The Boys’ Biggest Homelander Rival Just Killed a Major Villain Theory in the Best Way (& It’s Good for Season 5)

One theory for The Boys Season 5 was just destroyed in epic fashion. The fifth season will be the superhero show’s last, and it promises to be a dramatic, explosive conclusion, with a looming all-out Supes war as Homelander and the Seven battle against a resistance led by Starlighter and A-Train. There are many theories about what will happen, and in particular, who will be the one to kill Homelander (Ryan? Butcher? Black Noir? A.N. Other?), but one radical idea that would’ve changed the idea series was shot down by Gen V. Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Gen V Season 2.

The college-set spinoff had previously revealed that Thomas Godolkin, the founder of God U, was not only still alive, but had his own plans for Supe dominance. With incredible mind control abilities, it was even said that he could control Homelander. Thus, it was speculated that the series was setting him up as another major antagonist for Season 5, either alongside Homelander, with the pair at odds with one another, or him at least trying to gain control of Vought (and the U.S.) along with Sister Sage. However, it was put to rest in Gen V Season 2’s ending, with Marie Moreau using her blood-bending abilities to pop Godolkin’s head in a way Victoria Neuman would be proud of.

It’s Good Thomas Godolkin Won’t Be The Boys Season 5’s Villain

The Godolkin twist was a compelling one for Gen V, and gave that show a powerful new antagonist that required multiple Supes coming together to defeat. Given his long ties to Vought and the development of Compound V, there’d be some logic in him being The Boys‘ final villain: he is one of the people who helped start all of this, so there’d be a sense of things coming full circle. At the same time, what wouldn’t make sense is having a major new villain in The Boys after so many years of building up Homelander as the biggest threat.

Godolkin/Cipher was a perfect villain for Gen V, since he started God U, but he doesn’t have a strong connection to the main characters of The Boys. Similarly, he’s a villain who originated in a spinoff, and not everyone who has watched The Boys – and will be returning for Season 5 – watches Gen V, so it would feel like a betrayal of that core audience to suddenly have him become the real villain of the saga, even if he had the right power level to do so.

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This is something that, more broadly, The Boys needs to be careful with. Gen V‘s Season 2 finale sees various characters from the show – Marie, Emma, Cate, Sam, and Annabeth – join up with Starlight and A-Train, with it directly referenced that they’re joining the fight against Homelander. That’s not a bad thing, but it needs to find the right balance with their stories and ensure the focus remains on the heroes we’ve rooted for all along.

Previously, Gen V had revealed that Marie is the “same” as Homelander: both were the only survivors of a Vought experiment known as Project Odessa, and she’s been built up to be as powerful as he is. That’s led to theories that Marie will be the one to defeat Homelander in Season 5 – which is even more plausible after her killing Godolkin – but that would be a major mistake. She’s a great character, and undoubtedly strong, but that isn’t her story, and like with Godolkin, it wouldn’t feel true to The Boys.

There are plenty of intriguing options for who will take down Homelander – like the ones I mentioned at the top of this article – and you can find compelling arguments and evidence in favor of them. But so long as it’s about that show’s story, and not Gen V, it’ll be better for it.

The Boys Seasons 1-4 and Gen V Seasons 1-2 are streaming on Prime Video. The Boys Season 5 is expected to release sometime in 2026.

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