Based on trailer footage released so far, The Boys season 4’s story will revolve around the aftermath of Homelander very publicly murdering a protester at the end of season 3. This will spill over into The Boys‘ wider feud between Homelander and Starlight, while the public divides its support behind one or the other in a not-so-transparent parallel to the political split in real life. Because of this, Vought will be on the defensive in The Boys season 4, and will need all the strong supes it can muster after losing Starlight, Black Noir, and Queen Maeve as former members of the Seven.

The Boys Season 4’s Super Bowl Promo Teases Gen V’s Cate & Sam

In promotion of The Boys season 4, Amazon dropped an uber-patriotic spoof Super Bowl commercial championing American values, Vought’s various heroes, and… horses? Among the saccharine montage of red, white, and blue sits one shot of Cate Dunlap and Sam Riordan from Gen V striking dramatic superhero poses. In Gen V‘s season 1 finale, Cate and Sam spearheaded a supe uprising at Vought’s Godolkin University, and were subsequently praised by Homelander for their efforts. Cate and Sam were touted as heroes by Vought’s news channel, but what might happen to them next remained unclear.

The Boys‘ Super Bowl commercial spoof strongly gives the impression that Vought is continuing to market Cate and Sam as the company’s exciting, young new supes. The shot’s hammy production has the vibe of a sports team introducing its newest star player, which suggests Vought will capitalize on Cate and Sam’s public momentum from Gen V to turn them into replacements for the various supes scrubbed from its books in season 3. Whether Cate and Sam will go so far as to join the Seven remains unclear, but they will evidently be active supes under Vought’s banner, which makes omitting them from The Boys season 4 very difficult.

How Cate & Sam Can Appear In The Boys Season 4 (& What Their Roles Could Be)

The Seven is the weakest it has ever been heading into The Boys season 4, while Starlight switching sides after her season 3 power-up makes Butcher’s crew considerably stronger. Cate and Sam are indebted to Homelander after he protected them in the Gen V season 1 finale, and both teens share the same “supes first” philosophy that is increasingly motivating Homelander ahead of The Boys season 4. It seems natural, then, that Homelander could direct Cate and Sam to attack Butcher’s gang when the two sides inevitably clash.

Cate and Sam would both prove incredibly useful in a fight against the Boys. Gen V openly compared Sam’s physical strength to Queen Maeve’s, meaning he would make light work of even Starlight in a fist fight. Cate, meanwhile, ranks as one of the most overpowered supes in Amazon’s entire The Boys franchise, and is virtually able to rewrite reality with her psychic manipulation. Cate could turn Starlight against Hughie, make Butcher’s team attack each other, or trap them all within a mental prison.

Gen V Reveals Another Supe Powerful Enough To Kill Homelander

Homelander may have seemed like one of the most powerful supes in The Boys, but Gen V has proven that two other supes can easily take him down.

While Cate and Sam featuring in The Boys season 4 is becoming increasingly probable, especially after the Super Bowl video, their appearances will likely be limited to guest spots, saving any major character development for Gen V season 2. Showing up in The Boys could further cement Cate as a vengeful anti-human villain in league with Homelander, and could continue Gen V‘s hints that Sam is experiencing a moral struggle over whether to follow Cate or listen to Emma. This would only consolidate what Gen V season 1’s ending already started, leaving the big twists and turns for season 2 of Amazon’s spinoff.

A Major Black Noir Theory May Not Happen In The Boys Season 4 Now

Because Gen V‘s ending remained ambiguous over the ultimate fates of Cate and Sam as pawns of Vought, theories arose regarding their futures in the franchise. One of the most intriguing ideas posited that Sam would become the new Black Noir. Homelander killed the real Black Noir in The Boys season 3, but the character is still shown in promotional material for season 4, meaning someone else is wearing Noir’s superhero costume. Sam broadly possesses the same powers and strength that Black Noir did, which made him a leading contender for the secret impostor in The Boys season 4.

Based on how Sam is presented in The Boys‘ Super Bowl commercial spoof, that Black Noir theory is now officially debunked. Vought appears to be presenting Sam as a supe in his own right, standing alongside Cate as the now-famous “Guardians of Godolkin.” If Vought intended to quietly use Sam to cover up the fact Black Noir was killed, the company would not plug Sam as a separate hero. The truth will be revealed in The Boys season 4, but it appears that the tight cohesion between Amazon’s main show and Gen V will continue.