shouldn't we use Temp V instead of V24, as that was used far more often CharlotteSmoothie (talk) 00:56, 9 July 2022 (UTC)
Inclusion of potential radioactivity in trivia section[]
Rather than just constantly reverting edits back and forth, I figured discussing this would be better.
To address the points made in the reversion commit message, I don't believe the other points in the trivia section could be considered conjecture, other than the final sentence "It is unclear why this is so, though it is likely because the original formula was lost to time." - this is the most obvious inference that could be made from the preceding sentence, I think the first point is useful to show how the concept is derivative of other works in the superhero genre.
However, I strongly feel that the radioactivity point is unfounded. The evidence provided seems to amount to it being invented at the same time as nuclear weapons, the fact that soldier boy contaminates places when he explodes, and the fact that it's expensive. I don't think this is enough evidence. There are many reasons why compound v could be expensive, and frankly, fissile materials aren't that expensive. Soldier Boy contaminating places after exploding doesn't imply to me that compound v would necessarily be radioactive itself. And being developed at the same time equally doesn't imply radioactivity of compound v to me.
This is definitely an interesting fan theory, and you've got me half convinced, especially with the Soldier Boy contamination. But I don't think this is a hard enough fact to include in the trivia section.
Interested to hear others' thoughts.
You're free to remove that portion entirely if you'd like. From what we've been told, Temp V is radioactive to some degree, not Compound V. (It's mentioned in the first episode of S3) If there are any issues, send me a message, and I'll deal with it. -AdamKirschner
The Original Formula[]
This claim has existed on the wiki before, but it basically states that Frederick created two stabilized vials of Compound V which could turn adults into supes (as opposed to injecting infants), decelerate aging, and produce much stronger powers than regular Compound V. Frederick gave one of these to his wife Klara and the other to the US army who then gave it to Benjamin (Soldier Boy).
Now at face value this makes sense. I doubt that something as specific and logical as this was fabricated, especially because people on other platforms have said the same thing, but I'm having trouble finding where this was actually mentioned. I've scoured the scripts for the episodes and tried to search for behind the scenes videos and the closest thing I could find was in "We Gotta Go Now" where Hughie, Annie and MM were discussing if Liberty was Stormfront and Starlight mentioned that maybe she doesn't age like a regular person.
The other possibility is that it might be from the comics, but I know the comics have quite a few differences in that Soldier Boy is a weak supe and Stormfront is a male. If anyone knows where this came from, please let me know. Thank you.
What you're talking about isn't fabricated at all, and it's not something that happened in the comics. It's never outright stated, but it's heavily implied. Regarding Stormfront and Soldier Boy, they were definitely injected with the original Compound V formula that Fredrick Vought himself created. However, Soldier Boy is obviously stronger, meaning Stormfront got a lesser dose compared to Soldier Boy. If you're wondering why current Compound V kinda sucks, that's likely due to many factors, such as the cost and the original formula being lost to time and substituted with other materials, making it less potent than the original. -AdamKirschner
I'm aware that this is implied, and I personally accept it as an explanation. But when does something stray from being good conjecture to becoming canon? The reason I made this topic was because someone on the subreddit inquired about it and after some digging I couldn't find anything that backed it up. Especially for a casual show watcher, this really doesn't seem like something easily discernable. - TitanZ
Original Formula [2][]
I am reopening this discussion in an effort to find the truth. I feel that with the leaks around Season 4 it is best to get this information hammered out now rather than later before it potentially gets repeated and eventually accepted as unofficial-official canon.
To start off, I personally do accept this explanation. It simply makes too much sense to not be true. But I would also like to find a firm basis for this. From the previous topic I was told that information about the original formula was apparently never mentioned in the comics, and the closest thing I could find about it in the show was Hughie and Starlight mentioning that Stormfront may not age like a normal human because they don't know the full extent of Compound V's abilities.
So I'm starting at the beginning of the trail by trying to identify individual pieces of lore.
1. From SB's wiki page, "Benjamin, also nicknamed “Ben” was born in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 19th, 1919." & "Despite his wealth, Ben’s father was incredibly harsh, demanding, oppressive, verbally abusive, misogynistic, distant and neglectful to the point of total detachment in his son’s life." Most of his info comes from the last episode of Season 3, but does not mention where he was born or what his father was specifically like aside from being neglectful. I don't think it's mentioned that Soldier Boy was an alcoholic either, just that he used to sneak swigs of alcohol from time to time.
2. From Compound V's page, "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." Not sure where this comes from.
3. From Homelander's page, "Homelander was created after a semen sample that was donated by Soldier Boy was mixed inside of a test tube of Compound V", this comes from the comics I believe. Vogelbaum mentions that he mixed so much V with Homelander that he was surprised he didn't come out looking blue but also explicitly mentions that he used the finest, most pure V the company ever made.
Any source would be helpful at this point. Interviews, Q&A's, tweets, social media posts, retconned lore, deleted videos, and hidden details in the show itself. - TitanZ
I just finished rewatching The Boys and Gen V, so I can answer these with confidence.
1. I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to say here; some of what you're saying contradicts itself.
2. This is true, but the exact percentages are unknown. In The Bloody Doors Off, Lamplighter states that infants handle Compound V the best, but with adults, it's incredibly unpredictable. The entire goal of Sage Grove was to stabilize Compound V for adults, which was accomplished, hence Cindy and Love Sausage. Kimiko, Kenji, Naqib, and other supervillains got lucky, which is why they have solid powers. However, Homelander does say that some of them ended up dying due to being injected with Compound V (You Found Me).
3. Homelander is a test tube baby. We know they utilized Soldier Boy's sperm and another woman's eggs, although it's unclear who the latter is. Obviously, they used a lot of Compound V, but it's never said that the sperm was mixed in a vial of Compound V in the show.
You're free to adjust the pages accordingly after getting this information.-AdamK
Sorry, I should have clarified more what I was talking about. I was trying to pinpoint the source of individual pieces of info I was skeptical about because I reasoned that it may lead me to wherever the info about the "original Compound V" given to Stormfront and SB came from.
1. Where do the extraneous details, like where he was born, him being an alcoholic, and his father being misogynistic come from?
2. Thanks, but do you know why it was originally written that the failure rate was 20%? That seems unusually specific.
3. Ok, so it definitely wasn't mentioned in the show, is that correct? If so, then I know that this comes exclusively from the comics and not some other source.
- TitanZ
1. Soldier Boy being born in South Philadelphia is revealed in the beginning of "The Only Man in the Sky" when Frenchie and Kimiko go to Voughtland. The other information about Soldier Boy's father isn't true at all. It's never stated in the show.
2. Nope. The exact specifics are never revealed at all. Someone likely just came up with random numbers.
3. That specific line about sperm being mixed in Compound V is a comic only thing. That's it.
-AdamK