Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Gen V season 2, episodes 1-4.Gen V season 2 is turning Hamish Linklater’s Cipher into one of The Boys franchise’s most memorable villains, and recent episodes are sparking discussions about whether he’s as powerful as Homelander. And although Linklater manages to make his character as mesmerizing as Antony Starr’s Supe, there’s no way he could stand up to the leader of The Seven.

Despite being in the public eye as the new dean of Godolkin University, Cipher manages to keep his powers under wraps at the beginning of Gen V‘s sophomore season. Episode 4, “Bags,” finally answers the question of what Cipher can do — though the revelation in itself raises other mysteries.

Even if Cipher’s ability to control people can be taken at face value, there’s no way The Boys spinoff is setting him up to be as powerful as Homelander. There are a few flaws in that argument, the most notable of them stemming from Cipher’s motivations in recent Gen V episodes.

Cipher’s Powers In Gen V Season 2 Explained

Gen V season 2, episode 4 reveals that Cipher can control other people, stepping into their minds and bodies so they’ll do his bidding. When Cate accuses the dean of not being a Supe, he gives a demonstration of his powers, seemingly shutting down that argument. He jumps into Jordan’s body, forcing her to attack Marie while they’re in the ring together.

Cipher’s display of power suggests he’s capable of controlling people from afar, basically treating them as puppets. It certainly puts a new spin on his insistence that people are just “blood bags.” Of course, there’s bound to be some limit to Cipher’s ability we haven’t seen yet. The Boys spinoff doesn’t spend much time on it in episode 4, but that’s usually the case with powerful Supes.

There are also many theories about Cipher that seek to explain some of the inconsistencies surrounding his ability. Since Marie can’t sense Compound V in the dean’s blood, there’s speculation that the man in his hyperbaric chamber is actually Thomas Godolkin — and that he’s the one who controls people, while Cipher is just an ordinary human host.

The Gen V season 2 trailer also sees Cipher stabbing himself in the hand, seemingly with no reaction. This complicates matters, as the sort of power he exhibits in episode 4 doesn’t square with him not feeling pain (or not aging, as the picture from Marie’s birth suggests).

There’s definitely more going on with Cipher than first meets the eye, and there is potential for him to be one of The Boys universe’s most daunting villains. He might even be one of the most powerful Supes, which would be fitting given his role in the spinoff. He’s just not likely to be the strongest.

Gen V Season 2 Sets Up Cipher As One Of The Boys Universe’s Strongest Supes

Whatever is going on with Cipher, there’s no denying he’s a powerful villain to contend with. He must be in order to challenge characters like Marie, Jordan, and Cate — all young Supes with incredible potential. The Boys wouldn’t be building so much mystery around Cipher if it didn’t have big plans for him.

And whether he’s controlling people or Thomas Godolkin is doing it through him, the dean is going to be difficult to defeat. Perhaps more experienced Supes would make quicker work of him. But at their current levels, Gen V‘s main characters are struggling to keep up.

That also has to do with the power dynamics of their relationships. Marie and her friends are students constantly in danger of being sent back to Elmira, while Cipher holds an esteemed position of power at Godolkin University, and thus, commands respect at Vought as well.

However, Cipher’s position will only take him so far, and he’s definitely no Homelander. The suspicions that he could be as powerful as The Boys’ main villain ring hollow, especially since he’s looking for students like Marie, seemingly in the hopes of making them as strong as Starr’s Supe.

There’s 1 Reason The Boys Spinoff’s Villain Can’t Be More Powerful Than Homelander

Although Cipher is a force to be reckoned with in Gen V season 2, it seems unlikely the series will make him as strong as Homelander. For one thing, it doesn’t make sense with his motivations in The Boys spinoff. Since the premiere, Cipher has shown interest in leveling up the abilities of his students, even if it means pushing them past their limits.

He’s especially intrigued by Marie, who he claims could be stronger than Homelander one day. This is telling for a couple of reasons. First, it suggests that Cipher wants a Supe to surpass The Seven’s leader, potentially hinting at a conflict between the two. It also means that Cipher needs Marie to make a move against Homelander. This contradicts arguments that he could do it himself.

Cipher wouldn’t need Marie to master her powers if he was capable of taking down Homelander on his own. That’s the most glaring issue with the idea that the dean could match the leader of The Seven. If that was true, why would he be lurking at Godolkin University and scoping out its students?

There’s likely some shortcoming of Cipher’s power we haven’t seen yet, necessitating someone like Marie to step in and help. If the theories about Thomas Godolkin are true, it could even be Godolkin himself looking to take down Homelander. However, either Cipher or Godolkin are clearly unable to in their current states, leading to the fascination with students like Marie.

Cipher Surpassing Homelander Ahead Of The Boys Season 5 Wouldn’t Make Sense

In addition to Cipher’s motivations not aligning with him being as powerful as Homelander, it wouldn’t make sense to introduce another Supe on that level in Gen V season 2. While the spinoff needs compelling and intimidating villains to hook viewers, it would be strange to have them surpass the main antagonist of The Boys.

Heading into The Boys season 5, Homelander should be the strongest Supe on the board — and if anyone is going to surpass him, Cipher feels like a bizarre choice. Gen V is setting Marie up as a potential contender, but even she feels like an anticlimactic character to finally take down the other Supe, since she and Homelander don’t have much history.

And while Cipher being stronger than Homelander wouldn’t necessarily mean he needs to defeat The Boys’ villain, his Gen V motivations seem to be heading in that direction. With that in mind, it feels Cipher is missing something or has a weakness we’ve yet to uncover. There’s no other explanation for his behavior thus far.

First Episode Air Date

July 26, 2019

Cast

Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Jensen Ackles