GEN V Season 2: Godolkin University’s Project Odessa, Explained

Welcome back to Godolkin University, where Homelander is basically superpowered Jesus and humans are treated like the plague! It is where you can thrive if you have powers. We discovered last season that God U isn’t a great place after all, but that was just scratching the surface of the dark history behind this institution. Gen V season two revolves around the origin story of God U and Project Odessa.

We first learn about this mystery project in episode one. A flashback takes us back to Vought in 1967, where we meet a young Thomas Godolkin, a doctor who founded God U two years prior. He runs to the Odessa Project room as a group of scientists prepare to inject themselves with what looks like a very early version of Compound V. He breaks into the room but it is too late. They all die in gruesome ways except Thomas, who passes out in the smoke and fire filled room. It is not totally clear if he died or not during that incident. 

In the present day, Jordan and Emma are back at God U after Cate pulls some strings and they read a very false statement that “proves their innocence.” Sadly, Andre died at the holding facility, while Marie made an escape and is on the run. Vought sends a supe to track her down who nearly captures her but Starlight/Annie appears and saves the day. She encourages Marie to return to God U so Vought will stop hunting her down.

Annie also tells Marie that Thomas Godolkin spearheaded a program called Project Odessa, which is why he started God U in the first place. She says that they could be starting this research up again, so Marie should help her find out what’s going on so they can stop it. Annie is not clear about who else she’s working with at the time and, as we know, all of the other Boys are locked up except Butcher, who has gone totally rogue. 

Marie does eventually take the deal to go back, especially after she believes that Cate is dead. Cate reads her mind and knows that she talked to Starlight and questions what project Odessa is. But, Marie has more immediate problems than running around solving this mystery. However, Emma is totally up for the task and eventually convinces Andre’s father Polarity to use his persuasive skills to help her. They begin to dig into archives and discover a hidden room full of very Nazi and white supremacist things and Vought “memorabilia” from the not-so-distant past. Emma finds a file with a bunch of birth certificates of babies who died. The final certificate includes a photo of Marie Moreau, which means that she is the Odessa of the project. 

Marie is confused about how she could be the “chosen one” of this project considering her powers didn’t activate until she was 13. Understandably, she’s resistant to see herself as some Vought-Godolkin produced weapon, even if it makes sense considering how Cipher is taking a very deep interest in her. Marie reaches out to her mom’s best friend Pam, who appeared in her birth photo. They are understandably estranged after Marie accidentally killed her parents, but she agreed to talk to Marie.