In ‘Gen V,’ Gender Fluidity Gets the Epic Portrayal It Deserves

The boys are back in town, and so are the girls. Gen V, a spin off of Prime Video’s gory superhuman show The Boys, has touched down with a coming-of-age twist. Taking place at Godolkin University School of Crimefighting, the new series follows an ensemble of likable older teens who all have superpowers related to their growing pains.

(Warning: Spoilers for the first four episodes of Gen V follow.)

Take Emma (Lizze Broadway), for example: a Supe who can shrink to the size of a nickel on command. In order to use her power, she needs to purge in the bathroom a few times, each one minimizing her body. By forcing herself to throw up, she’s making herself physically smaller. Luke (Patrick Schwarzenegger), the popular “Golden Boy,” can light himself on fire—but becomes too overwhelmed by his power and status at the school and, like Icarus, flies into the sky and explodes.

The list of fascinating powers goes on—the most popular girl in school (Maddie Phillips) can control everyone’s thoughts; Marie (Jaz Sinclair), our lead hero, can wield blood, but only if she mutilates her body—but one character has, by far, the most intriguing ability. Jordan, played by both London Thor and Derek Luh, can swap between two genders, with both identities giving them different powers.

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When Jordan is in femme form, they can fire off energy blasts to push away enemies or destroy objects. When they are masc, Jordan is indestructible; bullets slam into their chest and careen off like pennies. Both powers are incredible, but neither one tops the ability to flip in and out of two identities at any given moment.

By shifting between the two identities and harnessing both powers, Jordan has more capabilities than most of their peers at the University. Jordan prefers to remain in femme form on a casual basis, but has the option to use their masc form when in battle. While everyone else only works with one power, Jordan uses the fluidity of their identity to their benefit at the superhero school.

On top of their sweet powers, Jordan is also just a really fun character—they’re bratty, power-hungry, and flirty. Fans of Gen V have quickly taken a liking to them, and rightfully so! Jordan has the coolest, boundary pushing powers, and they’re a total badass.

Teen shows like Heartstopper and Euphoria have included queer folks who are fluid about their identities and their sexualities, but oftentimes, the characters struggle to express that identity. In Gen V, Jordan’s fluidity is handled in the exact opposite way: Their ability to flip in and out of different genders is actually an asset. We’re all jealous of their dual powers—and their sleek, androgynous wardrobe, too.

Of course, in a coming-of-age series like Gen V, viewers are going to want certain characters to end up together. Jordan can be a bit of a fluid fuckboy/girl, though, sleeping around with people on campus and flirting without much care about an actual relationship. That only makes them more enticing to Marie, who develops a fiery hatred (or admiration?) of Jordan from the first episode onward.

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It turns out that Jordan and Marie are in the throes of a passionate enemies-to-lovers storyline. By Episode 4, they’ve teased each other relentlessly, leading to one angry makeout sesh in the dorms. Not only is Jordan a killer Supe, but they’re also the ideal brooding grump to be the love interest for the lead of the show.

But Gen V hasn’t avoided all issues gender fluid folks face in the real world to make the university a simple utopia for queer folks like Jordan. Jordan’s parents come to visit in the third episode, begging their kid to consider living as a man at all times. While it’s nice to see Jordan living their truth in college, it’s just as important to see them defending their identities to their parents. Their parents should be impressed, not appalled!

It might sound odd, but a show where penises explode and period blood can become a dagger features one of the most progressive characters in TV. Jordan’s fluid identity is their super power—but they’re still figuring it out, too. Let’s just hope Marie can handle all that energy.

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