Gen V is filled with a bunch of supes, but one of the most intriguing characters in the series is Luke Riordan/Golden Boy, played by Patrick Schwarzenneger. So, who is Luke Riordan? Here’s what we know about Golden Boy in Gen V!
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Who Is Golden Boy in Gen V?
Luke Riordan/Golden Boy is the top student at Godolkin University who has pyrokinetic abilities. He can manipulate fire and set his body on fire. He also has super strength, which makes it easy for him to beat other Godolkin students in a fight.
Golden Boy is set to become a member of The Seven. Professor Brinkerhoff even believes that he could be bigger than Homelander. In the first episode, we get a glimpse of his superhero suit.
Expectations on him are high, and it was even reported in Vought News Network’s Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman that people can’t stop talking about Golden Boy, a student already seen as the top pick for Vought’s annual hero draft.
Not much is revealed about Luke’s past, but he does have a brother named Sam, who’s believed to be dead. Luke is best friends with Andre Anderson, son of the popular superhero Polarity. He’s also dating Cate Dunlap, a supe with empath abilities.
Talking about his Gen V character, Schwarzenegger told Entertainment Weekly:
"When we first meet Luke, Golden Boy, he is top of the rankings. He is number one. He is the strongest. He's the best. He's the most capable to be part of the Seven. And that's when we find out that Brink has actually been grooming him and has finally decided that he's ready for the Seven, that he made it."
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Is Golden Boy in The Boys Comics?
No, Golden Boy is not in The Boys comics. He is a character created for the show.
The Boys, however, is a satirical superhero series, and many of its heroes are parodies of DC and Marvel characters. It appears that Golden Boy is a parody of Marvel’s Human Torch, as they have similar abilities.
This is also not the first time The Boys franchise introduced a character not in the comics. For instance, Translucent, a former member of The Seven, is also not in the original comics.
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Warning: This portion contains spoilers for Gen V. Read at your own risk!
Does Golden Boy Die in Gen V?
No character is really safe in The Boys universe. The series hasn’t been afraid to kill off major characters, whether at the start of the season or at the end.
Unfortunately, Golden Boy doesn’t last long in Gen V, as the character dies in the premiere. He’s been having a dream where he finds his brother in a forest, and he later finds out that Sam isn't really dead.
Luke then visits Brink in his office and murders him. Marie walks in just as Luke burns him alive. A fight takes place between Luke and Marie, and later on with Jordan.
Students witness what’s currently happening. Andre tries to calm his best friend down, but the latter is overwhelmed with everything. Luke then apologizes, flies to the sky, and kills himself.
Golden Boy’s death then leads to a series of other events in the spin-off. Even though he died, he remains an important character in the series, evidenced by various flashbacks in the following episodes.
While Golden Boy is an important and intriguing character, it’s not really much of a surprise that he was killed off early. As mentioned earlier, The Boys isn’t afraid of killing off characters. So, we could probably expect more deaths in Gen V.
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