Meet Polarity, ‘Gen V’s Superhero Parody of Marvel’s Magneto

It’s well-known that The Boys‘ superheroes tend to be parodies of famous DC and Marvel superheroes, such as Homelander (Anthony Starr) being a parody of Superman and Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott) being a parody of Wonder Woman. Viewers looking for similar parodies in The Boys spinoff Gen V may be interested to see that Sean Patrick Thomas’ Polarity seems to be shaping up to be a parody of Marvel’s Magneto, as both he and his son, Andre Anderson (Chance Perdomo), boast metal manipulation abilities.

This isn’t surprising as Gen V as a whole seemingly parallels Marvel’s X-Men, considering it follows a college for young supes that seeks to mold them into elite superheroes. While the show primarily focuses on its young cast, Polarity is one of the few recurring adult characters and the only famous superhero alumnus of Godolkin University who has been active on campus so far. Unfortunately, his status as an alumnus and trustee of the university suggests that he may be complicit in its nefarious doings, which include seemingly imprisoning students beneath the school.

With his unique powers, complicated relationship with his son, and connection to Godolkin and the superhero world, Polarity could go on to play an important role in The Boys universe.

What we know so far about Gen V‘s Polarity

Polarity arrives in Gen V in episode 2, “First Day,” clearly drawn in by all the press surrounding Golden Boy (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Professor Richard Brinkerhoff (Clancy Brown). Sadly, he doesn’t express much emotion about the tragedy. Instead, he’s more concerned about using it as an opportunity to gain recognition for his son. Vought International’s cover-up included propelling Andre and Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) into the spotlight, hyping them up as heroes to distract audiences from digging into the truth of what happened.

However, Andre doesn’t want the attention, which puts him at odds with his father. Meanwhile, when Polarity finds out that Andre is probing Golden Boy’s passing, he warns him to stop digging because it could get him killed—indicating he knows what’s happening at Godolkin University and could potentially be involved. Polarity also expresses anger that Moreau is getting more attention than Andre, making him quite the antagonistic figure to the younger heroes.

Not much is known about Polarity’s personal life, though. While it’s established that he has metal manipulation and magnetism powers like his son, it’s unclear to what extent he boasts these powers. Given that he managed to become a prominent B-list superhero, he could be quite powerful. While his powers, antagonistic presence, and relationship with his heroic son parallel Magneto and Magneto’s relationship with his daughter, Polaris, it will be interesting to see if Polarity’s rhetoric parallels the character, too. Magneto was notable for his radical views that mutants were superior to humans, but Polarity’s sentiments are difficult to gauge. Hubris and greed certainly seem to be motivating factors for Polarity, though.

Only time will tell if viewers will see his powers in action and how far he’s willing to go to protect his reputation and mold his son into an elite superhero. With his ties to Vought International and Godolkin University, he is also a character with some potential to appear further in The Boys universe.

(featured image: Prime Video)