Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Gen V season 1, episode 3!
Summary
- The Woods is a secret facility located underneath Godolkin University and is a sinister laboratory where Vought experiments on supes.
- Accessing the Woods is a major challenge, and the facility is heavily guarded. It has likely been around for years and may be as old as the university itself.
- Many characters, including Vought employees and Golden Boy's friends, know about the Woods. Its name may come from the decorative aesthetic of the facility, resembling woods, but the reason for this is still unknown. Vought likely uses the Woods for containing and researching dangerous supes.
The Woods facility is one of the most mysterious elements in Gen V so far, and here is everything we know about the strange Vought compound. Gen V has already expanded on the universe of The Boys significantly, with the series introducing all-new elements that the villainous Vought corporation has implemented into the supe-filled world. While Gen V has teased the role that the Woods will play in the future of the series, the show's three-episode premiere has only hinted at what sinister motivations are behind the facility. So, here is everything that Gen V has revealed about the Woods so far.
Gen V is finally out, with the highly-anticipated spin-off of The Boys having an exciting three-episode premiere on Amazon Prime. Gen V is the first live-action spin-off of The Boys, with the series greatly expanding on the universe of the Amazon series as well as the original comic run. Gen V follows the lives of several students at Godolkin University, a school designed to train Vought's next generation of supes. Marie Moreau is a blood-bender who gets the opportunity to attend the prestigious school, but upon her arrival, she soon discovers that the university is built on top of some of Vought's dirtiest secrets.
The Woods Is A Secret Facility Under Godolkin University
When the Woods is first mentioned in Gen V, almost no hints are given as to what the mysterious label means. However, the series quickly reveals that the Woods is actually a facility that exists underneath Godolkin University. The Woods facility seems to be some kind of Vought-run laboratory in which the company holds and experiments on various supes, such as Golden Boy's brother. It isn't yet known how the Woods differs from Vought's other facilities designed to contain supes, but Gen V paints the Woods as much worse, with it possibly being the reason Godolkin University exists at all.
Accessing the Woods seems to be one of the biggest challenges in Gen V, with much of episode 3 centering around Polarity, Emma, and the rest of the gang figuring out how to access the facility and rescue Golden Boy's brother. The Woods is deep under Godolkin and seems to be heavily guarded, with Emma having to take out guards while attempting to break in and out of the facility. It is unknown how long the Woods has been around for, but due to hints given regarding Golden Boy's brother it seems that the Woods has been around for years, with it possibly being as old as Godolkin University itself.
Which Characters Gen V Confirms Know About The Woods
Although the Woods is meant to be a secretive facility, a surprising amount of characters know about it by the end of Gen V episode 3. Many higher-up employees at Vought obviously know about it, with the Dean of Godolkin University discussing the topic on a phone call with Ashley Barrett, a Vought employee that appears throughout The Boys. It can also be assumed that Coach Brink knew about the Woods as well, as he was presumably murdered by Golden Boy in relation to him holding his brother hostage in the Woods. Aside from the various guards seen in Gen V, these are all the Vought employees that are confirmed.
Throughout the first three episodes of Gen V, several non-Vought employees have learned about the Woods as well. Since the death of Golden Boy, the late supe's friends have been investigating the shadowy facility, leading to several characters learning about its inner-workings. Andre is the first of these characters to get a grasp on what the Woods is, as Golden Boy gives him a major clue right before his death. Emma also helps Andre in his attempt to break into the Woods, leading to her discovering the organization as well. Sam Riordan, the brother of Golden Boy, is being held in the Woods, meaning he also knows about it.
Why It's Called "The Woods"
There is still a lot of mystery surrounding the lore of the Woods, including how the facility earned its name. The Woods obviously isn't located within the woods, as it is under a massive Vought university. It's possible that the name of the Woods may have something to do with the history of the facility or its purpose, things that will undoubtedly get revealed in later episodes of Gen V. While there are still tons of questions remaining, the first three episodes of Gen V do give a major pointer as to where the facility got its name from.
The Woods is most likely named after the facility's decorative aesthetic, with the walls of each supe prisoner's room being designed to look like woods. The supes being held in the facility are surrounded by the constant sight of trees at almost all times, meaning that the Woods may be a nickname given to the facility by its inhabitants or its employees. Viewers are still unsure as to why Vought would paint this underground facility to look like Woods, as there is no obvious motivation for doing this. However, knowing how calculating Vought is, the company most likely has a sinister reason for doing so.
What Vought Uses The Woods For In Gen V
The Woods is clearly an incredibly secretive program in Gen V, as Vought-related characters like Ashley and the Dean are incredibly vague about the facility's origins. However, the first three episodes of Gen V have pointed to what the Godolkin University facility is used for. It seems as if the Woods is used to contain incredibly dangerous and powerful supes, with Sam Riordan being a notable resident of the facility. Sam's powers have not been fully explored yet, but the character seems to be particularly dangerous, with Vought going to extreme lengths to keep him imprisoned underneath Godolkin University.
The biggest mystery surrounding the Woods has to do with why Vought wants to keep these supes imprisoned in this facility. Vought already has facilities designed to contain supes, such as Sage Grove, so why keep these supes in an especially high-security spot? The Vought soldiers and researchers are seen experimenting on Sam in one of the scenes that takes place in the Woods, meaning that this facility could be more focused on supe research and development rather than containment. While all of these mysteries and more will most likely be answered in future episodes of Gen V, it's hard not to speculate about this new addition to The Boys.
New episodes of Gen V release Fridays on Amazon Prime.