Compound V has a crucial role throughout The Boys, however there’s a lot of confusion surrounding the secretive substance’s role and origin. With the release of The Boys’ latest spin-off series, Gen V, these questions have been more prominent than ever.

As its title suggests, Gen V’s narrative heavily focuses on the long-term impact of Vought’s Compound V scandal. During season 1 of The Boys, it was shockingly unearthed that Vought International had been injecting children with the serum in order to create ‘supes’. Whilst the mysterious substance has a significant presence in both The Boys and Gen V, its dark history may have been forgotten by fans – so what exactly is Compound V, where did it come from, and what is it used for?

RELATED: The Boys: Why is Marvin called Mother's Milk?

What Is Compound V?

Fans of The Boys will recognize Compound V as a dark blue liquid. When injected in high dosages, the serum can generate super-powered abilities in humans, ultimately creating ‘supes’, The Boys' lingo for super-powered humans. Throughout the show, Billy Butcher compares Compound V to steroids, describing the serum as: “some kind of booster or steroid for Supes. Jacks em’ right up”.

As the show demonstrates, Compound V is an incredibly dangerous substance, and it can lead to some pretty nasty side effects. It is also highly addictive, as shown via A-Train’s frequent use of the serum, which ultimately caused his heart to fail.

Where Did Compound V Come From?

Compound V was originally created by Frederick Vought, a Nazi geneticist. Frederick was the founder of Vought International and was previously married to Stormfront. Both Frederick and Stormfront were staunch followers of Nazi ideology. In fact, Frederick’s Nazi beliefs motivated him to create Compound V. Frederick invented the serum to be used by German soldiers during the Second World War. By creating Compound V, the geneticist had hoped to create a force of ‘super soldiers’ who would protect Nazi Germany.

In order to create Compound V, Frederick would test the serum on human prisoners. Once he had perfected the serum, he gave a dosage of Compound V to his wife, Stormfront, making her the first ever successful patient of Compound V. Due to their strong Nazi beliefs, both Frederick and Stormfront had intended to use Compound V to launch a global race war.

Once it became clear that Germany was going to lose the War, Frederick defected over to the Allies, bringing Compound V with him. Frederick’s serum was used by the American Military to turn Soldier Boy into a supe. After the War, Frederick launched Vought International which used Compound V to create a team of supes. The company deceived the public into thinking that a supe’s powers were ‘God-given’ or were created from a natural genetic leap. However, Vought was actually dangerously injecting newborn babies with Compound V with the aim of turning them into supes. Once this information was revealed to the public, the production of Compound V was indefinitely halted.

When Frederick initially created Compound V, the serum was far purer than in The Boys’ timeline. Vought International created a less efficient version of Frederick’s Compound V to make it more cost-effective for the company. As a result, patients needed a dangerously high dose of Compound V in hope of gaining superpowers. This was an extremely morally corrupt process, especially when considering that Vought International were secretly using this serum on newborn babies in laboratories. Some parents would knowingly inject their child with the dangerous substance, hoping that they would ultimately develop superhuman abilities. For example, Starlight’s mother was paid by Vought to dose her young child with the serum, however, she then led her child to believe that her powers were ‘God-given’. Unsurprisingly, Compound V has a very low survival rate, especially in adults.

What Is Compound V Used For?

As previously mentioned, Compound V was predominantly used by Vought to create supes, however this was not always guaranteed. Young children were often given higher dosages of the serum in order to heighten the possibility of them gaining superhuman abilities, which is why both Homelander and Queen Maeve became such strong supes.

Compound V is unable to determine which superpower its user would generate, which leads to an abundance of unique abilities in The Boys’ universe. Whilst the Seven all possess pretty powerful abilities, some of the more unconventional superhuman abilities are explored in The Boys’ animated spin-off series, Diabolical. The series’ second episode follows a group of misfits who did not receive “the big-ticket powers, like flight or laser eyes” and were consequently dumped by their parents in a home “for kids with s*** powers”. This episode introduces audiences to some bizarre and often comedic superpowers, such as extreme slow-motion and the ability to turn into a human tongue. Diabolical serves as a reminder that Compound V is extremely unpredictable, heightening its danger.

Alternatively, Compound V can be used to heighten a supe’s pre-existing powers. Season 1 of The Boys explored A-Train’s addiction to the serum for this exact reason. A-Train would illegally take Compound V in order to maintain his image as the world’s fastest supe, consequently securing his place in the Seven. However, whilst the serum was guaranteed to momentarily enhance the supe’s abilities, the serum would ultimately cause him permanent damage, as seen via A-Train’s heart attack in season 3.

Season 3 of The Boys introduced audiences to a new variation of Compound V, known as Temp V or V24. This variation was able to give its subject temporary superhuman abilities, although it’s only supposed to last for a maximum of 24 hours. The development of Temp V was shut down after the truth about Compound V was revealed to the public, meaning that the serum’s side effects are not fully known.

Billy Butcher started taking Temp V with the aim of defeating Soldier Boy in a fight. However, as the series progresses, it’s apparent that Butcher has become addicted to the serum and constantly relies on it to temporarily grant him the powers of a supe. It’s later revealed that Temp V is potentially fatal after 3-5 dosages, which explains why Butcher has suddenly become dangerously ill.

Ultimately, Compound V is an incredibly dangerous serum, which can lead to catastrophic side effects. With season 4 of The Boys just around the corner, it’s likely that the series will continue to explore the impact of Compound V. In the meantime, fans are eagerly awaiting to see how Gen V's narrative will unfold.

MORE: The Boys: Who is Homelander's Mother?