Who is Max's daughter in The Recruit Season 2? Character explored in depth

Max’s daughter has proven to be a major antagonist in The Recruit. Initially introduced as Marta, she is later revealed to be named Nichka or Karolina. As the newly recruited CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks continues his missions, Nichka plays a big role in shaping his journey in both seasons of the Netflix series.

Played by Maddie Hasson, Nichka is a Russian spy who shares a complicated relationship with her mother, Max, a former CIA asset. At the end of the first season, she shockingly shoots and kills her mother.

Nichka’s threat continues in the second season as Owen heads to South Korea for an international spy mission. She makes some surprising moves again, betraying the people she is supposed to help in The Recruit Season 2.

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The Recruit: Max's daughter Nichka is a Russian spy

In The Recruit, Max’s daughter turns out to be a Russian spy. Max had a baby named Karolina when she was only sixteen. Due to her connection to the mafia, her daughter became a ruthless and clever spy, later known as Nichka. Meanwhile, Max thinks her daughter has died.

When Max finally comes across Karolina in the first season, she still possesses some motherly feelings for her. However, Karolina resents her mother and shoots her in the season finale, while Owen watches in shock.

In The Recruit season 2, Karolina fully embraces her identity as Nichka. She has climbed the ranks in Russian intelligence and leads her own team. She pretends to help the CIA, but in reality, she is only loyal to herself.

While her motives are not clear, she plays the CIA, the Russian mafia, and the FSB against each other for her benefit. At first, Owen trusts her to help rescue Nan Hee, a Korean aid worker kidnapped from the Yakuza.

Nichka pretends to support Owen's mission by giving him valuable information and telling him Nan Hee is being held in a highly secured Russian complex. She also arranges a deal for Nan Hee’s release. However, her true colors come out eventually.

In the season 2 finale, she betrays Owen and his team during a mission to rescue Nan Hee. When Owen and Jang Kyun try to get Nan Hee back, a Russian patrol boat appears, forcing them to call off the mission.

Owen is left stranded, while Jang Kyun and Nan Hee are captured. Instead of helping Owen, Nichka backstabs him. She tries to turn him over to the FSB to stay in the good books of Russian intelligence.

Nichka makes sure Nan Hee and Jang Kyun end up with the FSB, which would increase her rewards and strengthen her position in her agency. The CIA hopes to turn her into an informant like Max once was, but she remains unpredictable.

Meanwhile, Owen ends up trusting her despite knowing the risk. The mistake costs him in the season finale as Nichka plans to trade him and Jang Kyun for a payout from the FSB.

However, Owen outsmarts her in the end and locks her in the trunk of a car before continuing his mission. Things get even more intense when CIA agent Dawn ends up in a brutal knife fight with Nichka. The Russian spy stabs and kills the CIA agent during the fight, once again proving herself to be a dangerous individual.

Nichka’s plan ultimately goes awry, and she gets caught by the FSB. Her fate is left uncertain at the end of The Recruit season 2. However, considering how sharp and cunning she is, she may find a way out soon.

The Recruit season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.