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Compound V is a mysterious, alchemical substance that was created by Nazi geneticist Frederick Vought. The serum mutates organic compounds by granting them profound and strange characteristics. It was originally intended to be utilized by Germany during the Second World War in order to create super soldiers for the Nazi government.
In modern times, the serum is manufactured by Vought International geneticists to transform ordinary humans into extraordinary "heroes."
Overview[]
| “ | They call it Compound V. It's some kind of booster or steroid for Supes. Jacks 'em right up.
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Compound V appears as a dark blue liquid and is usually contained within metal vials. It grants extraordinary abilities when injected into the circulatory system of living things, including animals. These abilities ("superpowers") appear to manifest randomly, as each subject showcases a different result after being dosed.
Effects[]
For unknown reasons, the modern Compound V serum has a much higher success rate on younger people, with adult subjects having only a 20% chance of survival. Children and infants who are exposed to the serum may not immediately have powers, with some showing signs after a few years whereas adults will gain powers immediately. Because the abilities granted by Compound V seem to be random, there is a chance that the superpowers given may be "undesirable" and may also come with unexpected or unwanted side effects. However, most successful patients seem to exhibit some degree of enhanced strength and durability.
The amount of Compound V a subject is given determines the extent of their abilities. While some Supes, such as Queen Maeve and Homelander, were given high doses of the drug and are immensely powerful as a result, other supes, such as Mesmer and Eagle the Archer, were given low doses of Compound V and are significantly weaker than their fellow colleagues as a consequence.
As seen with A-Train and Popclaw, the recreational use of Compound V can induce a euphoric high and temporarily enhance a supe's abilities, but it will ironically weaken and harm them over time. Billy notes that Compound V acts in a very similar way to steroids when injected into a supe's bloodstream, as A-Train has suffered from testicular atrophy, low bone density and heart problems as a consequence of his abuse of the drug.
History[]
Background[]
Compound V was originally created by a Nazi scientist named Frederick Vought at some point during the Second World War, who experimented with it through the use of human prisoners at Dachau concentration camp [1]. Frederick created two purified and perfected versions of Compound V, capable of working on adults and producing much stronger superpowers than the serum used by modern day Vought. One of these doses was given to his wife Klara, and the other was given to the United States military after he fled Germany, who then gave it to a young army volunteer named Benjamin.
Following Fredrick's death, Vought would continue to manufacture the drug in secrecy and eliminate all signs of its existence from public knowledge and history.
Season One[]
Samaritan's Embrace is a Christian charity that is sponsored by Vought International. On the surface, it is a charity committed to helping those in need. However, unbeknownst to the public, it is actually used to ship Compound V to hospitals across the United States.
This was done primarily in order to create more Supes at random when the "medicine" is administered to pregnant women, patients, newborn infants, and other normal citizens. That way Vought can keep up the illusion that the superhuman powers given to Supes are God-given gifts or a natural genetic leap of mankind, instead of the disturbing truth that Vought is administering drugs to children without their consent.
Season Two[]
In season two, it is revealed that Vought has been secretly trying for years to rectify the low survival rate of Compound V in adults by establishing the Sage Grove Center; a psychiatric hospital in Pennsylvania where Vought scientists have been illegally injecting their adult patients with updated variations of the Compound V formula with the hopes of creating a perfected serum that can successfully transform fully grown adults into well-functioning Supes with minimal negative side effects.
Following the reveal of the existence of Compound V to the public, Vought was forced to temporarily halt all research and production of the drug.
Season Three[]
With the test results provided by Sage Grove Center, Vought's scientists were able to create a prototype of a new variation of the original Compound V formula. This new drug had the ability to give adults temporary superpowers with no risk of dying immediately. However, it still contained harmful side-effects and its development ultimately halted due to recent events. Soldier Boy possessed the ability to generate a radiation blast which could not only could kill his victims, but also allowed him to turn Supes back into normal humans by burning the Compound V out of their system. Primary examples include Kimiko Miyashiro and Queen Maeve, although the former was able to regain her powers after she injected herself with another dose of Compound V.
Variations[]
Temp V[]
Vials of Temp V
| “ | It's Temp V. One shot makes you a Supe for 24 hours. I mean, they think. It's still in R&D."
"Oh, great, so powers, maybe. Maybe my bollocks swell up like footballs. Yeah? |
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Temp V, is a modified version of Compound V. As implied by its name, the serum provides an ordinary person with superpowers for approximately 24 hours.
Due to the legal implications that were brought on by the public revelation of Compound V, all testing of the serum was forcibly halted. As a result, Temp V is still considered unstable and continues to exhibit numerous side effects including migraines, muscle spasms, nausea, and projectile vomiting. Further testing of the drug has recently revealed the fatal effect of causing brain lesions.
Vought geneticists have estimated that the use of three to five doses will become lethal to the patient. These estimates were confirmed after Billy Butcher developed numerous tumors in his brain after his sixth dose of the serum and was given 18 months to live.
G Fuel Compound V[]
| “ | Vought has partnered with the energy drink company G Fuel to bring you a brand new beverage inspired by Compound V. The delicious blue drink will sharpen your focus and increase your energy, but word on the street is that this high-tech formula may have some other effects some may find surprising.
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A new energy drink Vought has partnered with G Fuel . Inspired by Compound V, it sharpens focus, increases energy, and in select cases, turns those who drink it into Supes. Some of the superpowers developed by its consumers include telekinesis, invisibility, and laser eyes. While the drink does not seem to include the potential health risks of Compound V and Temp V, it has a low chance of giving people superpowers (meaning that buyers may need to consume multiple doses before becoming a Supe). It's worth noting that some people may have difficulty controlling their powers and may potentially harm themselves or others because of it.
In the Comics[]
Compound V was a super serum created by Jonah Vogelbaum and was originally intended to create super soldiers for the Third Reich. Fearing for his life after the realization that the Nazis would lose the war, Vogelbaum escaped to the United States with the help of Vought-American, who continued to fund his experiments. Months later and with billions of dollars spent, the company nearly went bankrupt but ultimately regained its wealth after Vogelbaum successfully created the Compound V formula which Vought-American immediately began to prescribe to pregnant volunteers as a means to manufacture superhero teams such as The Seven. Though these trials were successful, they were also extremely costly, forcing Vought-American to inject future subjects with an inferior version of the serum. Furthermore, it appears that the mutational powers of Compound V can be inherited through the bloodline, often resulting in the births of natural-born Supes with at least one super-powered parent.
Modified versions of Compound V were often sold on the black market and were able to temporarily provide ordinary humans with extraordinary strength and durability. It was widely known for sex workers to dose themselves with these diluted serums as a means to withstand the powerful strength of their super-powered clientele.
Furthermore, Vought-American was secretly working to perfect the Compound V formula to the point where they could control exactly what superpowers would manifest from each recipe. However, after the death of Vogelbaum, no other scientist was able to make any further progress with the serum, forcing Vought to remain in the relatively less lucrative niche of costumed superheroes.
Trivia[]
- Compound V is likely based off the Super-Soldier Serum from the Marvel Universe. The temporary, yet consistent, properties of the V24 variant can also be compared to the performance-enhancing drug known as Miraclo from the DC Universe.
- Similar to how the Super-Soldier Serum was created in Marvel Comics, Compound V was also created during the Second World War by a Central European scientist who later defected to the Allies.
- The original, stabilized version of Compound V given to Soldier Boy and Stormfront is not produced by modern day Vought. It is unclear why this is so; possibilities include the original formula being lost to time or intentionally concealed.
Notes[]
References[]
- ↑ The Boys Season 2 Episode 1: The Big Ride