Do The Gen V Trailer's Ribbons Hint At A Cause, A Disaster, Or Something Insidious?

While superhero stories and comic book adaptations have easily proved to be some of the most successful movies and television shows of the last decade, it's superhero subversion that seems to be working the best for Prime Video. Between "Invincible," "The Boys," and its spinoffs, "Diabolical" and "Gen V," the streamer is absolutely nailing the concept of deconstructing the superhero power fantasy in a way that no one else can even touch.

Though there is plenty to parse out in the latest trailer for "Gen V," one of the most pivotal blink-and-you-miss-it moments comes around the midway point. Two characters are seen wearing commemorative or awareness ribbons similar to the many different colored iterations people wear in real-life for causes like pink for breast cancer or red for AIDS or substance abuse.

The ribbons are small and hard to see, but they seem to be showcasing a combination of pink and blue, which are notable colors for the trans rights movement. However, based on the often subversive social commentary of "The Boys" universe, it's also possible that this is meant to highlight the vapid and often clueless characters in the world shared between "The Boys" and "Gen V."

It could easily be the case that these ribbons are meant to communicate a bit more of the political commentary that "The Boys" is known for, as showcased in Season 3 of the series by characters like Blue Hawk's (Nick Wechsler) racist vigilantism and A-Train's (Jessie T. Usher) ridiculous take on the panned Pepsi commercial featuring Kendall Jenner.

However, given the destructive nature of many of the characters in "The Boys" universe, "Gen V" could also be using these ribbons to commemorate the deaths of students at the campus or another event from the fictional world that has a lasting effect on young people on the series. Whether the cause happens to be an occurrence from "The Boys" or from the new series is also hard to say.

Adding further fuel to the idea that these ribbons in "Gen V" are related to trans rights is the fact that one of them is being worn by a character who is a shapeshifter and is shown changing genders in the trailer. However, given the fact that the character also appears to have something of a sinister edge to them, this could be a ruse to suggest that they're concerned about a cause rather than being sincerely invested in it.

Either way, we'll probably have to wait until at least the premiere episode of "Gen V" on September 29, 2023, to find out what these dual-colored ribbons are all about in the world of "The Boys" and what they might mean for future events in the three ongoing series currently taking place in the fictional universe.