By BJ Colangelo

Copyright slashfilm

Cipher feels incredibly lived in as a villain, so I asked Hamish Linklater outright who he was channeling, complimenting how evil he is. “Because that’s what they paid me to do! [laughs],” he told me. “In terms of channeling, I don’t know. I was thinking about the Rat Pack a little bit and Dean Martin, but then I’d just be like … turn on the news. Try to act like those guys.”

The world of “The Boys” has never been subtle about its critique of the alt-right movement (despite the fact that conservatives needed four seasons of being hit over the head with a “HOMELANDER IS NOT THE HERO”-shaped cast-iron skillet to realize they were being dunked on), so it’s not surprising to know that real-life political pundits were woven into Linklater’s portrayal of Cipher. It is, however, fascinating to learn that Dean Martin and the other members of the Rat Pack were inspirations.

The main members of the Rat Pack are commonly accepted as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop, who were as well known for their music and movies as they were for their heavy drinking and womanizing. On the surface, it seems strange that Linklater would want to evoke the spirit of the guys who gave us the original “Ocean’s 11,” but that’s exactly why it’s such a perfect callback. The Rat Pack were well-dressed, talented, charismatic, and universally adored, but were mired in controversy at multiple points in their lives. They’re an old-school kind of “cool” with a legacy style that has overshadowed their shortcomings. For a villain like Cipher, the casual confidence of the Rat Pack and the vile contempt of a conservative extremist on the 2025 news make for a perfect combination and the key to why season 2 of “Gen V” works so well.

“Gen V” season 2 is available on Prime Video.