Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Gen V season 2, episode 4, “Bags.”

Gen V season 2, episode 4 features a major power reveal — and while the realization that Cipher can control other people is horrifying, it doesn’t fully explain his behavior throughout The Boys spinoff. Although Cipher has the ability to possess other people, we don’t get an explanation for other aspects of his character. For example, he inexplicably knows that Cate is filming him, and Marie can’t sense Compound V in his blood.

This isn’t to mention the strangest revelation about the Gen V character in episode 4: that he’s keeping a burnt man in a hyperbaric chamber in his home. One convincing Gen V season 2 theory seeks to explain this bizarre turn of events, simultaneously guessing why Cipher’s blood is lacking Compound V.

This theory brings together Gen V’s many Cipher mysteries, explains season 2’s record-breaking opening scene, and is even more convincing due to The Boys spinoff’s many X-Men parallels.

Gen V Season 2 Theory Claims The Man In The Hyperbaric Chamber Is Controlling Cipher

Prior to Cipher’s big power reveal, Marie believes Godolkin’s new dean isn’t truly a Supe, as she’s unable to sense Compound V in his blood. While some viewers believe Cipher has a different strain of Compound V within him, there’s a more convincing theory circulating on Reddit after episode 4: the man in the hyperbaric chamber is the true Cipher, and Hamish Linklater’s version of the character is just a “host.”

If the man in the chamber is the one who possesses the power to control other people, it would make sense that Marie couldn’t find the Compound V within his host. She’d need to get close to the man himself, as he’s the actual Supe. Conveniently, Marie isn’t present when Jordan and Cate come across the chamber in “Bags.”

Cipher being controlled would also explain why he’s able to stab himself in Gen V season 2’s trailer, seemingly without feeling anything, and it could account for Cate’s inability to read his mind. If Cipher, as we know him, is nothing more than a body, he’s unlikely to experience pain or have many thoughts of his own.

Many fans are taking this a step further and connecting it to Gen V season 2’s bloody opening sequence, which sees a Compound V trial going terribly wrong — and Thomas Godolkin seemingly perishing in the lab fire that breaks out as a result. It’s possible Thomas Godolkin actually survived and that he’s the person in Cipher’s hyperbaric chamber.

The founder of Gen V‘s Godolkin University could be compensating for his destroyed body by leaping into the minds and bodies of others. This would solve yet another season 2 mystery as well: why Cipher seems so interested in Marie Moreau and her ability.

Thomas Godolkin May Be Interested In Taking Over Marie’s Body After Cipher’s

Cipher is pushing his students to their limits in Gen V season 2, but he seems especially interested in honing Marie’s powers. He criticizes her use of “self-harm” to access them, and he dedicates extra attention to their evolution. The desire to keep Marie’s body and abilities in good shape might indicate that Thomas Godolkin plans on using both.

Initially, it seems as though Cipher is invested in Marie because he wants her to defeat Homelander. He repeatedly suggests she could become stronger than The Seven’s leader, potentially setting up a new enemy for Antony Starr’s villain. However, the theory that Thomas Godolkin is controlling Cipher presents another possibility: he’s looking for another host to do his bidding.

One Reddit user even posits that Godolkin founded his Supe school with this end in mind. After all, there’s no better place to find a powerful puppet than an institution full of kids trying to shape their superpowers. Marie being the strongest to emerge in years makes her an obvious target.

Other viewers believe that Godolkin may be hoping Marie is strong enough to heal his injuries, as that’s a possible direction Gen V could take her powers in. Only time will tell what Cipher’s true motives are, but his behavior makes far more sense with Thomas Godolkin pulling the strings.

Gen V’s X-Men Parallels Make This Cipher Theory Even More Convincing

From Polarity being The Boys‘ version of Magneto to Godolkin being the franchise’s take on Charles Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters, Gen V has no shortage of X-Men parallels. Its frequent references to the franchise makes this theory about Cipher and Thomas Godolkin even more convincing. After all, Godolkin is The Boys’ mirror of Charles Xavier.

Thomas Godolkin is the one who founds a learning institution for Supes, just as Charles Xavier creates a safe haven for outcasts with powers in the X-Men franchise. With the obvious parallel already there, it makes sense that Godolkin’s ability would mimic Xavier’s. Xavier is a powerful telepath in X-Men, capable of possessing others and reading minds.

This could be a clue that Godolkin is also capable of both, which would explain how he knew about Cate’s plan to film him — and would obviously account for Cipher’s many eccentricities. Additionally, Cipher’s involvement in Elmira, which is where Andre died before Gen V season 2, could put him at odds with Polarity. This sets up a Magneto and Professor X dynamic of sorts.

The Boys is also known for putting dark spins on Marvel and DC heroes, and having a version of Professor X who seeks to use his students rather than protect them falls in line with that. Gen V season 2 can take its references to some dark places if this theory turns out to be true. Cipher’s actions certainly seem to set it up.

Release Date

September 28, 2023

Network

Prime Video

Directors

Nelson Cragg, Clare Kilner, Philip Sgriccia, Sanaa Hamri, Shana Stein, Steve Boyum

Writers

Craig Rosenberg

Franchise(s)

The Boys

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