We’ve seen a lot of familiar faces in Gen V’s second season so far, from heroes like Erin Moriarty’s Starlight to villains like Valorie Curry’s Firecracker and Susan Heyward’s Sister Sage. But Season 2 clearly saved one of its biggest cameos for Episode 6, as Giancarlo Esposito’s Stan Edgar returns to the fold. Even calling it a cameo is misleading, as the former Vought International CEO plays a substantial role in “Cooking Lessons.”
Why is Stan Edgar’s return such a big deal? What does this cameo tell us about the brewing conflict in The Boys Season 5? Let’s break it all down.
Giancarlo Esposito’s Stan Edgar in Gen V
Esposito made his debut as Vought CEO Stan Edgar back in The Boys Season 1 before going on to play a key role in Season 2. This icy cool character is one of the very few people in the Boys universe capable of keeping Homelander under control (to a point, anyway), and he’ll always do what’s best for the company’s bottom line.
Edgar’s fortunes have definitely fallen in recent seasons, however. In Season 3, he was betrayed by Homelander and Edgar’s adopted daughter, Victoria Neuman, and jettisoned by Vought. Edgar wound up in federal custody, though he was given amnesty in Season 4 in exchange for helping Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher and his team track down a sample of the supe virus. Though Edgar is taken back into custody at the end of that botched mission, Victoria helps him escape. Since then, his fate has been unclear.
But thanks to Gen V Season 2, we know what’s become of Edgar in the months since. He’s hiding out in a secret, very luxurious bunker. He’s also taken the recently orphaned Zoe Neuman (Olivia Morandin) under his wing, which has the added benefit of providing Edgar with some powerful superhuman muscle. She certainly made quick work of Tait Fletcher’s Vikor this week. Edgar is going to need that muscle if he has a hope of taking on Homelander and regaining his position at Vought.
As we learn in Episode 6, that’s basically why he’s reaching out to Jaz Sinclair’s Marie Moreau. He offers her a safe haven in reward for her “loyal service” as he sets about reclaiming his throne. But Marie and her friends introduce a new wrinkle Edgar didn’t anticipate. Edgar is keenly interested in the research of Thomas Godolkin, seeing it as the best way to control supes in general and Homelander in particular. The realization that Hamish Linklater’s Cipher may well be harboring the still-living Godolkin changes Edgar’s plans. Now he wants to pick the brain of Vought’s most brilliant researcher by any means necessary.
What’s to Come in The Boys Season 5
Fans will have to wait and see what, if any, role Stan Edgar has to play in the final two episodes of Gen V Season 2. Episode 6 ends with Marie and Maddie Phillips’ Cate leaving the safety of Edgar’s underground bunker and venturing back out into the Vought-controlled outside world. Marie seems ready to confront Cipher, while Cate both wants to help and hopes that Marie can cure her as decisively as she resurrected her sister.
This may mark the end of Edgar’s role in Season 2, as the focus shifts back to the core Marie/Cipher conflict and the mystery of just who that enigmatic burned man is. Is he truly Godolkin, or is there another twist to come? But regardless, “Cooking Lessons” seems to be positioning the character for his next appearance in The Boys Season 5, with Esposito himself confirming he’ll be returning in the final season.
Thanks to Gen V, we have a pretty good idea of how Edgar fits into the final season of The Boys. He wants his old position back. Edgar may have all the money and resources he needs to live out the rest of his life in comfortable seclusion, but that’s not enough. He wants the power and authority that comes with running the most omnipresent corporation in the world.
The trick is that Edgar has to go through Homelander to get what he wants. Homelander already betrayed Edgar once before, and Edgar isn’t going to get his job back without either killing Homelander or finding some way to gain ironclad power over Vought’s most powerful creation. Having Zoe by his side gives Edgar some much-needed muscle, but judging from how her powers have been depicted so far, she alone isn’t enough to take on Homelander.
That means we’ll probably see Edgar continue to form alliances with other powerful Supes as he prepares to make his big power play. It remains to be seen if Marie has any intention of fighting for him (probably not), but the fugitive Starlight may find value in at least temporarily throwing her lot in with Edgar. The enemy of her enemy and all that. With much of the team captured in the wake of The Boys Season 4’s finale, Starlight can’t exactly be choosy about her partners.
The resolution to the Thomas Godolkin mystery may also play into Edgar’s actions in The Boys Season 5. Is the burned man actually Godolkin? Does his mind hold the secret to controlling supes like Homelander? Will Edgar gain access to that information? How Gen V Season 2 wraps up this mystery could wind up impacting The Boys Season 5 in a major way.
Let’s also not forget that Edgar has more than just Homelander to worry about. As we learned in Episode 5, Cipher is currently in league with Sage, who has replaced Colby Minifie’s Ashley Barrett as the head of Vought. Edgar is nothing if not a cautious and methodical man. He considers all the angles before he acts. But that hasn’t stopped him from being outsmarted in the past. And considering that Sage may well be the smartest person on the planet, Edgar is going to need to play it very safe if he has a hope of surviving long enough to reclaim his throne.
How do you think Giancarlo Esposito’s Stan Edgar will fit into The Boys Season 5? Is he going to be a necessary ally to Starlight, or is he simply one more villain to conquer before Vought can finally be brought down? Let us know your theories in the comments below.
For more on Gen V Season 2, find out why Sister Sage's cameo is such a big deal and learn everything we know about Cipher's powers.
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