In case you didn’t watch the latest episode of Gen V, titled “Sick,” and spoilers past this point: RIP, Dr. Cardosa (Marco Pigossi). He was essentially executed by Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit), who popped his head in a parking garage. But even though Cardosa is dead, his legacy is probably going to loom large over The Boys Season 4.
Mind you, we’re getting into spoiler and speculation territory here, but before we do, a little bit of a recap. In Gen V, Dr. Edison Cardosa was a researcher working in The Woods, a facility underneath Godolkin University. He created a virus that targeted Supes, and with some encouragement from Dean Indira Shetty (Shelley Conn), amped up that virus considerably. Not only did it now kill anyone with Compound V in their blood, but when we last saw it in action, it was transferred by bodily fluid. It also looked super gross.
Shetty tried to get Cardosa to make the virus airborne so she could kill every Supe in the entire world because Homelander (Antony Starr) killed her husband and daughter when the latter downed Transoceanic Flight 37 in The Boys season 1. We don’t know if Cardosa was successful in doing that — he did spend a good chunk of the episode getting drunk and pissing in Shetty’s whiskey instead. But we do know that he gave what he called the only sample of the virus to Neuman. He also told her he was the only person who knew how to create it. Then she blew up his head and drove away with a canister of the virus in her passenger seat. Hopefully, she put a seatbelt on it, because that really isn’t the sort of thing you want rolling around on your car floor.
Is Victoria Neuman Evil? What Does She Want With Cardosa’s Virus?
Okay, so that’s where we left off, but the question is: what does Neuman want with the virus? She’s a secret Supe herself, running for Vice President of the United States on a ticket of Supe/human unity. However, she’s also now in possession of the equivalent of a Supe nuclear bomb. She could use that virus to take out anyone — or if it got into the wild, it could spread like [tries to think of another word] wildfire.
The thing is Neuman isn’t evil; not exactly. Nobody in the world of The Boys and Gen V is 100% evil. Reprehensible? Self-serving? An actual Nazi? Sure, all of those things. But the folks behind the scenes strive to inject some sort of motivation and humanity into all their characters. That includes Neuman, who is calculated, precise, and conniving, but also tries to do whatever she can to protect her daughter.
While it’s not clear what she’ll do with the virus, it puts her in a position of power, knowing she could pull that out at any moment. It also gives her an advantage over Homelander, who is otherwise invulnerable. What can he do against a virus? Probably not much.
How Cardosa’s Virus Will Play Into The Boys Season 4
That’s where The Boys Season 4 comes in. Assuming that Neuman doesn’t come back in the Gen V season finale and say, “Actually never mind, I destroyed the virus,” it’s pretty clear this thread will be picked up in the next season of The Boys. And while Gen V played with the idea of the virus in Season 1, there are a lot of places you can go with a deadly superhero virus transferred by bodily fluids on a show like The Boys. Superhero STD, anyone? Or perhaps worse: Supe COVID.
In fact, The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke said as much to EW. “When they were breaking the virus storyline, they just had to be in regular communication with me in my room to understand, ‘Is that a thing out in the world that’ll be helpful to us or is it going to f— us?'” Kripke said.
So yeah. Cardosa may be dead, but he’s about to leave a serious legacy in the world of The Boys.
What To Know About Marco Pigossi, Who Plays Dr. Cardosa On Gen V
In case you’re missing your Cardosa fix and want more from actor Marco Pigossi, here’s what you need to know. The Brazillian actor is 34 years old and lives in São Paulo. He’s probably best known for playing Dylan on the Australian drama Tidelands, and Eric in Brazil’s own Invisible City. Both series are on Netflix, so you can check ’em out right now if you’re in the United States.
Speaking of which, despite a career that started on stage at age 13, Gen V is Pigossi’s first American work. Perhaps of note, like his character on the show, Pigossi is openly gay: in 2021, he made his relationship with Italian director Marco Calvani public, proving that you can both be named Marco and still fall in love.
On social media, you can follow Pigossi on Instagram, where he has a hefty 3.7 million followers. He posts regularly there, and has openly supported the SAG-AFTRA strike, so yay for him!
