Gen V seems to portray Emma/Little Cricket as an Ant-Man parody, making her supe abilities not as unique as Marie’s blood powers in Gen V. However, the spin-off show also adds many nuances to her powers and how they reflect her story elements to make her stand out as a size-manipulating character. The Amazon series also ensures that despite having some traits in common with Termite, she does not come off as a direct rip-off of The Boys‘ version of Ant-Man.

How Emma Shrinks & Grows In Gen V

Emma, like other students at Godolkin University, was given Compound V injections soon after her birth. Compound V gave her the ability to shrink and grow. However, unlike the MCU’s Ant-Man, Emma cannot instantly change her dimensions at will. She has to forcefully gag herself and throw up to lose size. The more she throws up, the smaller she becomes, suggesting that her size is directly proportional to the amount of nutrients and calories in her body. When she vomits, she expels nutrients and calories and grows tinnier, explaining why her mother tries keeping a close eye on her caloric intake.

During a fundraiser in Gen V‘s episode 3, Emma’s mother says that she appears a few inches shorter than usual, and they may have to add fifty calories to her diet to ensure her size stays in the normal range. Although, technically, fifty calories are not much, her mother’s remark suggests that even minute variations in her calories can affect her appearance. Emma also grows bigger when she increases her food intake. Given how she grows exceptionally tiny in Gen V‘s episodes 2 and 3 after throwing up, it seems likely that she could also grow as huge as Ant-Man (if not bigger) from the Civil War airport showdown if she gets in enough calories.

How Emma Is Different To The Boys’ Termite

The most evident difference between Emma’s and Termite’s powers is that Termite did not have to barf or lose calories to shrink. He could instantly do it at will and become tiny enough to enter a man’s penis. In Gen V‘s episode 3, Emma seems strong enough to be able to pass from a man’s left ear to his right with a little struggle. This implies that, like most supes, she possesses some superhuman strength. However, considering how Termite pinned Hughie down in The Boys despite being incredibly small, he could be stronger than Gen V‘s Emma.

Many details in Gen V also hint that Emma may be able to grow in size if she only increases her caloric intake. Termite, on the other hand, only seemed to have the ability to shrink in size or restore himself to his normal human form. If Emma can grow bigger and taller by consuming more calories, she might have an immense tactical advantage over Termite and many other supes in The Boys. From a thematic standpoint, while Termite’s characterization is meant for comic relief or inducing shock in The Boys, Emma’s powers in Gen V serve as an allegory for eating disorders.