Recaps

After leaving Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Tinkerer was intercepted by FBI agents who wanted him to cooperate in an investigation involving Andrew Saxon. He agreed to go with them, uncertain whether he should have resisted.

• Tinkerer left Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and looked for a place where he could use Super Speed without being seen.
• Tinkerer entered a fire alley and noticed three agitated people waiting in a car.
• Senior Special Agent James and two armed agents blocked Tinkerer and asked him to cooperate with an investigation.
• Tinkerer asked whether the agents had a warrant, then learned they wanted to question him about Andrew Saxon, the head of a criminal organization.
• Tinkerer agreed to go with the agents, and Agent James invited him into the car to talk somewhere more suitable.

Tinkerer was taken into a remote forest by Agent James and two men posing as FBI agents, who demanded to know where he had hidden six hundred thousand Dao. James admitted he had abducted Tinkerer to steal the money and insisted no one knew where they were, leaving Tinkerer facing the three men alone.

• FBI agents searched Tinkerer’s briefcase, put it in the trunk, and drove him away from Los Angeles with Agent James at the wheel.
• Tinkerer used X-Ray Vision to discover that the two men flanking him had no FBI identification, while James carried apparently genuine credentials.
• James took Tinkerer deep into the forest, where one of his companions struck him with a pistol and demanded the six hundred thousand Dao.
• James explained that he blamed Tinkerer for his demotion and planned to steal the money, claiming he could make Tinkerer disappear without an investigation.
• James said his companions were former soldiers dishonorably discharged for abusing prisoners, then asserted that no one knew what had happened to Tinkerer or where they were.

Tinkerer revealed his superhuman abilities when Agent James and two men tried to kill him, then flew their car into space and hurled it toward the Sun. A military radar operator detected the rapid ascent, and the duty officer ordered the unexplained anomaly reported.

• Agent James told Tinkerer that he had concealed his involvement and that no one would retaliate on Tinker's behalf.
• Tinkerer endured another gun-butt strike, dodged a shot, and caught the bullet as it passed Agent James.
• Tinkerer used Super Speed to throw Agent James and the other two men into their car, then welded its doors shut with Heat Vision.
• Tinkerer carried the car beyond the atmosphere, where the three men died, and threw the vehicle toward the Sun.
• A military radar operator detected an unidentified object rising rapidly over California before it vanished from the display.
• The duty officer ordered the radar anomaly recorded and reported up the chain.

Henry relaxed at home with Kitty while keeping the Black Clinic quiet, until his landlord Gary asked him to show a visiting relative around Los Angeles. Henry recognized the name Barbara Morse and suspected she was connected to S.H.I.E.L.D.

• Henry lazed in the winter sun while Kitty basked on her cat tree and used the translator to warn him that someone was outside.
• Gary visited Henry and questioned him about keeping a tiger, but Henry insisted Kitty was merely a large cat with a hoarse meow.
• Gary asked Henry to show his ex-wife’s distant relative around Hollywood and offered to cover his gas and meals.
• Henry learned the visitor was Barbara Morse, a former gymnastics champion studying at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and realized her name sounded familiar.

Henry met Georgia Tech student Barbara Morse, who went by Bobbie, for breakfast in Los Angeles and questioned whether she truly wanted to pursue Hollywood. Their conversation ended with Bobbie agreeing with Henry’s assessment of Hedy Lamarr’s scientific reputation.

• Henry recognized Barbara Morse by her brown coat and introduced himself as the Los Angeles guide Gary had recommended.
• Henry and Barbara shared breakfast, and she explained that she was a third-year student at Georgia Institute of Technology.
• Henry praised Barbara’s intelligence and appearance while they joked about stereotypes of blonde women and how Georgia Tech students approached her.
• Henry questioned whether Barbara seriously intended to explore Hollywood, arguing that her scientific abilities offered a better path to success.
• Henry criticized claims about Hedy Lamarr’s scientific achievements, and Barbara agreed that Lamarr was overrated in science.

Henry took Barbara Morse on a tour of Hollywood after she asked to see the area, and they discussed her interest in acting and his past work as a background actor. They visited several famous sights around Los Angeles, including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills, and Griffith Observatory.

• Barbara asked Henry to take her around Hollywood, and he agreed to show her the sights.
• Barbara asked about Henry’s Hollywood acting experience, and he explained that he had only played background roles and had not sought fame.
• Henry and Barbara drove to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and visited the Chinese Theatre.
• Henry took Barbara to Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive to see the luxury shops and celebrity neighborhood.
• Henry and Barbara visited Griffith Observatory to view Los Angeles and the HOLLYWOOD sign.

Henry took Barbara to Griffith Observatory and then drove with her toward the Hollywood Sign, sharing its history and pointing out the view from Mount Lee. They reached a mountaintop parking lot, where the fenced-off sign remained visible from above.

• Barbara admired her view of the Hollywood Sign from the observatory but wanted to see it closer, so Henry drove her toward Mount Lee.
• Henry told Barbara that Howard Stark had owned much of Mount Lee and that Tony Stark had inherited it.
• Henry explained that the Hollywood Sign was closed to the public and recounted actress Peg Entwistle's 1932 suicide there.
• Henry and Barbara arrived at a mountaintop parking lot after finding the gate to the sign's fenced-off path closed.
• Henry pointed out that the Hollywood Sign's nine letters stood at the same elevation, though the slope made them appear uneven from below.

Henry and Barbara hiked down to the Hollywood Sign, where Barbara found its rusted, damaged close-up disappointing. After dinner, Henry declined her invitation to come upstairs because he needed to feed his cat, and they arranged to meet again the next day.

• Barbara asked Henry to find a way down to the Hollywood Sign, and they crawled through a hole in the fence and descended the trail.
• Barbara inspected the rusted sign and questioned Henry about whether it was better to keep a distance or accept flaws up close.
• Henry and Barbara returned to the parking lot, drank water, and went to dinner after their hike.
• Barbara invited Henry to her hotel for coffee, but Henry declined because he had to feed his cat.
• Barbara arranged to meet Henry again the next day and kissed him before leaving.

Barbara reported to Nick Fury on her date with Henry and proposed pursuing him romantically to earn his trust and recruit him as an ally. Nick ordered her to plant a listening device in Henry’s home before her vacation ended, though Barbara’s flirtation nearly got the mission canceled.

• Barbara told Nick Fury that Henry seemed intelligent but guarded and distrustful of the government, making recruitment difficult.
• Barbara proposed becoming Henry’s girlfriend so he would trust her and help her naturally.
• Nick warned Barbara that she might have to choose between Henry and S.H.I.E.L.D., but she insisted Henry could not be wrong.
• Barbara asked Nick to fund another date and suggested posing as a wealthy woman to keep Henry, prompting Nick to threaten to cancel the mission.
• Nick gave Barbara one last chance and ordered her to lure Henry to an illegal clinic, enter his home through her fake relationship with his landlord, and install a listening device.

Barbara toured Los Angeles with Henry while they avoided getting closer, and Nick Fury arranged a gang conflict to draw the Tinkerer out. Barbara went to Henry’s apartment with a gift just as the Tinkerer appeared at his clinic, leaving her unaware that Henry was involved in the operation.

• Barbara and Henry toured movie sets, where she attracted attention from talent scouts and crew members, while Henry used excuses about Kitty to leave her each evening.
• Barbara returned to Georgia on the last day of winter break, and Nick Fury arranged a gang clash near the Tinkerer's Black Clinic without causing deaths or harming bystanders.
• Rival gang members brought their seriously injured companions to the clinic, where the Tinkerer opened the door and said the dying patients would be treated first.
• Nick Fury contacted Barbara Morse after spotting the Tinkerer, and Barbara went to Henry’s apartment carrying a thank-you gift.
• Old Gary told Barbara that Henry had just gone out and offered to pass along the gift, then encouraged her to pursue him.

Barbara’s attempt to infiltrate Henry’s apartment and plant listening devices failed when she discovered that his “Tabby Cat,” Kitty, was a huge tiger. She left Henry’s gift with Old Gary and reported the failed mission to Nick Fury.

• Barbara persuaded Old Gary to take her to Henry’s apartment so she could leave a gift and secretly install listening devices.
• Old Gary cautiously opened Henry’s door, and Barbara saw Kitty pinning the core robot BB beneath its enormous paws.
• Kitty charged at the doorway, so Barbara slammed the door shut and fled downstairs with Old Gary.
• Barbara handed Henry’s gift to Old Gary to pass along and left for the airport.
• Barbara called Nick Fury and explained that she had abandoned the mission because Kitty was a five- or six-hundred-pound tiger.

Henry received a tabby cat plush from Barbara and joked with old Gary about her matchmaking, then accepted Katharine Hepburn’s invitation to a banquet. He agreed to attend that evening, leaving Gary urging him to get ready.

• Henry found no surveillance devices in the plush and decided Barbara might simply be a kind college student, then asked old Gary to thank her if she contacted him.
• Old Gary teased Henry about finding a girlfriend and complained that Henry had pets while he endured his ex-wife.
• Happy Hogan arrived in a Rolls-Royce and delivered Katharine Hepburn’s invitation to Henry.
• Henry recognized the invitation as a familiar kind of banquet invitation and agreed to attend on time.
• Old Gary urged Henry to go upstairs and prepare, but Henry said the banquet was not a red-carpet event.

Henry attended a Hollywood awards-season banquet for elderly filmmakers with Katharine Hepburn, where he met Anthony Quinn and Lauren Bacall. He helped Catherine and Lauren reminisce and joke about their old rivalry, leaving the gathering laughing.

• Henry arrived at a Los Angeles villa for a banquet celebrating elderly Hollywood filmmakers, using the invitation Catherine had given him.
• Catherine called Henry over and introduced him to Anthony Quinn as a young man from her nephew's generation.
• Lauren Bacall recognized Henry as Audrey Hepburn's former assistant from a New York charity gala.
• Catherine teased Lauren about being remembered, then pinched Henry when he tried to praise Lauren's old films.
• Henry silently mouthed the title of The Big Sleep and gave Lauren a thumbs-up, making her smile and the guests laugh.

Henry discussed the popularity of Love from a Different Culture with Lauren Bacall and explained why he opposed adapting its translated stories for film. The adaptation idea was dropped, though Bacall revealed that she and Katharine Hepburn had hoped to play White Snake and Green Snake.

• Lauren Bacall recognized Henry as the translator of Love from a Different Culture, and Katharine Hepburn told him the book was popular with a devoted readership.
• Lauren Bacall asked Henry to adapt one of the stories for film, but Henry refused, citing Hollywood's creative interference and the difficulties of faithfully depicting another culture.
• Henry argued that limited sales and the expense of authentic costumes and sets would make a film adaptation financially risky, and Lauren Bacall abandoned the idea.
• Lauren Bacall regretted that the project would not let her and Katharine Hepburn play White Snake and Green Snake.

Henry left the crowded awards banquet with Catherine, helping her rest and bringing her food while they talked. Their meal was interrupted when Happy Hogan arrived with Tony Stark, CEO of Stark Group.

• Catherine asked Henry to take her to the lounge because her legs were aching and weak.
• Henry left the banquet crowd with Catherine and brought her two plates of carefully chosen food.
• Catherine sensed Henry’s hidden brokenness and felt moved to look after him.
• Catherine ate the caviar-topped cracker Henry had brought, then trusted his food choices and sampled more.
• Happy Hogan knocked on the lounge door and entered with Tony Stark, CEO of Stark Group.

Tony Stark met Henry at Katharine Hepburn’s party and asked him to become CEO of Stark Studios. Henry questioned whether Obadiah Stane had already sold or closed the studio, leaving Tony’s offer unanswered.

• Tony arrived late and found Henry unsurprised to see him at Katharine Hepburn’s party.
• Tony reacted tensely when Henry joked that the food might be poisoned, then admitted he had recently become seriously ill after eating questionable food.
• Henry teased Tony about his resilience, and Tony asked him to become CEO of Stark Studios, offering to negotiate an annual salary.
• Henry questioned whether Obadiah Stane had sold or shut down Stark Studios, which still operated mainly as a film equipment and prop rental business.

Stark Industries’ restructuring left its military-industrial core protected from Wall Street while its other businesses were sold, renamed, or retained by Tony Stark. Tony tried to hand Stark Studios to Henry, but Henry refused to work for him, prompting Katharine Hepburn to tease Henry about being his boss.

• Obadiah Stane’s restructuring transformed Stark Group into Stark Industries and kept its military-industrial shares out of Wall Street’s hands.
• Former Stark businesses were absorbed, renamed, or scheduled to drop the Stark name after their owners negotiated with Stark Industries.
• Tony Stark explained that he kept Stark Studios because Howard Stark had cared deeply about it and it remained profitable.
• Henry refused to take over Stark Studios, saying that working for Tony would force him to defend Tony and the company.
• Katharine Hepburn asked whether she could be Henry’s boss, and Henry promised to help her without asking for payment.
• Tony ground his teeth in jealousy as Katharine Hepburn patted Henry’s head.

Tony Stark asked Henry to help investigate the gunmen from the villa shootout and the suspicious car accident that killed Tony’s parents, offering to resolve Henry’s FBI problem in exchange. Henry heard Tony’s suspicions but had not yet agreed to help.

• Tony Stark sent Catherine away and used an anti-eavesdropping device before telling Henry about his investigation into the people behind the villa gunmen.
• Tony offered to help with Henry’s FBI problem if Henry joined his investigation, but Henry questioned why Tony was reopening events from years earlier.
• Tony explained that his parents’ car had faulty brakes, yet his father’s driving skill made the fatal crash seem suspicious.
• Tony said he had found no evidence, but he had never personally confirmed his parents’ autopsies and believed powerful Americans might have had a motive.
• Tony explained that Happy Hogan led his security team and said Henry’s refusal to be bought made him a promising ally, with Stark Studios as his strongest incentive.

Tony Stark offered Henry the CEO position at Stark Studios, with broad authority and resources, in exchange for keeping watch on the West Coast. Henry considered the offer and disclosed that he was currently working for the Continental Hotel.

• Tony explained that he wanted Henry to monitor an otherwise hidden West Coast foothold and offered him the Stark Studios CEO position as payment.
• Tony promised Henry full authority over the profitable, privately owned company, access to its legal team, and funding to restart film production so long as it avoided bankruptcy.
• Tony explained that Stark Studios had been left out of his public offerings after potential buyers demanded that he continue improving its equipment.
• Tony reassured Henry that joining his circle would deter the FBI and others from targeting him without cause.
• Henry considered Tony's offer and asked whether Tony knew he was working for the Continental Hotel.

Henry explained his work for the Continental Hotel and why he had joined it after the FBI targeted him, then challenged Tony Stark to examine his motives and whether someone was manipulating him. He left Tony with the warning not to make promises he could not keep.

• Tony questioned Henry about the Continental Hotel, and Henry described its support services, including medical care, cleanup, intelligence, and weapons.
• Henry told Tony that the FBI had sent him to Congressman Mike Holden, whose family and bodyguards were killed in an attack, leaving Henry as the sole survivor.
• Henry explained that he joined the Continental Hotel to escape FBI scrutiny, then refused Tony’s offer to hire him and clear his file.
• Tony argued that he could find another Continental Hotel employee, while Henry suggested he could be more useful by remaining in his current position.
• Henry pressed Tony to decide what he wanted from investigating his parents’ suspicious car accident and warned that someone might be using him as a pawn.
• Henry returned the powerless jammer to Tony and ended the conversation.

Henry avoided committing to Tony Stark’s offer and kept a low profile while enjoying Los Angeles and spending his untraceable cash. As he ate at a restaurant, he reflected on his slow-moving projects and Kitty’s brainwave translator, which still required extensive data collection and refinement.

• Henry decided that taking the CEO position at Stark Studios would expose him to Tony Stark’s impulsiveness and the many people watching him.
• Henry reasoned that the X-Men were unlikely to reveal Clown-Sup’s identity, and he continued living cautiously as spring turned to summer.
• Henry wandered around Los Angeles, photographing and sketching street scenes while sampling food from restaurants across the city.
• Henry closed the Black Clinic more often when people watched it and avoided further incidents that could draw police or FBI attention.
• Henry slowed his work on BB, Kitty’s brainwave translator, and CK’s online projects, while Kitty’s translator continued its data-collection stage.

Henry stopped a hungry girl from being chased for stealing bread, bought her lunch in exchange for sitting as a sketch model, and spoke with her about Hollywood. He left her with an honest account of his own stalled acting career and learned that she was chasing a dream there too.

• Henry paid the waitress for the bread and stopped the girl from leaving after she handed it back to him.
• Henry offered the girl lunch in exchange for modeling for a sketch, and she agreed after he showed her his drawings.
• The girl ordered several filling meals while Henry wondered if she resembled a future-famous ice queen.
• The girl asked Henry whether he was an actor, and he told her he had only appeared in unreleased B-movies and had worked as an assistant.
• The girl asked whether the acting path was difficult, and Henry explained that his former boss had died.

Henry shared acting advice with a beginner over lunch, then sketched her portrait. The girl signed the drawing as “shar-LEEZ_THERR-n,” leaving Henry with her name recorded beside the portrait.

• Henry and the girl discussed acting over lunch, and Henry shared advice he had learned from Gary.
• After the meal, Henry set up the girl to pose and began sketching her while she tried to recall happy childhood experiences.
• The girl grew frustrated as she thought about her difficult past, and Henry captured the sharp expression that crossed her face.
• Henry finished the portrait in about five minutes and showed it to the girl.
• The girl signed her name, “shar-LEEZ_THERR-n,” in Henry’s sketchbook.

Henry Brown met Charlize Theron, who discovered his sketches of Audrey Hepburn and learned he had been Hepburn’s assistant and translated Love from a Different Culture. A waitress recognized Henry and got his autograph, while Charlize remained curious but doubtful about his identity.

• Henry explained that Charlize Theron’s name was Afrikaans and let her look through his sketchbook.
• Charlize found Henry’s sketches of Audrey Hepburn with children during her UNICEF work and asked who the woman was.
• Henry told Charlize that he had been Hepburn’s assistant, introduced himself as Henry Brown, and explained that he had translated Love from a Different Culture.
• A waitress recognized Henry, brought her well-read copy of his book, and received his autograph.
• Charlize questioned whether Henry really was the translator and asked about the book’s sales, which he said were modest but slowly recovering its costs.

Henry explained why he had not promoted his translated book and encouraged Charlize to keep pursuing Hollywood while accepting help cautiously. He offered her his phone number, leaving her to consider how to balance trust and self-protection.

• Charlize questioned Henry about the translated book’s poor sales, and he said it had never been part of his plans and that he did not consider himself its creator.
• Charlize wondered whether she should return to South Africa, and Henry advised her either to go home or to keep fighting without letting doubts hold her back.
• When Charlize asked why Henry had stayed in Los Angeles, he said he had nowhere to return to and offered her his number in case she needed advice.
• Charlize asked what Henry expected in return, and he said he was passing along kindness he had received from others.
• Henry told Charlize that people could help or harm her depending on how she dealt with them, and urged her to accept help while protecting herself.