Chapter Summaries

Steve agreed to lead the proposed Avengers team after Nick Fury told him that bringing its mismatched members together was his mission. Chang Wei traveled to a newly detected world, discovered it was The Boys universe, and surveyed Vought’s influence over its superpowered celebrities and society.

• Steve questioned whether Chang Wei, Tony Stark, and Bruce Banner could function as a team, and Nick Fury said Steve had to unite them.
• Steve accepted the responsibility of leading the Avengers despite feeling out of place in the modern era.
• Chang Wei, bored while waiting for the Avengers to appear, used the system to travel to a newly detected world.
• Chang Wei arrived on a street, saw Vought Company and Homelander advertised on a billboard, and realized he was in The Boys world.
• Chang Wei learned how Vought used Compound Five and celebrity culture to shape society while keeping its superpowered individuals within the existing system of capital and government.

Chang Wei decided to challenge Vought Company by recruiting overlooked Superheroes into the Black Ops Division, despite the risk of provoking Vought. He set an official recruitment campaign in motion, and military personnel began approaching abandoned Superheroes across the city.

• Chang Wei considered Vought's control of Superheroes and concluded that its system needed to be corrected.
• Chang Wei reflected on how Vought sorted Superheroes by their powers and personalities, leaving many of them unable to support themselves.
• Chang Wei established the Black Ops Division as a powerful, secretive agency under the Department of Defense.
• Chang Wei ordered Department of Defense and military personnel to recruit Superheroes ignored or rejected by Vought.
• Recruiters began visiting bars and other gathering places to offer overlooked Superheroes a place in the Black Ops Division.

Madelyn warned Edgar Stan that the Department of Defense-backed Black Ops Division was recruiting Superheroes, raising concerns about an official challenge to Vought. Edgar decided to sound out government contacts while emphasizing Vought’s plan to integrate its Superheroes into the military.

• Madelyn brought Edgar Stan a confidential file about the Black Ops Division and explained that it reported to the Department of Defense and had strong military backing.
• Edgar recognized the operation’s political significance and decided to quietly question government officials he knew.
• Edgar asked Madelyn for an update on Vought’s effort to incorporate Superheroes into the military system.
• Madelyn reported that Vought had built an initial ability assessment system and planned to propose military integration to Congress by the following year.
• Edgar insisted that military integration take priority, arguing that rising defense spending offered Vought a major opportunity for profit and influence.

Madelyn agreed that Vought must put its interests ahead of even powerful Superheroes, and Edgar met with Department of Defense officials to learn about the newly established Black Ops Division. The chapter ended as a blond official, after resisting Edgar’s bribe, began to reveal who was behind the division.

• Madelyn told Edgar that Vought should sacrifice Superheroes if they threatened the company’s interests.
• Edgar hosted military and Department of Defense officials at a private club and asked about the Black Ops Division.
• A blond official explained that the division had been established to oversee Superheroes and that powerful people had forced the Department of Defense to accept it.
• The official cited the deaths and economic losses caused by Superhero missions as reasons the division could not be stopped.
• Edgar placed a bank card on the table and offered it as a sign of Vought’s generosity toward its friends.
• The blond official refused to look at the card, then began to tell Edgar something important about the people behind the division.

Edgar learned that the Black Ops Division was backed by competing capital interests, while Chang Wei prepared to challenge Vought with Compound A and a Captain America figure leading The Boys. The Boys exposed and captured Vought’s second-tier Supers, leaving the company in crisis as Homelander secretly watched Madelyn.

• Edgar understood that the authorities would profit whichever way the struggle between Vought and the Black Ops Division ended, then left Mr. Ryan without taking the bank card.
• Chang Wei planned to use Compound A and a brainwashed Captain America incarnation to build momentum against Vought.
• Captain America led The Boys in targeting Vought’s second-tier Superheroes and exposing their scandals to the public.
• The Boys’ campaign damaged Vought’s public image and threatened its business model, prompting its executives to convene an urgent meeting.
• Madelyn wondered whether Vought’s plans to enter the Military-Industrial Complex had been leaked, unaware that Homelander was observing her.

Homelander, threatened by Vought’s troubles and Captain America’s rising fame, attacked the Black Ops Division headquarters to rescue imprisoned Supes and kill his rival. Captain America arrived in time to stop him, while The Boys moved to recapture the escaped prisoners.

• Homelander grew jealous of Captain America’s sudden rise and suspected the Black Ops Division had sent him to challenge Vought.
• Homelander went alone to the Black Ops Division headquarters, broke through a wall, and used Vought’s tracking chips to find imprisoned Supes.
• Homelander demanded to know where Captain America was and prepared to fire his Laser Eyes at the people around him.
• Captain America struck Homelander with his shield, knocking him through a wall, then ordered the others to take the prisoners back.
• The Boys and support personnel began arresting the Supervillains Homelander had inadvertently freed.

Captain America overwhelmed Homelander in a fight and announced that he would arrest him for breaking into the Black Ops Division and kidnapping criminal Superheroes. Homelander escaped into the sky after freeing Captain America's shield, but Captain America caught his cape and nearly pulled him back down.

• Homelander attacked Captain America, who deflected his blows and struck him repeatedly, leaving him battered in the ruins.
• Captain America told Homelander he would arrest him and hand him over to the White Emperor for trial.
• Homelander knocked Captain America's arm away, seized his shield, and hurled it into the distance.
• Homelander flew away, but Captain America leaped up and grabbed his cape, nearly dragging him back to the ground.

After Captain America defeated him, Homelander fled to a rooftop and broke down in tears, terrified that he had lost his place with Madelyn and Vought Company. He confessed what he had done to Madelyn, who promised to cover up his actions and urged him to be more cautious.

• Homelander escaped after Captain America defeated him, then hid on a rooftop and cried over his defeat and fears.
• Homelander returned to Vought Company and told Madelyn that he had tried to break someone out of prison and attacked Captain America.
• Madelyn panicked because Homelander's actions threatened Vought Company's plans concerning Superheroes entering the military.
• Madelyn told Homelander she would erase evidence and claim he had spent the evening with enthusiastic fans.
• Homelander worried that the Black Ops Division had footage and witnesses, while Madelyn promised to find a solution and warned him against acting impulsively.

Homelander accepted Madelyn’s explanation that a superpowered impostor had been defeated by Captain America, but he secretly investigated Captain America’s origins. He went to Dr. Vogelbaum’s retirement home to seek answers, where Vogelbaum said he still missed working in the laboratory.

• Madelyn convinced Homelander that an impostor had taken his place and assured him Vought could protect his reputation.
• After Homelander left, Madelyn planned to meet Mr. Edgar to contain the fallout from his actions.
• Homelander searched Vought’s internal files for Captain America’s weaknesses and suspected Compound Five was connected to his strength.
• Homelander decided Dr. Jonah Vogelbaum might know Captain America’s origins and flew to the scientist’s retirement home.
• Homelander greeted Vogelbaum, who said he missed exploring science and witnessing miracles in the laboratory.

Homelander questioned Dr. Vogelbaum about Captain America, while Vought investigated the Superhero and traced his powers to the secretive Supernova Company and its Compound A. Edgar ordered Madelyn to obtain Compound A for research, suspecting it might be linked to Vought’s concealed Compound Five.

• Homelander asked Dr. Vogelbaum about Captain America, but Vogelbaum had no record of a Superhero with those abilities.
• Homelander remained haunted by Captain America’s defeat and sought clues that could help him improve and find his rival.
• Edgar and Vought’s investigators discovered that Captain America was created through human enhancement by Supernova Company, not Vought.
• Edgar told Madelyn that Supernova supplied Compound A to the military and had created Superheroes for the Black Ops Division and The Boys.
• Edgar ordered Madelyn to obtain Compound A for research because he suspected it might be connected to Vought’s Compound Five.

Vought Company’s leaders discussed the growing influence of Black Ops Division and The Boys, Lamplighter’s retirement, and ways to protect the company’s reputation. The chapter ended with Edgar learning that Vought’s agents could not get close to Compound A, which had come from the White Emperor.

• News reports announced The Boys’ membership had surpassed 100, Black Ops Division had reduced superhero collateral damage, and Captain America demanded regulation of superheroes.
• Homelander called for Black Ops Division’s power to be limited, while Madelyn warned that The Boys and former Vought rejects were beyond the company’s influence.
• Madelyn said Vought would prioritize Lamplighter’s retirement ceremony and choose new members for The Seven, and Lamplighter explained that he wanted time to rest and be with his family.
• Ashley presented marketing proposals, including cooperation with Supernova Company and a Hero Reshaping Plan to improve superheroes’ public image.
• Edgar told Madelyn that Black Ops Division had evidence Lamplighter killed civilians and that he had bribed an official to prevent trouble, then urged her to complete the retirement quickly.
• Madelyn told Edgar that Vought’s contacts in Supernova Company could not reach Compound A and only knew it had come from the White Emperor.

Edgar and Madelyn discussed Vought Company's desperate effort to obtain Compound A, whose results appeared far superior to Compound Five. After overhearing them, Homelander became obsessed with the possibility that Compound A could make him even stronger.

• Edgar insisted that Vought had to find a way to get Compound A.
• Madelyn warned that obtaining the compound would be extremely difficult if White Emperor had created and supervised it.
• Edgar weighed Compound A's potential against the limits of Compound Five and wondered what preparations Supernova Company might have made.
• Homelander overheard the conversation and recognized how much more powerful Compound A's results seemed than Compound Five's.
• Homelander began wanting an injection of Compound A, dismissing concerns that it might harm his Compound Five-modified body.

Homelander sought Chang Wei, the White Emperor, hoping to learn where Compound A was and gain access to it. He found Chang Wei alone at his residence and demanded the compound’s location.

• Homelander used his authority within Vought Company to track down Chang Wei, the founder of Supernova Company and White Emperor.
• Vought Company’s Board of Directors feared Supernova Company would seize the Super Soldier market with Compound A and pursued military cooperation.
• Homelander flew to Chang Wei’s secret residence in the dead of night, wary that Captain America might be there.
• Chang Wei appeared at the doorway, and Homelander bluntly asked where Compound A was.

Homelander confronted Chang Wei to bargain for Compound A, but Chang Wei rejected his offer and mocked his defeat by Captain America. When Homelander tried to grab him, Chang Wei restrained him and burned his face with Golden Ray.

• Homelander offered to become Chang Wei’s ally in exchange for Compound A’s location, but Chang Wei refused.
• Chang Wei taunted Homelander about Captain America defeating him, making Homelander furious.
• Homelander rushed to seize Chang Wei, but Chang Wei caught his wrist and held him in place.
• Chang Wei fired Golden Ray from his eyes, scorching Homelander’s face.

Chang Wei overwhelmed Homelander in Manhattan, beating him into the ground and preventing his escape. Homelander remained helpless after Chang Wei knocked him out of the sky.

• Chang Wei struck Homelander with a powerful beam and kicked him through a wall.
• Chang Wei stomped Homelander into a crater, then dragged him out and smashed him against the ground, shaking nearby buildings.
• Experts at the America Earthquake Bureau detected unusual ground vibrations in Manhattan and found they were caused by a powerful force rather than an earthquake.
• Homelander asked Chang Wei who he was, and Chang Wei said Homelander had chosen the wrong opponent and crossed a line.
• Homelander tried to escape by flying, but Chang Wei caught up and punched him out of the sky, sending him crashing into the road.

Chang Wei captured Homelander and the Black Ops Division announced multiple charges against him, prompting public debate and panic at Vought Company. Edgar suspected Chang Wei was using the case to damage Vought and strengthen Supernova Company.

• Chang Wei ordered his subordinates to take the defeated Homelander to Black Watch prison.
• The Black Ops Division announced charges against Homelander, including assault, intentional injury, and intentional homicide.
• The press conference sparked intense public debate, with some questioning the evidence and others examining Homelander’s past.
• Edgar smashed a teacup and feared Homelander’s arrest would devastate Vought Company.
• Edgar suspected Chang Wei was exploiting the case to suppress Vought Company and benefit Supernova Company.

Edgar weighed Vought’s options for dealing with Homelander’s crisis and chose a covert plan using Doppelganger to impersonate him. Chang Wei then taunted the imprisoned Homelander with news of a replacement, while Homelander remained trapped in Blackwatch Prison.

• Edgar considered Vought’s nuclear bomb and Homelander-cloning program as possible safeguards against Homelander.
• Edgar rejected publicly unveiling a clone and decided Doppelganger should impersonate Homelander to pursue legal action against Black Ops Division members who had defamed him.
• Chang Wei visited the imprisoned Homelander and told him Vought had found a replacement who was taking his place in the spotlight.
• Homelander concealed his panic but realized he could not escape the chains or the indestructible walls of Blackwatch Prison.

Homelander watched Vought’s impostor publicly denounce the Black Ops Division, then accepted Chang Wei’s offer of release and rushed back to Vought. Chang Wei’s staged homecoming drew public scrutiny and left Homelander and Vought suspicious of each other.

• Homelander saw his impostor claim that the captured man was a fake and accuse the Black Ops Division of hiding the truth.
• Chang Wei told Homelander he could leave, explaining that Vought had found a way to avoid risk and that the Black Ops Division would not fight the company in court.
• Homelander flew from the Black Ops Division to Vought’s gates as reporters filmed his return, prompting public debate over whether he was the real Homelander.
• Homelander arrived at Vought intent on confronting his Doppelganger and reunited with Madelyn, who was shocked to see him.
• Chang Wei’s staged release fueled suspicion between Homelander and Vought, leaving both sides uncertain whether the other would betray them.

Madelyn tried to manage the public fallout after Homelander returned from the Black Ops Division, but online doubts about whether he or Doppelganger was the real Homelander left Vought facing a crisis. Homelander wanted to expose Doppelganger as the impostor, while Madelyn rejected the plan and said they needed a careful response.

• Madelyn reassured Homelander and played him edited footage of his escape and return, which sparked public doubts online.
• Madelyn explained that Vought had used Doppelganger to impersonate Homelander while he was imprisoned by the Black Ops Division.
• Madelyn warned that the Black Ops Division might be pursuing a broader plan and urged caution in responding to the public crisis.
• Homelander suggested publicly identifying Doppelganger as the impostor, but Madelyn refused, fearing damage to Vought's reputation and a show of weakness.

Vought Company struggled to respond to the public storm over two Homelanders, while Homelander feared exposure and capture. Chang Wei agreed to let Homelander go in exchange for Compound Five, leaving Vought relieved and Homelander spared for now.

• Vought Company rejected handing over Doppelganger or Homelander because either choice risked exposing the deception or losing control of Homelander.
• Chang Wei demanded that both Homelanders prove their identities, and Vought Company's Board of Directors decided to sacrifice Homelander if negotiations failed.
• Homelander realized Doppelganger could not fly and feared confronting the Black Ops Division because Captain America and the White Emperor could defeat him.
• Chang Wei decided he wanted to watch Homelander make a fool of himself and take Soldier Boy to the Marvel World to fight Captain America.
• Chang Wei let Homelander off the hook in exchange for Compound Five, and Vought Company breathed a sigh of relief.