Warning: spoilers ahead for Gen V episode 7.

Summary

• The deaths of Shetty and Cardosa in Gen V season 1 create intriguing narrative possibilities for the finale and potentially set up new villains for future seasons.
• The absences of Shetty and Cardosa mean the heroes will have an easier time shutting down the testing lab, potentially diminishing the jeopardy in the season finale.
• The finale may, therefore, include a major twist, such as a surprise villain, shocking reveal, or a crossover with The Boys, to compensate.

After two major deaths in Gen V episode 7, predictions for the season 1 finale will need to be almost entirely rewritten. Across its eight-episode freshman season, Gen V chronicles a group of super-powered college students as they unfold a sinister conspiracy hiding beneath the lecture halls and filthy dorms, and the two main figures behind said conspiracy are Dean Shetty and Dr. Cardosa. At Shetty's behest, Cardosa has been experimenting on young test subjects to develop a virus that can control, and potentially even kill, Vought's precious supes.

Logically, then, one would have assumed that Jaz Sinclair's Marie Moreau, and the two people responsible for the Woods - Dean Shetty and Dr. Cardosa. Gen V episode 7, "Sick," takes that prediction and tosses it into the garbage pile alongside Andre's "friend-of-the-year" t-shirt and the tattered remains of Rufus' urethra. Gen V season 1's penultimate episode not only sees Cate using her mind-control powers to make Shetty kill herself, but then also concludes with Victoria Neuman giving Dr. Cardosa her trademark head-popping treatment.

Shetty & Cardosa Both Dying Makes Gen V Season 1's Finale Story More Intriguing

The deaths of Dean Shetty and Dr. Cardosa leave Gen V without a primary antagonist ahead of season 1's final episode, and this completely blows open the narrative possibilities for how the spinoff's story will end. The Woods has now lost both its chief scientist and its overarching controller, effectively rendering the facility useless. Without Shetty and Cardosa to run the show, Gen V's cast of heroes should have a relatively straightforward time shutting down the clandestine testing lab permanently. Curiously, that leaves Gen V season 1's finale with very little jeopardy.

Storming into the Woods and freeing its prisoners will not take Marie Moreau and her super-powered friends an entire episode - let alone a full season-ending climax. Gen V episode 7's double-shot of major character deaths suggests that an equally major twist is coming in season 1's finale. Whether that be a surprise villain, a shocking reveal, or a new storyline entirely remains to be seen.

Gen V could feasibly replace the threat of Shetty with the full force of Vought, as Ashley Barrett desperately attempts to cover up any sign of the Woods' existence. After Marie tattled to Victoria Neuman about Shetty's virus, the US military might even become involved, descending upon Godolkin University and escalating the situation drastically for an action-packed Gen V finale. Thanks to Grace Mallory's cameo, Gen V season 1's finale could even crossover fully with The Boys, pitting Marie's group against Butcher's in the hunt for Cardosa's supe virus. Whatever may transpire, it must be dramatic enough to plug the sizable gap left by Shetty and Cardosa.

Who Could Replace Shetty & Cardosa As Gen V's Villains?

Whether in Gen V season 1's finale or the season 2, which has now been confirmed by Amazon, The Boys' college-set spinoff will require new villains to replace Dean Shetty and Dr. Cardosa. After Brink and Shetty, Gen V may take cues from Hogwarts, with each new teacher that s Godolkin University in season 2 and beyond setting up that season's main threat. Alternatively, Gen V episode 7 may have confirmed exactly who the spinoff's next big bads will be.

By killing Shetty in cold blood, Cate revealed herself as a potential future antagonist. The psychic has proven herself to be increasingly more powerful than first assumed since Gen V began, and murdering her former controller allows Cate to step into the world of arch-villainy herself. Cate may be ed by Sam Riordan, Golden Boy's brother, as another of Gen V's villains. After spending an afternoon with a group of Homelander ers, Sam has seemingly been indoctrinated by their supe-first ideology - a philosophy Cate also shows iration for after she kills Shetty. Together, Cate and Sam could be the next-gen supervillains of Gen V season 2.