Chapter Summaries

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.

Heros and Wanda were sent to deal with Stormfront while William prepared to take control of Vought and its tower. During the flight, Wanda confronted Heros about his growing popularity and jealousy, and he promised to discuss marrying her with his parents; they then focused on their mission.

• Serena provided Stormfront's coordinates, and William assigned Heros and Wanda to deal with her.
• William asked Queen Maeve to choose five genuine heroes to complete The Seven, while Starlight listened beside her.
• Heros and Wanda departed Vought Tower in a DR-7 as Pelicans brought Umbrella agents, technicians, and Helljumpers to take over the building and prepare Vought's leaders for brainwashing and trial.
• Wanda admitted she was jealous of Heros being paired online with Queen Maeve and Starlight, and Heros reassured her that he loved only her.
• Heros promised to discuss marrying Wanda with his parents, and Wanda asked whether William had made arrangements for Homelander's son.

Heros and Wanda arrived at Sage Grove Psychiatric Hospital, where Vought had been conducting deadly Compound V experiments on innocent patients. Heros slaughtered the guards and Vought’s Black Unit, and the chapter ended as he sensed that a woman had come out.

• Heros and Wanda landed near Sage Grove and found the remote compound where Vought experimented on patients with Compound V.
• The guards opened fire on Heros and Wanda, but Heros was unharmed and Wanda blocked the bullets with her protective magic.
• Heros killed the guards, then slaughtered the Black Unit reinforcements who arrived at the compound.
• Wanda used magic to cremate the bodies and clear away the blood before asking Heros if he was alright.
• Heros said he was fine and announced that a woman had come out.

Heros killed Stormfront at Sage Research Center and, with Wanda, subdued the Vought staff and searched the facility. They found badly abused test subjects in power-suppressing cells, including a man whose enormous retractable “little brother” shocked them both.

• Stormfront confronted Heros and Wanda, and Heros revealed he had come to kill her before impaling and electrocuting her.
• Wanda warned Heros about his cruelty, and Heros asked her to contact Serena and arrange for Helljumpers and technicians to take over the facility.
• Heros and Wanda searched Sage Research Center and had Wanda put the Vought employees, including Lamplighter, into a deep sleep.
• Heros and Wanda found imprisoned test subjects, including a boy whose limbs had been removed and a man with a gigantic “little brother.”
• Wanda blushed as she looked from the man in the cell to Heros.

After Umbrella took over Vought and reshaped its remaining heroes, William checked on the protagonists from The Boys. He brought Billy Butcher to Vought Tower, intending to reunite him with his wife and have them raise Homelander’s son together.

• The military raided the surviving Tiger Form gathering place using Umbrella combat systems, and footage of the battle shifted some young people’s admiration toward Special Forces.
• Umbrella acquired Vought’s assets, while the reorganized Seven prepared for three months of training and received new equipment.
• William had Maeve paired with Heros in public, prompting Wanda to complain privately to Heros.
• William learned that Hughie, Mother's Milk, Frenchie, and Kimiko were living through different aftermaths of Vought’s collapse.
• William sent Ghost Agents to arrange a meeting between Frenchie and Lamplighter and secretly rescued Kimiko’s brother from a terrorist group.
• Ghost Agents brought the grieving, drunken Billy Butcher to Vought Tower, where William planned to reunite him with his wife and Homelander’s son.

William brought Billy Butcher to reunite with Becca and told him that Becca had given birth to Homelander’s son, Ryan. Butcher chose to raise Ryan with Becca, and William arranged for the family to live in a Washington suburb.

• William explained that Becca survived, gave birth to Ryan, and needed Butcher to help raise him.
• Butcher tried to punch William, but Serena kicked him back into his seat.
• William told Butcher that Ryan’s potential exceeded Homelander’s and that the boy needed a complete family.
• The Pelican landed in a residential neighborhood, where Butcher reunited with Becca and met Ryan.
• Butcher chose to raise Ryan with Becca, and William arranged a home for them in the suburbs of Washington.