I'm normal, Emma! This is what normal looks like when you've had my fucking life! You know, while you were worrying about, oh, maybe starring in a reality TV show, I was having a needle shoved up my fucking spine. (...) You want is best... for you. (...) Emma, you would do anything for everyone to like you. You're not a hero.
Sam Riordan is a main character-turned-antagonist of the Amazon series Gen V, a spin-off series of The Boys, where he served as the secondary antagonist of "Guardians of Godolkin." Sam returns as a minor antagonist in Season Four of The Boys.
He is a troubled test subject of the Woods trying to escape his unfortunate circumstances.
Sam was born to Ted and Janet in the early 2000s, and shortly after his birth, they accepted Vought's offer to inject him with Compound V, subsequently transforming him into a Supe and granting him superhuman powers and abilities. Sam grew up alongside his older brother Luke and experienced a positive childhood. During this time, he had a beloved stuffed animal, fractured his arm in second grade, and fell in love with the film Waterworld, realizing its underlying meaning: being alone and discovering one's humanity.[1] Sam and Luke also spent every weekend at the Stardust Drive-In before it closed down.[2]
Likely due to a combination of Compound V and his mental health condition, Sam was transferred to the Sage Grove Center. 3 years ago, after the existence of Compound-V was exposed to the public, Sam grew angry and started punching the walls in his room. With a group of armed guards, Luke and Cate visited Sam and attempted to calm him. Sam was angry that their parents injected them with Compound V, which worsened his schizophrenia. Luke calmed his brother, but a guard makes the fatal mistake of shooting Sam with a taser round as the brothers attempted to hug. The angered Sam punch through the guard's chest and killed him. Sam pushed Luke aside before Cate touched Sam's shoulder and told him to go to sleep.
At night, Sam dashes through Godolkin University, passing Marie, quickly taking out several guards, and flipping over a car. However, before Sam can get far, Marie trips him with a blood whip, forcing to him engage in oncoming security. Sam is angered and turns to Marie, exclaiming that he's not going back to The Woods. Suddenly, Andre slams a dumpster against Sam, pinning him and allowing security to sedate and restrain him.
Later, Sam is taken to an undisclosed location and thrown into a cell, pleading with the guards not to leave him there.
In a cell, restrained and frightened, Sam is told by Indira that every time he leaves, he hurts himself. Sam then glances at Dr. Cardosa, who sticks a needle in his spine, causing him to shriek in pain.
Later, Andre sneaks into Professor Brink's office and searches through his laptop, discovering a photo of Luke's brother, Sam, held captive in The Woods, a mysterious underground medical facility.
During the Vought's Fan Festival, V52, Sam and Cate present their movie "Guardians of Godolkin: Flipped", who is about the two heroes swapping bodies.
Later at Vought Tower, Sam and Cate are alongside The Seven and Tek Knight listening to Homelander's speech, saying that they will not be beloved celebrities, but rather wrathful gods, with Sam and Cate being the first to pledge their loyalty to Homelander. They then beat Cameron Coleman to death after Ashley frames him for being the leaker.
After Homelander assumes the leadership of the country, Sam is considered a deputized superhero with legal authority over the police, among hundreds of other Vought International superheroes. Sam and Cate are sent by Homelander to capture two of The Boys: Frenchie and Kimiko, with the two fugitives failing to escape the country as Cate uses her powers on Frenchie, telling him to get in the van while Sam throws and restrains Kimiko, who is left screaming for Frenchie.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
“
Sam's stronger than Golden Boy ever was. I don't know how to contain someone like that.
Sam possesses superhuman strength, which makes him stronger than humans and most Supes. Dr. Cardosa asserts that he is physically stronger than Golden Boy, the top-ranked Supe at Godolkin University. His tremendous strength, combined with his unpredictable mental state, establishes him as dangerously strong compared to those at The Woods and Godolkin University. He easily mutilates humans without much effort. He can overpower and knock Supes that have superhuman durability back a far distance with a single strike, namely Cate, Jordan, Marie, Andre, Luke and Kimiko. He can even flip cars with one hand, causing them to explode. More impressively, he was able to immobilize Kimiko without any effort.
Superhuman Leap: As a result of his immense superhuman strength, Sam is capable of leaping great distances, leaving giant craters in his wake. Andre notes that Sam's leaping ability is similar to that of Queen Maeve's.
Superhuman Durability:
Sam withstanding bullets
Sam possesses superhuman durability, making him more durable than humans and most Supes. Regarding the stability of his durability, he can withstand his own superhuman strength, indicating that he is fairly resilient. In a fight with Jordan and Andre, he withstands their super-powered hits, including an energy blast from the former that sends him flying back. Throughout these altercations, he rebounds from attacks as if nothing had happened. Furthermore, he is entirely bulletproof, allowing him to resist repeated gunfire.
Superhuman Hearing: Sam possesses superhuman hearing, allowing him to hear better than humans. Like all Supes, he can hear higher frequencies that humans cannot.[3]
Weaknesses[]
Biological[]
Brute Force/Limited Durability: Despite being one of the more resilient Supes, Sam can be momentarily staggered and stunned by tremendous force. Additionally, he is highly vulnerable to extreme volts of electricity, which can immobilize and knock him unconscious. Furthermore, Sam can be restrained effectively with significant force. A gigantified Emma pins Sam down with little effort, preventing him from fighting.
Anesthetic Gases: Regardless of Sam's status as a Supe, anesthetic gases can affect him and render him unconscious. During Sam's escape attempt from The Woods, Andre pins him against a car, allowing campus security to sedate him.
High Frequencies: Due to being a Supe, Sam is susceptible to high frequencies. When a high frequency is playing, it can induce immense pain and temporarily neutralize him. During a massacre at Godolkin University, Sam is momentarily neutralized through the use of a high-frequency alarm.
Psychological[]
Schizophrenia: Sam suffers from schizophrenia, which results in him having hallucinations and delusions that make it difficult for him to differentiate between what is and is not reality. Sam perceives some people as puppets when he is hallucinating, including people who aren't actually with him, such as a puppet version of Emma and his late brother, Luke.
As stated by Luke, Sam suffers from Schizophrenia. This makes him the first Supe known to have Schizophrenia in The Boys universe.
In an interview, Asa Germann claims that Sam's fatal punch to a Sage Grove security guard takes inspiration from Hughie's killing of The Blarney Cock in the comics.[4]
