Is Patrick Schwarzenegger In ‘Gen V’ Season 2? Why He Doesn’t Return

Patrick Schwarzenegger as Luke Riordan/Golden Boy and Maddie Phillips as Cate Dunlap on season one of “Gen V.”

Brooke Palmer/Prime Video

Warning: Spoilers ahead for season two, episodes one through three of Gen V.

Gen V is back for season two, and fans of Patrick Schwarzenegger’s Golden Boy might be disappointed to learn that he’s not part of the latest installment.

Schwarzenegger starred as Luke Riordan/Golden Boy, the No.1 student at Godolkin University, on season one of the college-set spinoff of The Boys. His powers included manipulating fire, engulfing his body in flames, superhuman strength and flying. He had a promising future ahead of him and was even poised to be part of the premier supe group known as The Seven.

But in a twist, at the end of the first episode, Luke flamed up and flew into the sky, committing suicide by using his powers and exploding. Still, Schwarzenegger appeared throughout the remainder of the season in flashbacks, a video message, his younger brother Sam Riordan’s (Asa Germann) hallucinations and in Cate Dunlap’s (Maddie Phillips) memories during episode six.

It’s natural to wonder if Schwarzenegger would reprise the role in some capacity in season two, but the actor already explained why fans wouldn’t see him this time around.

Schwarzengger Missed Out On Season 2 Of Gen V Because Of Scheduling Conflicts With The White Lotus

Long before the release of season two of Gen V, Schwarzengger revealed that he couldn’t return because he was filming season three of HBO’s The White Lotus. Schwarzenegger starred as Saxon Ratliff, the eldest child of a wealthy family from North Carolina, in the Thailand-set season of Mike White’s anthology series.

“No, I wish, but I was, we were actually filming White Lotus at the same time that they were filming Gen V,” Schwarzenegger told Screen Rant in February. “So it didn’t work out. But maybe season three or some other time.”

Despite denying his return, Schwarzenegger played into speculation in July when he quote-tweeted a post from the official Gen V account on X regarding season two.

“I’m not in this (or am I???) but It looks great!! Congrats to the Gen V team. Excited to watch!” Schwarzenegger wrote.

“Missed you so much this season!! (or did we??)” the Gen V account replied, further fueling fan hopes.

Luke Riordan Isn’t Part Of Season 2 Of Gen V, But Other Characters Reference Him

Even though Schwarzenegger didn’t return for season two, Luke is mentioned in the early episodes.

In episode three, as Sam’s guilt for his past wrongdoing eats away at him, he asks Cate to use her pushing power to make it go away and make him numb again. But Cate’s powers have been malfunctioning and she’s been advised not to use them. Plus, she says she hurt Luke when she pushed him too much, and can’t bear to do the same to Sam.

Later in episode three, Sam, still frustrated, points to the sky and references Luke’s death, saying he had the right idea. But Jordan Li (London Thor and Derek Luh) says that Luke was wrong and wasn’t thinking straight. They also remind Sam that Luke loved him regardless.

While getting high and watching the kids’ series Avenue V with Jordan, Sam explains that it’s a comfort show because he and Luke used to watch it when they were kids. Sam admits that Luke was probably too old for it at the time, but he was always the first person awake on Saturday mornings, pulling him out of bed to tune in. Then, he tells Jordan that he still talks to Luke in his head.

“I just like, tell him about my day and I ask him for advice,” Sam says.

“Does he have anything to say?” Jordan asks.

“No, but it’s nice to imagine,” Sam replies. “I would give anything for five more minutes.”

New episodes of Gen V release every Wednesday on Prime Video, leading up to the season two finale on October 22.