it is also set, due to Vought’s 2019 Shareholders meeting in “The Name of the Game.” Beginning the story in line with the actual release year helped instill a vague sense of realism, meaning viewers can buy into the premise a little easier and with more excitement.

Creator Garth Ennis is credited as a producer on
The Boys
.

The Boys season 1 is the installment that kickstarted Prime Video’s franchise, introducing many of the concepts, characters, and storylines that have permeated the timeline. It also set a clear tone, making it clear The Boys is not suitable for family viewing as many other superhero sagas are, and also that its unapologetic use of blood, gore, and foul language are just the tip of the iceberg.

The Boys Season 2 Is Set Not Long After Season 1

There are a few months before The Boys season 2 begins

While Annie comments on only having worked for Vought for a few months, this isn’t exactly an accurate way of navigating the timeline. The biggest clue comes down to the death of one character. Butcher and his crew successfully murder Transculent in The Boys season 1, but the following season pins the life of the invisible member of the Seven as beginning in 1980 and ending in 2020.

While Transuclent undeniably died in 2019, Vought didn’t release the news until 2020, as the villainous corporation tried to cover for his absence from the Seven with a series of fabricated stories.

While Transuclent undeniably died in 2019, Vought didn’t release the news until 2020, as the villainous corporation tried to cover for his absence from the Seven with a series of fabricated stories. So, the various members of The Boys‘ cast of characters have all had sufficient time to embed themselves in their new roles both in and outside the world of the show, meaning there is more juicy content to catch up on by the time season 2 begins.

There Is A 1-Year Time Jump Between The Boys Seasons 2 & 3

Butcher and his crew are busy in the year between these 2 seasons

There is more time needed for the dust to settle after the dramatic events of The Boys season 2’s ending. As a result, the start of season 3 begins a year after Stormfront has suffered a grisly defeat. Although she is severely injured and won’t ever be the same again, The Boys season 3 is the only installment of the main show to include both Stormfront and Solider Boy.

They may not interact in the present-day sequences, but The Boys season 3 confirms a shared history between the two characters. Their past exchanges will be covered in greater detail in Vought Rising, so The Boys season 3 is arguably the first spark that triggered the expansion of the TV franchise – even if only retrospectively. It also strongly implies the death of Soldier Boy, which later turns out to be a misdirect.

Gen V Season 1 Takes Place Between The Boys Seasons 3 & 4

This spinoff of The Boys introduced a brand-new core cast

Even though Homelander’s cameo at the end of Gen V season 1 is the most direct and exciting link to the spinoff’s parent show, there are little nods and crossovers throughout. That being said, Gen V‘s inaugural run is largely a self-contained story that just happens to be set in the same universe as The Boys. Of course, that all changes as the finale concludes, especially with Billy Butcher’s cameo in the post-credits scene.

Gen V
‘s story takes place while the 6-month’s worth of events between
The Boys
seasons 3 and 4 are unfolding offscreen.

Gen V‘s story takes place while the 6-month’s worth of events between The Boys seasons 3 and 4 are unfolding offscreen. The spinoff seems like a diversion from the main show, but it’s actually quietly setting up a complex intertwining of its own narrative with that of The Boys. It’s an admittedly large pocket of time for Gen V season 1 to happen in, but it’s better than it being very vague.

The Boys Season 4 Softly Carries On The Events Of Gen V Season 1

The continuation of the Prime Video superhero show is best viewed after Gen V season 1

The Boys franchise takes a slightly different approach than some of its competitors, in that it references its spinoffs quite heavily and incorporates large parts of their plots into the main show. The result is that it can be difficult to stay completely up to speed with The Boys season 4 if Gen V season 1 isn’t viewed first. It’s not impossible, it’s just more of a consideration than in some other franchises.

The development of the Supe virus in Gen V season 1 is a major part of The Boys’ season 4 arc, so it’s clearly set after the events of the spinoff’s inaugural run. It also incorporates Gen V characters in the same way Gen V season 1 folded The Boys characters into its narrative. This is the point in the franchise where the two shows truly enter the swing of talking to each other.

Gen V Season 2 & The Boys Season 5 Will Continue The Trend Of Intertwined Storytelling

The Boys franchise still has big plans for its immediate future

Gen V season 2 will likely arrive at some point in 2025, continuing the story of the previous run. However, the introduction of Cate Dunlap and Sam Riordan at the end of The Boys season 4 means the two shows will become even more intertwined when the spinoff returns. As a result, failing to watch Gen V season 2 before The Boys returns for its fifth and final season will probably result in a less complete experience.

The Boys
season 5 is set up to be a thoroughly explosive affair, so there may be no or very few survivors left to make the permanent jump to
Gen V
.

It’s currently unclear whether Gen V season 3 or beyond will happen, or whether the final episode of The Boys will also bring with it the end of Gen V. If the spinoff does continue beyond the lifespan of its parent show, then it could still feature certain characters from The Boys. That being said, The Boys season 5 is set up to be a thoroughly explosive affair, so there may be no or very few survivors left to make the permanent jump to Gen V.

There Is Very Little Information About The Boys: Mexico

Andor’s Diego Luna will co-executive produce this spinoff

Although The Boys: Mexico is a confirmed upcoming project within the same universe as the original show, Prime Video has revealed almost no information about what the spinoff will be centered around. Of course, the show’s setting is easy to glean from its title, but it’s unknown where The Boys: Mexico will take place in the franchise’s timeline, nor how connected it will be to the other projects.

With
Vought International
padding out the earlier points in
The Boys
‘ timeline, it would make sense if
Mexico
did the same for events that take place after
The Boys
season 5.

With Vought International padding out the earlier points in The Boys‘ timeline, it would make sense if Mexico did the same for events that take place after The Boys season 5. Another alternative could be for it to take place concurrently with The Boys and Gen V, which would mean certain actors could reprise their respective roles, even if they don’t survive whatever happens in The Boys‘ final season.

Most Of The Boys Presents: Diabolical Isn’t Set Within The Same Continuity As The Other Shows

Diabolical’s anthological approach makes its canon inconsistent

Diabolical came out in 2022, but the animated anthology series is mostly a standalone project. It’s not essential viewing for those who want to follow every corner of the franchise’s timeline, but the show does provide context to certain areas of specific stories. While there is some debate about some of the installment’s relevance to the main canon, the final three episodes of Diabolical are set within Prime Video’s live-action universe.

The Diabolical finale affords a rare glimpse into Homelander’s earlier years with the Seven. Like the other episodes, it is a standalone story that doesn’t need to be seen for the rest of the franchise to make sense, but it is a compelling period to witness in Homelander’s history. The best time to watch this particular spinoff is any time after The Boys season 1, when all the relevant characters and lore have been introduced, and the tone has been set.