‘Gen V’s Story Cuts Even Deeper Than You Think

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As a critic, I’ve always appreciated that Gen V doesn’t shy away from tackling tough political issues. The show consistently reflects what’s happening in the real world – politically, socially, and economically – though naturally, it adds a superhero twist to the mix. But from the very beginning, it has been evident that the students at the center of the series all face personal challenges designed to raise awareness around mental health, and those struggles are deeply connected to their powers. And in GenV Season 2, that focus really ramps up.

Marie, Emma, and Jordan’s Powers Reflect Their Mental Health Journeys in ‘Gen V’


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Each character in Gen V has a superpower that connects to the challenges young adults face as they grow up. For instance, Maverick (Nicholas Hamilton) can turn invisible, which might represent students who feel ignored or overlooked while they’re trying to figure out who they are and where they belong. His ability highlights this feeling, just like the powers of the other main characters do, especially when it comes to their own doubts and emotions.

Marie Self-Harms To Deal With Depression


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The main character, Marie (Jaz Sinclair), always carries a pocket knife and cuts her hand whenever she needs blood to use as a weapon. Dean Cipher (Hamish Linklater), who also possesses significant power, points this out during their training. He questions why she does it, explaining that she wouldn’t *need* to if she fully developed her abilities. This behavior is actually a sign of her underlying insecurities and depression, and serves as a form of self-harm.

Marie experienced the devastating loss of her parents when she began menstruating. She didn’t yet understand her abilities, and the blood from her first period spread uncontrollably, tragically resulting in the death of her mother and father. Understandably, this event left Marie feeling deeply lost, confused, and consumed by guilt. She expresses this pain, in a way, by cutting her own hand. Because she’s a Supe, her skin constantly heals, meaning she isn’t actually hurting herself physically. However, while she can always recover physically, the emotional pain remains constant and doesn’t fade.

Jordan Physically Switching Reflects an Identity Crisis


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Jordan (also known as London Thor and Derek Luh) has consistently dealt with questions of identity as a bi-gender individual who fluidly moves between appearing as female and male. Each presentation comes with distinct abilities, but Jordan has often felt isolated and misunderstood. This feeling started with their parents, who were responsible for Jordan’s superhero status but then reacted with disapproval towards who Jordan is.

When Dean Cipher criticizes Jordan’s strength, it’s clear this is hurtful. As it becomes apparent that Marie is significantly more powerful than Jordan – even though Jordan was previously believed to be the strongest Supe at school – Jordan’s struggle with who they are gets even worse. The situation is made harder by the fact that both the school and society label Jordan as an outcast, a bad guy, and a “Gender Bender” who deserves blame. This has a significant impact on Jordan’s mental health, which they often reveal while trying to figure out who they really are in all the confusion.

Emma’s Self-Loathing and Lack of Confidence Manifest in Physical Size


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Lastly, we have Emma (Lizze Broadway), who has struggled with self-doubt and negative feelings about herself for a while. She has incredibly powerful abilities, but she thinks she needs to harm her body to use them – she believes she must overeat to grow larger and then purge to shrink. It’s likely Emma could gain control of her powers more easily if she focused on her inner self. Currently, her self-hatred and purging cause her to become smaller, while binge-eating combined with intense anger and self-loathing make her grow larger, and she can’t control any of it.

When Emma feels insecure, she physically shrinks in size, and she relies on frequent encouragement to feel better and grow. This is a clear reflection of how emotional struggles can impact us in real life. Initially, while small, Emma acts out in silly ways, desperately seeking attention because she thinks this is the only way to feel valued and be liked. It’s a relatable struggle, and highlights her vulnerability. She believes acceptance hinges on these antics.

Throughout Season 2, Emma keeps battling with low self-esteem, which leads her back to drinking and using drugs as a way to deal with the grief of losing Andre (Chance Perdomo). She believes he was the only one who truly helped her believe in herself. Emma’s story is very easy to connect with, especially for people who have felt insecure or struggled with eating problems.

Sam’s Journey Is the Most Insightful


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Sam (Asa Germann) has experienced a particularly fascinating story. He was taken captive and held in The Woods, where he was subjected to rigorous experimentation. His abilities – notably, incredible superhuman strength and resilience – are especially concerning, considering the mental health problems he thinks arose from being injected with Compound V and these experiments.

During the first season, the character experiences hallucinations, seeing puppets that remind him of a joyful period from his childhood. It’s revealed that these puppets are actually people, and he violently attacks them while in a detached, almost trance-like state. It’s a very disturbing sequence.

He feels comforted when Cate (Maddie Phillips) can use her mind control to make him stop caring about things, which helps him avoid feeling overwhelmed. This is clearly meant to represent how people might use drugs, alcohol, or other harmful habits to numb their pain. He becomes very angry when Cate won’t put him back in that state (without realizing her powers aren’t working). However, after a meaningful talk with Jordan, Sam comes to a crucial realization and makes a choice that could change his life forever.

After years away, he returns to see his parents, revisiting the places where he grew up hoping to find himself again. He looks at his old bedroom, noticing the growth charts his parents kept of him and his brother, Luke (Patrick Schwarzenegger), as they were growing up. He reconnects with his parents, who share that they went to see him at school after seeing him on the news – they had thought he was dead. However, they were told they weren’t allowed to see him. It was a difficult revelation and left everyone feeling uncertain.

Sam has a major realization about his mental health when his mother reveals that Compound V wasn’t the root cause of his problems. He actually always struggled with violent thoughts and hallucinations, a trait he inherited from his uncle. His parents initially hoped Compound V would improve things, but it only gave him immense strength, unfortunately increasing his potential to harm others.

Although it’s difficult for Sam to accept, he also feels a sense of peace. He’s able to embrace who he truly is without holding onto anger or frustration over the effects of Compound V. His mother feels responsible, but he comforts her, explaining it wasn’t her doing. He simply became susceptible to this situation due to his genetics. Importantly, he realizes these struggles with mental health are an inherent part of him, not caused by the drug itself. Accepting this is a huge step forward for his character.

Everyone Is on a Journey To Healing in ‘Gen V’ Season 2


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The most encouraging aspect of these underlying themes surrounding mental health is the universal effort to address personal struggles. Even though Cipher may not be genuinely motivated to help Marie control her powers, the fact that she’s learning to achieve success without self-harm is a significant improvement, and it’s also helping her mend her relationship with her sister, Annabeth.

Jordan is becoming more independent and comfortable with who they are, and a lot of that is thanks to Marie. Marie consistently reminds them that they are worthy of love and acceptance, completely as they are. Emma is still on a journey of self-discovery, but she’s starting to find meaning in her life. She’s connected with a group of people who are similar to her – others who feel just as insecure about their abilities and what they believe. Even Harper’s (Jessica Clement) power – the ability to copy others’ powers for 60 seconds – represents the difficulty of feeling like you don’t belong. (And let’s not forget the strange rat-tail she has, which symbolizes a visible difference.)

The series consistently explores struggles with mental health, giving Gen V a deeper meaning than many viewers initially see. The show’s political messages are very obvious, especially when compared to what’s happening in the world today. But looking closely at each character reveals that their superpowers actually represent their personal insecurities. Watch Gen V on Prime Video.

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2025-10-05 04:20