The magic pills completely ruined this movie for me..

Yes. They could have served a purpose to a new plot but cross screaming for Chems every 3 seconds just made him look like a junkie.

I know what you mean it's a "retcon". But I thought the idea with genetic manipulation through a retro virus actually made the universe more believable.

Maybe the drugs were that was the point. They wanted to make this one about a new agent that couldn't overshadow Jason Bournes Natural Skill level. This guy stands out because he questions what these people make him do. Just like Jason Bourne did once he got hit in the head hard enough (or shot in the back really.) Just my perspective anyway.

The drugs were their insurance policy if the subjects went rogue. I found it entirely plausible.

TV: http://ihatemydvr.blogspot.com
LOST:http://eyemsick.blogspot.com

@bringerofdoom-116-249047 Absolutely. They were the midichlorians of the Bourne franchise.

So OP can accept that in the first film of the series, the protagonist survived being shot in the back twice into the ocean face first and survived via "training", but can't buy actual science? Yeah, next time do some research and when you have a thought, don't bother to post about it.

One gay beer for my friend here, because he's gay, and one normal beer for me, since I'm normal.

[deleted]

Bourne was not medically enhanced. I think you missed out on a huge part of the plot.

There are 3 programs discussed in the film, with others hinted at but not named.

Treadstone ~ This is the original super spy training program. This is what Bourne went through, psychological and physical training that breaks them down and builds them back up in ways that go beyond standard military training

Outcome ~ This is the super spy training + genetic modification. She explains that they are able to change genetics by up to 1.5% by using a virus to deliver genetic information into the subject. This is what Aaron is a part of in the Bourne Legacy

They both use the same training facility (as seen in the cabin carving). It's explained right near the beginning of the film that these were supposed to be run by different departments but that with the hearings on Treadstone going public it was going to be discovered that both programs shared data with each other. This is all covered in the scene where those films are being shown at the start and they talk about why the programs need to be hidden.

It's the entire catalyst for shutting down Outcome, to hide it because Treadstone is going public and the hearings might find out Outcome exists when it shouldn't.

In the same conversation he mentions they can keep the science they discovered and use it in new programs later. He then gives the order to kill all outcome agents.

Later in the movie they activate LARX.

Up until that point in the movie LARX was supposedly a proposal. Turns out they had it active as a prototype in secret and even fewer people knew about it.

LARX is explained as beta-2 stem program; amped mission fidelity, minimized empathy. Treatstone without the inconsistancy, Outcome without the emotional noise.

Basically when Larx-3 goes active (the guy from Bangkok) they are admitting that another secret program exists and they are calling in a prototype to wipe out the last of Outcome (outcome-5).

So you see? Treadstone wasn't genetic modification but the results were inconsistent. Only Jason Bourne remains alive from that program and we all know how that turns out from the first 3 films.

Outcome is a genetic modification program built on top of Treadstones methods, but the results created emotional inconsistency. This is also hinted at by their conversation at the beginning in the cabin about falling in love. Something they are obviously discouraged from. The drug dependence was not only the delivery system but made them easy to wipe out if the program needed to be shut down. Only outcome-5 remains alive (which is the entire point of Bourne Legacy was to watch him escape and get off the drugs)

Which leaves us with LARX which wasn't even supposed to exist. Larx-3 is the guy from Bangkok sent after outcome-5. While he wasn't particularly successful it leaves the question of how many more LARX are there? How many other spin off programs exist based on the earlier Treadstone and Outcome projects?

That's the legacy. Treadstone was just the beginning.

I think a huge number of people missed these messages and did not truly understand the film or it's plot at all.