Chapter Summaries

Kara destroyed the Kryptonians’ Birthing Chamber after defeating Faora and the giant warrior, while General Zod vowed to continue terraforming Earth and take the Codex from Kara. In Gotham, Azu confronted The Flash, but their exchange was interrupted by the arrival of a putrid phantom.

• An Earth strike team attacked the Kryptonian mothership, but Faora killed the soldiers before Kara rammed her away from them.
• Kara fought Faora and the giant warrior, then rescued the officer and tore through the mothership’s shield to reach the Birthing Chamber.
• Kara rejected General Zod’s appeal and destroyed the Birthing Chamber, splitting the ship in two.
• General Zod ordered the terraforming to continue and flew off to retrieve the Codex of Life from Kara.
• In ruined Gotham, Azu revealed that he had sensed The Flash following him and demanded an explanation.
• A rotten phantom appeared, and Azu complained about the stench it brought with it.

Azu confronted Natas in Gotham City, where they tested their powers and Natas revealed multiple deadly applications of the Death Authority. As Natas's shadowy underworld skill pursued him, Azu shot toward the sky, apparently trying to escape beyond the atmosphere.

• Natas deduced that Azu's early appearance might be part of a plan, then attacked him with Death Ray as Azu countered with Thermonuclear Beam.
• Natas's Death Ray overpowered Azu's beam, but Azu teleported behind Natas and kicked him; Natas's Death energy began eroding Azu's boot until Azu removed it with Destructive Sanction.
• Azu used Absolute Domain to shield his fist from Death energy and struck Natas, then destroyed a bizarre woman and human-faced flies that appeared beside him.
• Natas charged through the flames surrounded by twisted black shadows, which Azu recognized as a divine skill that could send anything they touched into the underworld.
• Azu fled through Gotham as the shadows pursued him, then shot into the sky, apparently seeking to escape beyond the atmosphere.

Azu destroyed the gathered demonic shadows with Destructive Sanction while Kara El and General Zod fought over Krypton’s future. The Flash and Barry joined Kara against Zod, Faora, and the giant warrior as the battles began in earnest.

• Azu swept Destructive Sanction through the mountain of demonic shadows, destroying them and sending a pillar of energy into the sky.
• Zod attacked Kara El with his fighter, but Kara destroyed the aircraft and confronted him on the ground.
• Kara and Zod argued over whether Krypton should be revived through conquest or coexist peacefully with humans, then fought fiercely.
• The Flash and Barry arrived and offered to help Kara, while Faora and the giant warrior joined Zod.
• Faora attacked The Flash and the giant warrior attacked Barry as Kara and Zod charged at each other and collided midair.

Azu became trapped inside Gotham City by Natas’s Wall of Sighs, imprisoned Natas with the Darkhold, and struggled to damage the barrier. Kara left her fight with General Zod to reach Gotham, where she charged at the wall to break through.

• Azu found Gotham City encircled by the Wall of Sighs, which cut off his connection to Kara and prevented him from escaping.
• Natas explained that he had raised the Wall of Sighs to trap Azu, and Azu used the Darkhold’s Darkness Prison to imprison Natas.
• Azu blasted through the ground and attacked the wall with Destructive Sanction, but made only slight dents and realized breaking through would take too long.
• Kara received Azu’s order to go to Metropolis, stopped attacking General Zod, and flew away while Zod recovered from her assault.
• The Flash and Barry fled from Faora and the other Kryptonian after seeing that Zod was still alive.
• Kara reached Gotham, saw the Wall of Sighs, and charged toward it at high speed to break through.

Azu fought Natas inside Gotham’s Wall of Sighs while waiting for Kara to breach it, then escaped outside after losing a hand and drew Natas after him. Kara took Azu’s escape pod to Metropolis, while Barry and The Flash arrived in Gotham and wondered why she had taken it.

• Azu realized Kara might break the Wall of Sighs from outside and stalled Natas with magic, but Natas resisted his spells and attacked with full force.
• Azu and Natas traded devastating blows until Azu used Tai Chi to turn Natas’s punch against him, then countered Natas’s death rays with his own eye beams.
• Kara cut through the Wall of Sighs and entered Gotham, distracting Azu long enough for Natas’s death rays to erode his Absolute Domain and destroy his hand.
• Azu severed his injured hand, teleported outside the Wall of Sighs, and escaped as Natas withdrew the wall and pursued him.
• Azu told Kara telepathically to take the escape pod to Metropolis and wait for orders, and she flew away with it.
• Barry and The Flash arrived in Gotham, saw Kara leaving, and wondered whether she planned to flee Earth with the Krypton escape pod.

Azu lured Natas into a trap aboard the Kryptonian mothership, using Kara El’s escape pod to create a Black Hole and destroy the ship. Azu escaped with Kara as the Black Hole vanished, leaving the city covered in falling debris and dust.

• The Flash explained to Barry that an activated escape pod could create a Black Hole when it struck a Kryptonian ship, and the two raced toward Metropolis.
• Azu fought Natas near and inside the mothership while Kara El carried the escape pod toward it.
• Kara El struck the mothership with the escape pod, creating a Black Hole as Azu attacked Natas with his duplicate and Destroyer.
• Azu revealed that his severed arm had been an illusion and disrupted Natas’s teleportation, causing Natas to enter the Black Hole instead of escaping.
• Azu teleported to Kara El as Natas and the Destroyer were swallowed; the Black Hole consumed the mothership, then vanished, and debris fell across Metropolis.

After winning the invasion, Azu claimed Natas’s Authority of Death and used its powers against the Kryptonians while Kara fought Zod. The Flash joined Kara’s battle, and Azu returned to the world of Black Robe, leaving them to face Zod.

• Azu received Natas’s Authority of Death, its derived skills, and other spoils, and decided to develop his Authority of Destruction after returning.
• Kara insisted on fighting Zod herself, so Azu held off Faora and the giant Kryptonian, killing the giant with Death Ray and sending Faora into the Underworld dimension.
• Kara and Zod battled through Metropolis, where Zod gained the upper hand and prepared to attack her.
• The Flash rescued Kara from Zod’s energy blast and helped distract him so Kara could strike back.
• Azu returned from the Indian Ocean, watched Kara and The Flash fighting Zod, then used the Traveler’s Ring to leave the universe and return to the world of Black Robe.

After returning from the Multiverse, Azu tried to balance his humanity with his divine indifference and planned a vacation. He became involved in Victoria Neuman’s presidential campaign when she revealed that the Church of the Collective backed her rival and that someone was threatening to expose her past as Stormfront.

• Azu returned to The Boys Universe, considered how divinity was eroding his desires, and decided to preserve his humanity while adapting to his godhood.
• Azu flirted with Starlight, then declined to commit to attending her birthday party that evening.
• Azu visited Victoria Neuman, learned that mayor Kate Zane was challenging her presidential campaign with support from Japanese politicians and the Church of the Collective, and promised to persuade the church’s leader to switch sides.
• While Azu prepared dinner, Victoria Neuman received a message threatening to expose her identity as Stormfront unless she withdrew from the election.
• Azu reassured Victoria Neuman that the threat would not affect her campaign and asked her to bring him pasta or macaroni.

Starlight celebrated her birthday with Azu, confessed that she liked him, and spent the night with him. The next morning, Kate Zane was killed by an unknown Super during Azu’s confrontation with the Church of the Collective, and Azu traced Victoria Neuman’s threatening message to a phone in a dimly lit room.

• Starlight felt disappointed when Azu missed her birthday party, but he arrived later with wine and stayed to drink with her.
• Azu alternately suggested using Starlight’s everyday life for a show and said he did not want to share that side of her; Starlight confessed her feelings, and he stayed with her.
• Alastair discussed Kate Zane’s presidential campaign when Azu crashed through the ceiling and demanded that the Church of the Collective withdraw from the election.
• Kate Zane shrank into a lump of flesh and vanished into a miniature black hole before Azu could kill him, leaving Azu to suspect that another Super had threatened Victoria Neuman.
• Azu told Victoria Neuman that Kate’s death pointed to another culprit, then used the Information Domain to trace her threatening message to an unregistered SIM card and appeared beside the phone that sent it.

Azu traced the phone used to threaten Victoria Neuman to Silver Axe Alley, then handed the case to Mallory and assigned the disguised Soldier Boy to protect her. After leaving Mallory, Azu went to Eden Base to study his authority abilities, while someone infiltrated Vought’s R&D Base.

• Azu found the phone’s owner, learned she had picked it up in Silver Axe Alley, and discovered that nearby surveillance cameras had been disabled.
• Azu gave Mallory the phone and information about Kate Zane’s death, then introduced Soldier Boy under the name Roger as her bodyguard.
• Mallory accepted the investigation and left Seven Tower with Roger protecting her.
• Azu went to Eden Base, spoke with Angelina, and began researching his authority abilities.
• A ping-pong-ball-sized black sphere appeared in the dark office of David Tracy at Vought’s R&D Base.

Azu trained with his authority at Eden Base while The Boys identified Bruce Paul as the person behind the threats against Victoria Neuman and arrested him. Mallory learned that Paul’s partner, Mr. Tree Hole, planned a deal the next day, and Paul waited under guard for a chance to help catch him.

• Azu developed Destruction Energy and learned that Victoria Neuman’s final campaign speech would take place in Washington the next day, so he planned to protect her.
• Bruce Paul, using the alias Keyboardist, discussed a planned transaction with Mr. Tree Hole, who said they had threatened Victoria Neuman and assassinated Kate Zane.
• Mallory and The Boys staged a robbery to get Paul to open his door, then arrested him and found his chatroom messages after persuading him to reveal his password.
• Mallory sent the messages to Azu and brought Paul and his computer to Tomorrow Hotel, where Paul insisted on a written agreement before cooperating.
• Paul went to the restroom under an agent’s watch while Mallory arranged for the agreement to be drafted.

Mr. Tree Hole rescued Paul from The Boys and recruited him to impersonate him in a billion-dollar deal with Russian buyers in Washington during the presidential election. As Azu arrived at a yacht party where Victoria Neuman faced Maud Kelly's complaint that her candidacy was unfair, an unknown voice challenged the idea that the world had ever been fair.

• Mr. Tree Hole used a wormhole to pull Paul out of The Boys’ restroom, and Mallory traced Paul's tracker to Washington before its signal disappeared.
• Mr. Tree Hole told Paul that their Russian deal was worth one billion dollars and offered him a hundred-million-dollar commission to pose as the seller, while Mr. Tree Hole planned to draw The Boys and Homelander away by causing destruction.
• Mr. Tree Hole explained his wormhole and black-hole abilities, and Paul agreed to help with the deal scheduled during the election speeches in Washington.
• Azu flew toward a yacht party hosted by James Ballard, where Victoria Neuman met influential supporters ahead of her campaign speech.
• Maud Kelly criticized Neuman’s rise, and she revealed that Homelander was backing her; Maud protested that the situation was unfair before a voice from above challenged his idea of fairness.

Azu publicly backed Victoria Neuman’s presidential campaign, declaring he would guarantee the country’s safety, after killing Maud for challenging him aboard a yacht. As Neuman and Azu celebrated their alliance at her speech, a Masked Man appeared and threatened to kill her.

• Maud challenged Azu over fairness and justice, grabbed his cape, and vanished after Azu waved his hand.
• Azu reassured Neuman that he would protect her from the threat surrounding Kate Zane’s assassination.
• Neuman delivered her campaign speech on the National Mall, presenting herself as a candidate who would build a better future.
• Azu joined Neuman onstage, promised that she would prevent future disasters, and called himself the guarantee behind her leadership.
• A black energy sphere appeared above the crowd, and a Masked Man emerged, returned a child’s balloon, and announced that he intended to kill Neuman.

Azu protected Victoria Neuman from Mr. Tree Hole’s assassination attempt while The Seven fought the attacker at the National Mall. At a warehouse, Mallory discovered Paul was selling data on a Superpower Inhibitor, and Azu killed Mr. Tree Hole after he unleashed a devastating energy blast.

• Mr. Tree Hole failed to use his Wormhole and Black Hole powers against Victoria Neuman because Azu had protected her with Absolute Domain.
• Mr. Tree Hole redirected the police officers’ bullets through Wormholes, and Maeve, Starlight, Livewire, and Princess Frost joined the fight against him.
• Starlight identified limits to Mr. Tree Hole’s powers, allowing the heroes to coordinate attacks and overwhelm him.
• Paul tried to sell Russian buyers files about a Superpower Inhibitor, but Mallory’s team raided the warehouse, and Soldier Boy killed the Russians.
• Mallory arrested Paul and seized the hard drive after learning he alone knew its password.
• Mr. Tree Hole unleashed an immense energy wave at the National Mall, but Azu blocked it and killed him with his heat vision.

After Mr. Tree Hole’s defeat, Azu learned that a stolen hard drive held the last data on a Superpower Inhibitor and chose a simpler way to find the Vought insider who had preserved it. Mallory announced the discovery publicly, and George Blade realized his ambitions were in danger.

• Maeve confirmed Mr. Tree Hole was dead, and the crowd celebrated Homelander’s victory.
• At dinner, Mallory brought Azu a hard drive containing Superpower Inhibitor data and explained how Mr. Tree Hole had stolen it and used attacks as a diversion.
• Azu suspected someone inside Vought had preserved the data, praised Mallory for handing it over, and said he had thought of a simpler way to act.
• Mallory left the restaurant determined to advance her career and ordered a press conference for the next day.
• George Blade watched Mallory reveal the hard drive and its contents on television, then realized his plans to recreate the inhibitor were at risk.

Azu confronted George Blade aboard his private jet and used Mind Domain to make him kill himself over his role in the Superpower Inhibitor scandal. He then entered the Black Adam universe, where he arrived as Black Adam and Hawkman began fighting.

• George Blade fled toward the airport, but Homelander, whom the narration also called Azu, appeared aboard his private jet and confronted him about the Superpower Inhibitor.
• George Blade begged for forgiveness and promised loyalty, but Azu controlled him with Mind Domain, causing him to shoot himself.
• Azu returned to Eden Base, equipped the Bracers of Hercules, bought a Crimson Eye, and entered another universe disguised as an ordinary man.
• Azu recognized the new world as the Black Adam universe after seeing a lightning-bolt statue and reading the Invasion Event description.
• Azu saw Black Adam and Hawkman fighting above the city, identifying the moment as the Justice Society's attempt to imprison Black Adam.

Azu joined the International Gang in the Law of the Jungle confrontation and tried to find the Crown of Sabbac so Ismael could become Demon Sabbac. As Black Adam and the Justice Society battled in Khandaq, Amon revealed he had hidden the crown and his eyes began to glow crimson.

• Azu learned that Black Adam had already been chosen, so he joined the International Gang and gained Ismael's favor.
• Black Adam and Hawkman fought across Khandaq while Doctor Fate protected residents, and Cyclone and Atom Smasher joined the battle.
• Azu slipped away to find Amon and the Crown of Sabbac, realizing he did not know where Amon lived.
• Ismael confronted Amon and Karim at home, shot Karim, and demanded the backpack containing the crown.
• Amon revealed the bag was empty because he had hidden the Crown of Sabbac, then declared Ismael would never become Sabbac as crimson light rose in his eyes.

Azu rescued Ismael from Amon, who had possessed Amon’s body and killed Karim, then forced Ismael to agree to follow his orders in exchange for the Crown of Sabbac. After Ismael left, Black Adam and Doctor Fate confronted Azu and demanded to know who he was and why he had killed Karim and the electrician.

• Amon fired eye beams at Ismael, but Azu interrupted the attack and revealed that he recognized Amon as a possessing god.
• Azu rescued Ismael and flew away while Amon let them go, believing Ismael could not become Sabbac without the hidden Crown of Sabbac.
• Amon killed Karim and considered using an avatar to possess Adrianna or the residents of Khandaq.
• Azu threatened Ismael into obeying him in exchange for help obtaining the Crown of Sabbac, and Ismael agreed.
• Azu sensed powerful figures approaching, sent Ismael away, and revealed his disguise as Black Adam and Doctor Fate confronted him.

Azu was accused of killing Karim and stealing the Crown of Sabbac, but he realized Amon had framed him and was impersonating the boy. Azu fought Black Adam and Doctor Fate outside Khandaq while the real threat, Amon, began parasitizing the city’s residents, and Amon decided he would have to confront Azu himself.

• Doctor Fate showed Azu a vision in which Amon accused him of killing Karim and taking the Crown of Sabbac.
• Azu told Black Adam and Doctor Fate that Amon had switched places with the real boy and was framing him, but they refused to let him leave.
• Azu and Black Adam clashed in Khandaq, and Doctor Fate raised magical barriers to contain their destructive powers.
• Amon released spores that began parasitizing Khandaq’s residents and turning them into his duplicates.
• Doctor Fate and Black Adam carried Azu out of the city and attacked him, but Azu broke free and planted the Seed of Desire in Black Adam.
• Azu endured Black Adam’s lightning attack and destroyed Doctor Fate’s duplicates, while Amon watched the battle and decided to challenge Azu himself.

After a devastating battle, Teth-Adam suspected Amon was an impostor and tested him by dropping him from the sky, but Doctor Fate foresaw Amon’s future and confirmed his identity. Doctor Fate could not see the blond man’s fate and suspected Ismael might have taken the Crown of Sabbac, leaving the mystery unresolved.

• Doctor Fate and Hawkman assessed the radiation and destruction outside Khandaq City, then returned to investigate the blond man’s claims about Amon.
• Teth-Adam took Amon high above the city and dropped him to test whether he was an impostor, but Hawkman caught him before he hit the ground.
• Doctor Fate foresaw Amon’s future and confirmed that he was the real Amon, after which Adrianna slapped Teth-Adam for frightening her son.
• Doctor Fate told Hawkman that he could not see the blond man’s future and reasoned that the Crown of Sabbac was likely elsewhere.
• Doctor Fate and Hawkman suspected Ismael, whom the blond man had taken away, might have ended up with the crown.