The end of Gen V season 1 was full of bloody mayhem. Cate’s (Maddie Phillips) domination of the slaughter at Godolkin University reminds us that the X-Men are lucky Professor Charles Xavier is a good guy.
Comic book fans are familiar with the X-Men‘s Professor Charles Xavier who leads the team of mutant heroes. His telepathic powers make him one of the strongest mutants in the Marvel universe. Throughout his life, Professor X sought peace between humans and mutants. Time after time, he used his abilities for good, even though his best friend/enemy Magneto proved over and over that humans will hurt them at any chance they get. The final episode of Gen V, “The Guardians of Godolkin,” showed us exactly how things would be if Professor X had been on the side of evil.
This article contains massive spoilers for the season finale of Gen V!
Cate’s revenge
When we first meet Cate in Gen V, she is just the pretty girlfriend of Golden Boy (Patrick Schwarzenegger). As the series continues, we find out Cate is an extremely powerful supe. She, like Professor X, has very strong telepathic abilities. At first, her powers are limited to touch, but when she stops taking a medicine that dulled her powers, her abilities amplify. Because her powers are so intense, she has had a rough life. Her family kept her prisoner after she accidentally ordered her little brother to leave and never come back. When Indira Shetty (Shelley Conn) brings her to Godolkin University, Cate thinks she is saved. But over the course of season one, she discovers that Shetty is controlling her and manipulating her for her powers. Without hesitation, she kills Shetty, the only family she has, and stops taking her medication.
In the final episode, Cate and Sam (Asa Germann) go to the secret labs under Godolkin U, referred to as The Woods. They kill all the human guards and free the students who have been experimented on by the university. When they find a student who died from the man-made virus, Cate goes into full supervillain mode. She tells the other young supes that they must kill all the humans and recognize that supes are the superior beings. When Marie (Jaz Sinclair) tries to stop Cate, Cate says that humans and the Vought corporation only think of them as products. Walking through the God U campus, Cate uses her powers to enlist all the supes she can find to turn the school into a slaughterhouse. She instantly has an army of superpowered beings at her beck and call. To help things along, she even removes all feelings from Sam so he won’t hesitate to kill.
Cate’s boyfriend, Andre (Chance Perdomo) tries to reason with her. This makes the Professor X comparison even more apt since Andre’s powers are similar to Magneto’s (both can manipulate metal). But when Andre hesitates to take Cate’s hand, unsure if she will try to mind control him, Cate just continues her murder spree. Cate is only stopped when Marie makes Cate’s arm explode to save Jordan (London Thor/Derek Luh) from being mind-controlled. Then Homelander shows up and takes control of the situation (although it’s clear his values align with Cate’s). If that hadn’t happened, who knows how many more people would have died. Despite nearly dying at the hands of Cate and her supe army, Vought and God U go into PR overdrive, pinning the carnage on Marie, Andre, Emma, and Jordan, while lauding Cate and Sam as the new Guardians of Godolkin. While the four are trapped in a doorless hospital room (possibly the same prison that Vought kept Queen Maeve in?), Cate and Sam are free … as far as we know.
(featured image: Prime Video)
