Recaps

Teenage Kix staged a raid on a black-market weapons deal in Compton, using their powers to defeat the criminals for the cameras. The chapter ended with Big Game dropping his heroic pose after the director called cut.

• Dogknott smashed through an abandoned factory wall and incapacitated the Bloods members and arms dealers with a roar.
• Gunpowder entered the factory and shot several Bloods members as the criminals tried to flee.
• WhackJob blocked the escape route and killed fleeing Bloods members with lightning.
• Big Game stopped the remaining arms dealers at the main entrance and knocked down one who tried to raise a gun, prompting the others to surrender.
• Teenage Kix posed for the cameras until the crew called cut, and Big Game complained that the heroic pose was exhausting.

Vought staged criminal raids as a reality show, but a camera accidentally livestreamed Teenage Kix members' private conversation. The armed Tyrant then broke into the factory, where dozens of Tiger Forms trapped the crew as Teenage Kix prepared to fight.

• Vought’s crew and the arms dealers rested after the staged raid, while the chapter revealed that Vought had used such operations for years to kill real criminals and boost its public image.
• Dogknott, WhackJob, Explosive, and Game mocked one another and made racist, misogynistic remarks while the production crew filmed them.
• A cameraman discovered that his camera could not be turned off and was livestreaming the conversation online.
• The Tyrant smashed through a factory wall, and the terrified production crew tried to flee.
• Dozens of Tiger Forms surrounded the crew, and one picked up the camera to film the Tyrant.
• The Tyrant targeted WhackJob, and Game ordered Teenage Kix to attack it.

The Tyrant and Tiger Forms overwhelmed the Teenage Kixes during the factory assault, killing Gunpowder and capturing Dogknott. Outside, the Tyrant killed the gravely wounded WhackJob and pinned Game, leaving the remaining Super Trashes defeated.

• The Tyrant hurled WhackJob through the factory wall, while Tiger Forms drove the other Teenage Kixes outside.
• Gunpowder shot at a Tiger Form, which killed him with its secondary mouth, and Dogknott collapsed in terror.
• Game fled the factory and headed toward the Tyrant as Tiger Forms guarded the surviving humans and moved the camera outside.
• The Tyrant killed the helpless WhackJob, shot Game down, and pinned him beneath its foot as he begged for mercy.

William’s preparations culminated in a staged attack that killed three Teenage Kix members and livestreamed the slaughter, while Dogknott survived to become a public spectacle. The next morning, William watched the news coverage as reports about Teenage Kix dominated every channel.

• Two Tiger Forms filmed the tracker crushing Game and uploaded the killing as a live broadcast before fleeing with the other attackers.
• Dogknott was left alive, while Serena disabled nearby surveillance and emergency communications and the tracker escaped to Umbrella’s hidden base.
• William had used Ghost Agents to kill three American officials linked to Vought, then expanded Umbrella’s forward base and built a biological laboratory.
• William fabricated an online legend about his grandson Heros, a Spartan demigod, intending to undermine Vought and its superheroes when Heros appeared.
• Serena selected Teenage Kix in Los Angeles as the attack’s targets to keep the tracker far from Homelander in New York.
• On the morning of June 26, William switched through news channels as they all reported on Teenage Kix.

William watched Homelander publicly promise to investigate the dead heroes’ misconduct and hunt their killer, while Serena reported that the US military was considering Umbrella’s combat systems. The chapter ended with Serena condemning Vought’s heroes and its experiments on infants.

• William watched Homelander address the press, denounce Game and Gunpowder’s conduct, and promise to investigate Super Heroes and catch the killer.
• Serena invited William to lunch, then reported that the US military wanted to buy Umbrella’s individual combat systems but was still considering his proposed ten-year tax exemption.
• William told Serena he would sell the systems if the government agreed and would otherwise keep killing Super Trash.
• Serena told William that Vought used tens of thousands of infants in experiments each year and that she would have bankrupted the company without his orders.

William and Serena planned to use Homelander’s absence to attack Vought’s shareholders’ meeting while a hacker exposed the secrets of corrupt superheroes. As Starlight joined The Seven, William’s forces arrived above Vought Tower, ready to strike.

• William told Serena to lure Homelander to northern Canada and have their supervillains massacre corrupt superheroes at Vought’s shareholders’ meeting.
• Serena laughed at William’s villainous plans, and William said he would do anything to help humanity prosper.
• A hacker exposed the dark histories of several second-tier heroes, forcing Vought to blacklist them and making The Seven more cautious.
• On July 1, Starlight arrived at Vought Tower and became the newest member of The Seven.
• Five camouflaged DR-7 Transport Boats arrived above Vought Tower carrying the Trackers, Alien Praetorian, and Tiger Form, awaiting William’s order.

At Vought Tower’s shareholders’ meeting, Madelyn presented the company’s success and introduced Starlight as the newest member of The Seven. The event turned into a crisis when Tiger Forms invaded the auditorium, leaving the trapped crowd pleading for help from the heroes onstage.

• Madelyn touted Vought’s rising profits to shareholders and invited guests.
• Madelyn welcomed The Deep, Black Noir, and Queen Maeve to the stage, where they praised The Seven and introduced Starlight as Lamplighter’s replacement.
• Homelander remained unreachable because he was following instructions to travel to Canada and deal with an escaped congressman.
• Tiger Forms burst into the auditorium, blocked the exits, and terrified the audience.
• The audience and Vought’s shareholders called on Maeve, Black Noir, The Deep, and Starlight to save them.

The Tracker and four Alien Praetorians attacked The Seven during a live broadcast at Vought Tower, overwhelming Starlight and Black Noir while Queen Maeve fought to hold them off. With her allies defeated and The Deep frozen in fear, Maeve demanded that he help her.

• The Tracker and four Alien Praetorians entered the stage, terrifying Madelyn and the hostages as the Tracker declared that Supes and Vought must die.
• Starlight attacked the Tracker with beams from her eyes, but it shrugged them off and knocked her unconscious with one punch.
• Black Noir threw daggers at the Tracker, which charged and stomped him flat.
• Queen Maeve fought the four Alien Praetorians, dodging their attacks while realizing she could not defeat them and the Tracker alone.
• Maeve saw The Deep standing stunned with a microphone and shouted at him to get up and help her.

The Tracker incapacitated The Deep while Maeve defeated one Alien Praetorian but was overwhelmed by its corrosive blood and the Tracker. Starlight woke as the Tracker lifted Maeve by the neck, leaving Maeve fearing she was about to die.

• The Deep fled from the Tracker, which caught him with a knife-hand strike and knocked him unconscious.
• Maeve dodged an Alien Praetorian, smashed its head apart, and was burned by its corrosive blood when it splattered onto her armor and skin.
• Maeve tore off her corroded Greek Armor and retreated from the remaining three Alien Praetorians.
• The Tracker attacked Maeve with rapid punches, drove her against a wall, and lifted her by the neck.
• Starlight woke and tried to help Maeve, who warned her to run as she struggled against the Tracker's grip.

Heros burst into the auditorium as Maeve and Starlight faced execution, then effortlessly overpowered the Tracker and rescued Starlight. With the Tracker pinned beneath his foot, Heros manifested the Golden War Spear, leaving the battle poised to continue.

• Maeve struggled against the Tracker while the Alien Praetorians captured Starlight.
• Heros smashed through a wall, provoked the Tracker, and caught its full-strength punch with one hand.
• Heros knocked the Tracker to the ground and gave Maeve his overshirt.
• Heros used super speed to kill the three Alien Praetorians and free Starlight.
• Heros pinned the Tracker beneath his foot and manifested the Golden War Spear.

Heros defeated the monsters attacking Vought Tower and saved the hostages, then was taken by the CIA for questioning. His identity remained unknown as viewers debated whether he or Homelander was stronger.

• Heros killed the Tracker with a summoned golden spear, and the Tiger Forms fled after he turned toward them.
• Heros prepared to leave, but Maeve and Starlight questioned who he was and how he had found the attack; he showed them the livestream.
• NYPD officers arrived and aimed their weapons at Heros, but Maeve told them he was with her.
• Vought personnel removed the monster corpses while Heros let them, knowing Ghost Agents would prevent Vought from studying them.
• CIA agents took Heros away for questioning as Serena continued broadcasting the incident, prompting viewers to speculate about his identity and compare his strength with Homelander's.

Heros faced CIA Deputy Director Susan Rayner during an interrogation, rejected her threats, and claimed to be more than two thousand years old. The White House and Pentagon ordered his release, and William met Susan afterward as the Russell Family’s influence over the government grew.

• Susan questioned Heros about his age, identities, and ties to Vought, and threatened to target Wanda.
• Heros snapped his handcuffs, dismissed Susan’s threats, and said he had lived for more than two thousand years.
• A CIA agent informed Susan that the White House and Pentagon wanted Heros released, and she escorted him out.
• William, Serena, Wanda, and Ghost Agents waited for Heros in the CIA lobby, where William greeted Susan.
• William said the Russell Family opposed Vought and Homelander, and suggested Susan already knew Homelander’s true nature.

William left the CIA after introducing Heros to Susan and hinting that the name carried significance. In the convoy, he planned to make Heros a popular public figure and use his connections with Maeve and Starlight to prepare for the eventual fight against Homelander.

• Susan recalled how dangerous Homelander was, while William introduced Heros and told her to investigate the name before seeking them out.
• William and his family left the CIA in a convoy, and he ordered Serena to have Ghost Agents destroy the trackers and Alien Praetorian, with Tiger Forms taking the blame.
• William asked Heros and Wanda about their lives; Heros complained about school and lack of fighting, while Wanda said she enjoyed university.
• William told Wanda to keep her powers secret and instructed Heros to build relationships with Maeve and Starlight after his demigod identity was revealed.
• Serena reported that the CIA had begun investigating Heros and that Susan seemed open to cooperation, so William made building Heros's fan base a priority.

After the CIA revealed files identifying Heros with the ancient demigod Heros, the public became convinced he was Athena’s son and began comparing him with Homelander. The story then shifted to a Vought Tower meeting, where Homelander stood overlooking Manhattan as members of the Seven gathered.

• The CIA released historical identity files for people named Matthews, prompting the public to connect them to Heros.
• The CIA posted the name Heros, and online searches uncovered accounts claiming he was Athena’s son and had routed a Persian force at Gravia in 480 BC.
• Netizens concluded Heros was an ancient demigod more than 2,500 years old, and his supporters argued that he could defeat Homelander.
• On July 7, Maeve, A-Train, Starlight, Translucent, and The Deep gathered in Vought Tower’s conference hall while Homelander looked out over Manhattan.

Homelander confronted The Seven about Heros, whose apparent divine powers and growing fame threatened Homelander’s status. Maeve stopped Homelander from killing The Deep, and Madelyn arrived to announce that the company had major plans concerning recent events.

• Homelander demanded to know who Heros was, while Maeve and Starlight explained that they had seen his powers and that CIA files identified him as the Son of God.
• Homelander grew furious over Heros’s popularity and blamed The Deep for damaging The Seven’s reputation by fleeing.
• Homelander threatened to kill The Deep, but Maeve intervened and argued that even Black Noir had been killed by the monsters attacking their laboratory.
• Homelander backed down but remained hostile toward Maeve, who warned that jealousy could tear The Seven apart while monsters attacked their kind.
• Madelyn entered the tense conference room and announced that the company had major arrangements concerning recent events.

Homelander and The Seven watched the Secretary of Defense announce a military task force equipped by Umbrella and backed by Heros. Heros appeared at the White House press conference and demonstrated his divine-looking weapons, promising to show a magnitude-four earthquake.

• Homelander tried to smooth over the conflict among The Seven, then asked Madelyn what plan Vought had made.
• Madelyn showed The Seven a live White House broadcast in which the Secretary of Defense said an organization with advanced hacking and biotechnology was attacking the United States.
• The Secretary of Defense said Vought’s repeated failures had led the military to form a task force and purchase seventeen thousand sets of Umbrella equipment over ten years.
• The Secretary of Defense introduced Heros as the task force’s external ally, prompting Homelander to suspect that the supposed demigod was not a real god.
• Heros appeared in Underworld Armor, summoned a golden shield and Poseidon’s trident, and said he would demonstrate a magnitude-four earthquake.

Heros demonstrated his power to control earthquakes and grow to 170 meters, convincing reporters and viewers of his divine abilities. At Vought Tower, Madelyn briefed The Seven on Umbrella’s rise and its military contract, which Vought suspected was connected to the attacks that had killed four heroes.

• Heros swayed Poseidon’s trident to cause a minor earthquake near the White House, then stopped it and claimed the trident let him control geological activity.
• Heros enlarged himself, his armor, shield, and spear, and told reporters he could grow to more than 170 meters.
• Heros led the reporters to the White House lawn and transformed into a 170-meter giant, shocking the press, online viewers, and The Seven.
• Homelander raged at seeing Heros’s powers, and Madelyn shut off the screens before persuading him to sit down.
• Madelyn told The Seven that Umbrella had entered the US military’s supply chain and that Vought suspected the company was linked to the attacks that had killed four heroes, including Black Noir.

Madelyn told The Seven that Vought suspected Umbrella had orchestrated the attacks and proposed cooperating with it while seeking to acquire the company. She asked Maeve and Starlight to approach Heros, then privately asked Homelander to assassinate William Russell and his family as unseen Black Dots watched them.

• Madelyn connected the attacks on Vought, Heros's appearance, and Umbrella's rise, while Maeve questioned how Heros's powers could be explained.
• Madelyn theorized that Heros was tied to Umbrella through his girlfriend, Wanda Russell, and Vought decided to cooperate with Umbrella and try to acquire it.
• Madelyn asked Maeve and Starlight to contact Heros and learn his interests, and both women agreed for their own reasons.
• After the others left, Madelyn privately asked Homelander to assassinate William Russell and his family, while Black Dots silently watched them from the ceiling.

William used Madelyn’s plan to assassinate him as an opportunity to lure Homelander away from Vought Tower, planning for Wanda to restrain him and Heros to fight him. His scheme began when Wanda staged an argument with Heros at school, and Maeve and Starlight later approached Heros as arranged.

• William watched hidden-camera footage of Madelyn and Homelander and explained to Serena that he had deliberately leaked information about Heros to provoke Madelyn into targeting him.
• William told Serena to arrange for Wanda to move into his villa after arguing with Heros, and to evacuate nearby neighbors if Homelander came to the area.
• William planned for Wanda to control Homelander and Heros to fight him, with Ghost Agents ready to relocate the neighbors and compensate them for damages.
• After returning to New York, Heros resumed his ordinary student life while waiting for information about the remaining Tiger Forms.
• On July 8, Wanda staged a major argument with Heros at the school library, then left and called William to complain; William sent bodyguards to collect her publicly.
• On the evening of July 11, Maeve and Starlight invited Heros to dinner after removing their makeup and hero costumes.

Heros answered Maeve’s questions about the Greek gods and abruptly left his dinner with Maeve and Starlight after receiving a message. Meanwhile, William, Serena, and Wanda confronted Homelander, and Wanda used her powers to take control of him.

• Maeve asked Heros whether goddesses could die in childbirth and why the Olympian gods had disappeared, and Heros explained that they were Ancient Humans destroyed by Kratos after Ares’s rebellion.
• Starlight asked Heros about his relationship with Wanda, but he rebuffed her and left after receiving an urgent message, paying for the meal.
• Maeve and Starlight stayed behind to pack up the food and take it back to the tower.
• William, Serena, and Wanda waited with Ghost Agents at a deserted manor in western New York for Homelander to arrive.
• William taunted Homelander, called him John, and told Wanda to teach him a lesson.
• Wanda enveloped Homelander in red light and took control of his body.

Wanda subdued Homelander until Heros arrived and took over the fight. As Serena livestreamed the confrontation and released Homelander’s scandals, Heros’s armor withstood Homelander’s heat vision, and his spear knocked Homelander flying.

• Wanda used magic to suppress Homelander and recalled how she had grown stronger while helping Heros and UBCS contain Freddy.
• Heros returned to the manor, donned his battle-god armor, and asked Wanda to release Homelander so he could fight him.
• William ordered Serena to livestream the battle and publish the scandals she had collected about Homelander.
• Homelander attacked Heros with heat vision, but the beams failed to damage his Underworld Armor.
• Heros mocked Homelander and struck at him with his war spear; Homelander blocked it but was sent flying.

Heros overwhelmed Homelander in a fierce fight, using his speed and strength to knock him through buildings and into a crater. After Homelander feigned defeat, Heros caught him off guard and dislocated his right arm as William and the others watched.

• Heros sent Homelander crashing through a villa wall and into the neighboring building with a spear thrust.
• Homelander attacked Heros at super speed, but Heros vanished and struck him in the lower abdomen before smashing him into the ground with his spear.
• William and Serena discussed how Homelander had endured longer than Heros's other opponents, and William had Serena light up the district for the audience.
• Heros cleared the dust and threw a trident at Homelander, who rose unharmed after using the crater to feign defeat.
• Heros appeared behind Homelander, restrained his right wrist and shoulder, and dislocated his arm.

Heros crippled Homelander, and William had him taken to a laboratory while Serena reported that the livestream had turned public opinion against Vought. At Vought Tower, Maeve confronted the executives over their crimes and tried to leave, but Edgar warned that the company could sue her.

• Heros broke Homelander's bones, and Wanda forced him into an uncontrollable sleep.
• William ordered the Ghost Agents to take Homelander to the forward base's Biological Laboratory for study.
• Serena told William that the livestream had exposed Homelander and Madelyn, prompting public demands for impeachment and damaging Vought's image.
• William ordered Serena to expose scandalous heroes, gather principled ones at Vought Tower, conceal Compound V, and find Stormfront for Wanda and Heros.
• Maeve smashed the conference table and stormed out of a meeting with Vought executives, while Starlight prepared to follow her.
• Edgar warned Maeve that leaving could prompt Vought to sue her for damages.

William confronted Vought and The Seven, declaring that Umbrella would bring the corporation down. He stopped A-Train’s attempt to capture him, then chose to leave A-Train alive for the public to judge.

• Maeve threatened Edgar with legal consequences, while Madelyn and several members of The Seven tried to calm the confrontation.
• William entered the conference room with Heros, Wanda, Serena, and ten Praetorian Astartes, then ordered a Praetorian to knock Madelyn unconscious.
• William told Edgar that Umbrella had exposed Vought’s scandals and intended to destroy the corporation.
• Edgar signaled A-Train to capture William, but William matched A-Train’s Super Speed and seized him by the neck.
• William taunted The Deep, Translucent, and Edgar for failing to intervene, then spared A-Train so the public could judge him.

William revealed his family ties and Umbrella’s plans to Maeve and Starlight, then appointed Maeve to lead The Seven under Umbrella’s control. The chapter ended when Serena located Stormfront.

• William ordered the Praetorian Astartes to capture Vought’s executives and prepare them for memory modification.
• William explained to Maeve and Starlight that Heros was his grandson and Wanda was Heros’s partner, then shared some of Umbrella’s history.
• William planned to acquire Vought, conceal the truth about Compound V, and use Umbrella to control US officials and military commanders.
• Heros declined to lead The Seven because he needed to defend his home universe, and Maeve agreed to take the role.
• Maeve asked to meet the Greek Gods, and William agreed while explaining Umbrella’s expectations for The Seven.
• Serena reported that she had located Stormfront.