Ethan Slater recently discussed his portrayal of Thomas Godolkin in Gen V Season 2. He also talked about the shocking reveal of the show’s main villain.
In Episode 7, “Hell Week,” the show reveals that Godolkin controls Dean Cipher, played by Hamish Linklater, using him as a human vessel. Godolkin moves through the world in Cipher’s body while his own remains burned beyond recognition. Slater confirmed that his character masterminds the season’s events, manipulating others while concealing his identity behind Cipher.
Ethan Slater talks Gen V Season 2’s big villain reveal
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Slater said, “I had been given vague clues… ‘You’re really prominent towards the last two episodes’…and ‘You’re kind of the big bad.’ But they didn’t quite tell me about the twist with Hamish.” He added that showrunner Michele Fazekas later explained the full reveal during a phone call. After that conversation, he received the scripts for episodes 7 and 8 to understand the complete twist.
Slater initially appeared in a flashback scene during the season premiere, which showed Godolkin’s involvement in the creation of Compound V before his accident. To prepare for his role, Slater studied Linklater’s performance as Cipher, saying, “I had to then incorporate some of his speaking patterns and his language into my Thomas Godolkin to make sure that it felt like one and the same.”
The actor described Godolkin as “smarter than anyone else in the room” and noted, “You can see his thought process, but only the second after he says the line.” Slater revealed that he and Linklater never met during filming but connected afterward.
He also recalled wrapping the Gen V finale at 3 a.m. on October 31, 2024. Just a few hours later, he boarded a flight to Seattle to begin the Wicked press tour, describing it as “one of the craziest transitions of my life.”
Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on SuperHeroHype.
