There has always been an inkling that Marie (Jaz Sinclair) in Gen V is more powerful than she realizes. With the show converging with The Boys in many ways, there is likely to be a showdown at some point. And Season 2, Episode 4 of Gen V, titled “Bags,” finally makes it clear just what Marie is capable of. Or the episode could just be scratching the surface of her abilities. Marie could hold the key to ending the broader Supes vs. Humans conflict, as well as the HomeTeamers vs. Starlighters divide. But how and why remains to be seen. What’s clear is that she could potentially be even more powerful than Homelander (Antony Starr).
Marie Is Project Odessa
Gen V Season 2 came out of the gate with its first three episodes released at once, and there were some major revelations. In Episode 2, “Justice Never Forgets,” we learn what Project Odessa really is. Or rather, who it is. Project Odessa, first referenced in The Boys Season 4, is a top-secret Vought initiative spearheaded by Thomas Godolkin. The controversial project involved experimentation on babies born through a Vought program. It didn’t go well, as evidenced by the flashback scene shown at the beginning of Season 2, featuring Ethan Slater as Godolkin. However, Marie is revealed to be the only survivor.
This is determined when Polarity (Sean Patrick Thomas) and Emma (Lizze Broadway) manage to gain access to the underground lab and discover a secret hidden area containing files on the project. Marie is listed as one of the participants, and she’s the only one still noted as being alive. Marie herself learned earlier, after visiting her Aunt Pam (Judith Scott), that she wasn’t injected with Compound V as a baby, contrary to what she had always believed. Instead, her parents had trouble conceiving, and IVF was even unsuccessful. When Vought offered them the opportunity to participate in this program for free, with the guarantee of having a child, they couldn’t pass it up.
It’s further confirmed that the mysterious Dean Cipher (Hamish Linklater) knows this because when Marie is looking through old photos of her birth with Aunt Pam, she notices a picture of Cipher in a lab coat holding her as a baby. Aunt Pam declares that this is Dr. Gould, the doctor who delivered her. Now, Marie knows that he is aware of her history and her involvement in Project Odessa. This explains why he’s so determined to train her. But it goes even deeper than that.
Dean Cipher Helps Marie Realize the Extent of Her Power
In Episode 4, the school administration is dealing with the fallout of Jordan’s (London Thor, Derek Luh) scathing speech, which revealed Andre’s (Chance Perdomo) death and the fact that they attacked Cate (Maddie Phillips), not Starlighters. But Cipher won’t let them off that easily. Instead of admitting to this truth, the school doubles down and portrays Jordan as a liar seeking attention, and the real villain trying to cover up the Starlighter crimes. Cate (Maddie Phillips) is coerced into complying, helping to corroborate this falsehood.
To capitalize on the tense narrative, the school’s public relations department devises a plan for a WWE-style fight between Marie and Jordan, in an actual ring, televised under the marketing name The Gender Bender vs. Blood Bender. This will have students cheering for Marie to mercilessly take down the “evil” Jordan. But Cipher has another purpose for this fight. It’s all part of testing Marie and her ability to tap into more power.
While training for this fight, Cipher pushes Marie to use her powers in ways she hadn’t before. He urges her not to hold her hands out as she always has, for example, claiming she doesn’t really need to do that, she just thinks she does. He asks why she cuts herself to access her blood to weaponize it, implying she could do it without relying on a pocket knife. She starts to do things like make a large animal levitate (and eventually explode when she accidentally loses focus) and move several bags of blood from one table to another by simply focusing on them. Even Marie is astounded.
In the process, however, Marie senses in Dean Cipher’s own blood that he doesn’t have any Compound V running through his veins. He isn’t a Supe! Or is he? Later, during the fight, when Cate tries to blackmail Cipher about this fact, he proves that they have it all wrong. He begins to mind-control Jordan from a distance, causing them to mimic everything he says and do everything he wants them to do. This includes ferociously attacking Marie despite their insistence that they aren’t going to go through with the fight.
Marie has no choice but to fight back, particularly when Jordan tells her not to use her hands, signaling that Cipher is controlling Jordan’s body and mind. Marie manages to fly Jordan into the air, holding them levitating above her. While Jordan is incapacitated, they are smiling until the blood starts to course painfully through their veins, visible through their skin. “Marie, stop!” Jordan cries when they return to their own body, and Cipher has disconnected due to the pain. Marie stops, and Jordan comes crashing to the ground.
Marie is in awe of what she has done, not realizing until now that she’s capable of something like that. But this is precisely what Dean Cipher wanted. He confirms this by telling Marie that he knows she knows who he is, likely because he was able to read her mind after she visited with Aunt Pam. He also delivers a shocking truth: Godolkin University was only created to help develop her into the most powerful Supe in the world. She could be more powerful than Homelander, and everything about the school, the training, all ties back to her.
What Is Marie’s True Purpose in ‘Gen V’?
Dean Cipher clearly has plans for Marie once she can fully harness her powers. She feels he wants to use her as a weapon, but for what? Does he want her to take down Homelander? Does he want her to become a new Supe leader and take down humanity? What is his end goal? The answer to that is the answer to Marie’s purpose.
Dean Cipher’s idea of Marie’s purpose may not match her own. Just because he wants her to become the most powerful Supe for his own gain or to follow through with his own agenda doesn’t mean that’s what will happen. Marie has a strong moral compass, a sense of what’s right and wrong. She’s on the side of the Starlighters, and her fierce devotion to goodness might be something they never expected could happen with someone born out of Project Odessa. That could throw a wrench into things if Marie manages to maximize her power and use it as she wants, not as others want her to. Chances are, this will somehow culminate in a showdown that may cross over to the fifth and final season of The Boys. And we can’t wait. Stream Gen V on Prime Video.
- Release Date
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September 28, 2023
- Network
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Prime Video
- Directors
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Nelson Cragg, Clare Kilner, Philip Sgriccia, Sanaa Hamri, Shana Stein, Steve Boyum
- Writers
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Craig Rosenberg
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Jaz Sinclair
Marie Moreau
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Lizze Broadway
Emma Meyer / Little Cricket
