Nobody, including Mark, know how strong he is at this point. He knows that being a Viltrumite means that he can likely kill anything or anyone he hits if he isn’t actively holding back. The only 2 times he fights someone stronger is BattleBeast, who completely catches Mark off guard. And then his Father, who no matter what is going on, Mark isn’t going to try to kill him.

So he starts off the fight still holding back. Until Nolan tells him that if he doesn’t stop holding back, and try to kill her. She will kill both of them, Oliver, and every single Thraxens on the planet. So Mark is finally pushing himself for the first time in his entire life. And Thula thinks that Mark is weak. Why else would he side with Earth, and now Thraxa, over his own Viltrumite people, unless he wasn’t weak.

Mark right now is your idyllic superhero. He does not want to hurt anyone, including the bad guys. And with Viltrumites being as strong as they are, that means Mark is holding back all of the time.

How many people get stronger by holding back and never pushing themselves. None. That’s kid of where Mark is at right now.

I think we may see his first real step this season.

He just doesn’t want to be the bad guy and dump Amber. He just wants things to run their own course. Date Eve, and have a bunch of sympathy.