Could Gen V’s Guardian of Godolkin defeat The Boys’ Homelander in a 1v1?
The first season of Gen V did a lot more for The Boys than most spinoffs manage to accomplish, including bringing in characters that can bounce between shows. The spinoff series expanded the world of The Boys by introducing Godolkin University, where superpowered teens and young adults go to harness their powers and become productive supes within the real world. The university had blatant favorites, as it ranked each student based on their merits. One student, who nobody thought would amount to much, became the face of Godolkin University through her desire to help people.
Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) suffered a traumatic childhood because of her powers and then had to endure the foster system until she received a sponsor who got her into the prestigious university for gifted youngsters. She quickly made a name for herself on campus after an encounter with the top student Golden Boy (Patrick Schwarzenegger) before he committed suicide, which the powers that be spun as a heroic defense of innocent life. She didn’t know it then, but Marie was strong enough to hold her own against Golden Boy and could even give Homelander a run for his money.
Marie Moreau’s powers
Marie’s powers are a little “gross,” as somebody said at the beginning of Gen V’s first season, but they’re also one of the more unique powers exhibited within the world of The Boys. Perhaps the most powerful. She’s capable of controlling her blood and using it as a weapon. The first episode of the series shows her unwittingly killing her parents with her blood and then slashing her wrists to create blood whips. As the season progresses, Marie learns that her powers are capable of much more and that it’s not the first time the audience has seen such a power in The Boys.
Gen V revealed that the head-popping politician Victoria Neuman, in fact, shares the same abilities as Marie but favors exploding heads over other possibilities. Marie’s powers are versatile, with the ability to be used as an offensive or defensive technique. Marie helped heal a woman who was bleeding and nearly got expelled from Godolkin Univeristy for it. Later in the season, Marie uses her control over blood to give another supe a heart attack, which is more inconspicuous than exploding heads.
Homelander’s powers
As the leader of The Seven, Homelander is also the most powerful. If Superman had no empathy and didn’t care about the sanctity of life, that would be Homelander. His most used powers are his flight, super strength, and durability. However, he’s also exhibited super hearing, allowing him to eavesdrop on others from the other side of a wall, and x-ray vision, which he exhibited in the first season of The Boys when he searched for Translucent. Instead of lead, which blocks Superman’s x-ray vision, Homelander can’t see through zinc. Unfortunately for the citizens of The Boys‘ universe, Homelander doesn’t have a kryptonite.
The most frightening trait Homelander exhibits is his lack of empathy. He uses others to get what he wants, but he doesn’t have any genuine feelings for anyone but himself. Even his affection for his son Ryan isn’t genuine compassion. He’s more like a pet that he can use to meet his own ends. If Ryan even briefly crosses Homelander, he likely won’t live to tell about it unless his powers have increased to evenly match Homelander’s.
Could Marie Moreau win a fight against Homelander?
If only season one of The Boys and Gen V existed, the fight would easily go to Homelander. He’s fast, strong, and smart. Season three of The Boys changed many things when it comes to who can defeat the leader of The Seven. When Homelander believes he has the upper hand, he’s arrogant and overconfident, but that changes when he faces an equally powerful opponent. He starts to panic and reach for straws in hopes of pulling out a win, leading to less-than-optimal decisions.
Gen V already kind of showed Marie go up against Homelander, but it’s safe to say that his attack took her by surprise. When he arrived to put a stop to the riots at Godolkin University, he witnessed Marie use her powers to eviscerate Cate’s arm. Instead of stopping Cate, he saw Marie as the enemy and used his heat blast power to knock her unconscious. If Homelander arrived and Marie knew he was going to attack her, that would have a completely different ending. She might not have impenetrable skin like the leader of The Seven, but she would be smart enough to avoid his eyeline or even attack him as soon as he arrived.
Marie learned that she could control the blood in others, not just herself. She used this knowledge to give another supe a heart attack, which she could easily use against Homelander, rendering him impotent against her. Additionally, she could go the Victoria Neuman route and make his head explode. Homelander has one saving grace in a fight against the Guardian of Godolkin.
Unlike Billy Butcher and Homelander who lack empathy, Marie very much cares about others and the impact her actions can have on them. That would hold her back in a fight against Homelander, even if she knew it was a matter of life or death. Homelander, on the other hand, has no scruples and wouldn’t hesitate to decapitate or blast Marie on sight. Marie might try to talk Homelander down, which would give him an opening that she couldn’t afford to give him. After having nobody that can hold their own against Homelander after the series’ first two seasons, season three of The Boys and Gen V’s first season introduced several possibilities for Homelander’s inevitable “snap” if Kripke and crew decide to stray further from the source material.
