Vought International

Biodata

History

Vought grew from a small business into a major corporation through genetic technology that creates superpowered people. Its executives arranged agreements with their parents and kept records of their abilities, while the powered people themselves generally remained unaware of the company's role in their lives 10.

Founder Frederick Vought developed Compound V and initially proposed using it to strengthen the Federation's military during the Cold War. The National Security Council rejected the proposal, and the Food and Drug Administration repeatedly withheld approval. Frederick instead began secretly creating superheroes. During his lifetime, the company broke the law but largely pursued his original aims, and its heroes contributed to public safety. After his death in 1981, Edgar's management team increasingly prioritized profit, expanding the former genetic-research company into a conglomerate and covering up heroes' misconduct 104 105.

The company established its headquarters in San Andreas, where ordinary crime subsequently eased but superpowered crime continued to rise. Its best-known team, The Seven, sits at the center of its superhero business 7 25.

Vought's position changed after Compound V became public knowledge. A plane struck its headquarters, killing more than 400 people and injuring over 100, most of them employees; some departments were nearly wiped out. Public sympathy after the disaster, followed by a massacre at a hearing into Vought's practices, helped the company secure government cooperation and approval to sell Compound V 102 103 106 107 108.

After Homelander's death, Vought stopped offering Compound V publicly despite retaining its sales license. A dossier subsequently gave the CIA extensive evidence of the company's decades of crimes, including its support for criminal organizations and involvement in terrorist attacks intended to increase dependence on superheroes. Government leaders moved to dismantle Vought 257.

Operations

Superhero business

• Vought earns revenue from superhero merchandise, endorsements, films, and other entertainment projects. Its heroes' public images are commercial assets: the company helped promote the story of Homelander eating duck leg rice, after which his approval rating rose eight percentage points 1 2 17.
• It markets individual heroes to cities. Madelyn offered Baltimore a three-year exclusive contract for Tank-Top Master, including publicity and merchandise terms; the negotiated price was $230 million per year 41 42.
• Its selection of Starlight for The Seven favored her interview performance and public appeal over Luke, despite both earning perfect physical-test scores. Vought used her induction event to publicize earnings and products and attract investors 10 17.
• Vought treated Translucent's funeral as an opportunity to maintain confidence in The Seven and promote his forthcoming film. The displayed coffin was empty; Homelander blamed the Seven Star Society for his death and announced a war on supervillains. The event increased public support for the company 51.
• The campaign against supervillains restored confidence after disruptions to The Seven and drove Vought's stock to a record high. At a banquet, the company encouraged cities to compete for hero contracts. Madelyn proposed leasing Queen Maeve to New York for $1 billion a year, subject to further agreement; a later proposed five-year contract was valued at $4.8 billion 94 95 98.
• After Compound V entered public circulation, Vought announced the Rising Star Tournament for Supes who had not signed a superhero cooperation agreement with it. Forty regions sent eight qualifiers each to a 320-person final stage in San Andreas. The final ten were offered premium contracts, the top five could challenge members of The Seven, and the winner could challenge Homelander. Ticket sales and broadcast rights promised substantial returns 110 111.
• For the tournament finals, Vought prepared an arena advertised as seating 100,000 and brought retired heroes Stormfront and Rainman back to help prevent weather disruptions. Its promotion featured current stars and former members of The Boys. Speculation that it was cultivating future leaders remained unconfirmed 131.

Compound V and the Supervillain Project

• Compound V can grant an ordinary person superpowers or amplify existing powers. Vought developed it and kept its connection to the superhero industry secret for decades 34 102.
• Under the Supervillain Project, Vought supplied superpowered people—and later Compound V—to criminal groups. Maintaining a conflict between heroes and villains kept demand for its superheroes high. By the project's twelfth phase, it had sold hundreds of powered people to criminal organizations 10 34.
• The project's thirteenth generation, Fear Nova, was kept as a reserve force rather than sold. Sixteen years earlier, researchers subjected 200 infants to extreme modification; twelve survived and were raised at a company base 11.
• Vought also supplied Compound V to Dr. Genus's House of Evolution and collaborated on the creation of the twins Adam and Eve. Vought took Adam, while Genus kept Eve 35 36.
• At the Abnormal Human Research Center, Vought conducted adult-subject research while secretly raising Adam as a potential future asset powerful enough to threaten Homelander. An implanted chip restricted Adam's use of his electromagnetic abilities; he removed it and escaped Vought's control 57 58 61.
• When photographs of severely altered experimental subjects became public, Vought denied conducting inhumane experiments. Homelander's public defense acknowledged the company's unapproved injections of infants with parental consent but disputed the allegations about adult experiments and severe side effects 104.
• Following the massacre at a hearing into Compound V, Edgar negotiated federal approval for public sales and an end to the CIA investigation and charges against Vought personnel, in exchange for prioritizing the Pentagon's supply. Vought promptly opened preorders. Over the next six months, it sold 5,000 doses publicly and supplied additional doses to the military, helping raise the Federation's estimated Esper population to nearly 10,000 107 108 110.
• After sales became public, Vought continued to deny that supervillains had also obtained their powers through Compound V 110.

Major Arcs

• Homelander's defeat: After Luke injured Homelander over an unpaid meal, Vought paid the restaurant owner for his silence and sent him to New Zealand. It rejected Homelander's proposal to kill the witnesses; its search for another witness, an old man, failed 3 6.
• The Seven selection: Vought announced an open competition for Lamplighter's vacant seat, drawing 16,781 contestants. The event also served to identify powered people outside its control. Ashley's report named seventeen such contestants, prompting Madelyn to order a capture operation 6 7 10.
• Fear Nova operation: Eleven targets were captured, but Luke, Mitarai Fubuki, and Serizawa Masao escaped. One Fear Nova member was confirmed dead, two were missing, and another was critically wounded. Madelyn placed the three escapees under surveillance rather than immediately renewing the pursuit 17.
• Growing opposition: Fubuki investigated disappearances among selection contestants and formed the Blizzard Group with Luke and Serizawa to resist Vought. Starlight, though a member of The Seven, offered to help their investigation 24 25 27 30.
• Threats to secrecy: Baltimore mayor Steve used rumors of Compound V as leverage in contract talks. After Homelander killed Steve and his son, Vought publicly described their plane crash as a possible engine failure. The company also concealed Compound V's involvement in The Female's death 41 42 44.
• The Seven's changing roster and supervillain crackdown: Following Translucent's death, Edgar appointed a replacement without Homelander's approval. Vought presented its ensuing campaign against supervillains as justice for Translucent, while seeking to regain control of threats arising from the Supervillain Project and Compound V experiments. The campaign dismantled more than a dozen criminal groups in San Andreas, including the Villainous League's core membership 51 54 66 90.
• Exposure and headquarters disaster: CIA Operations director Susan Porckman confronted Madelyn with evidence of Compound V use and clandestine experiments, seeking information against Edgar. Madelyn refused. Soon afterward, Madelyn was killed, news of Vought's creation of Supes broke, and a passenger plane struck company headquarters. The disaster and Homelander's rescues shifted some public opinion toward Vought, although allegations about deformed test subjects renewed scrutiny 98 99 102 103 104.
• Hearing and federal partnership: A public hearing into Vought's unapproved use of Compound V ended in a massacre before former executive Dr. Vogelbaum could testify. The resulting emergency led federal leaders to restore Vought's privileges and authorize Compound V for military and law-enforcement use. Edgar used the government's need for Supes to secure public-sales approval and an end to its investigation 106 107 108.
• Starlight's disappearance: Vought announced that an internal investigation had identified Starlight as a mole who stole Compound V and collaborated with criminal forces. She made no public response. Most of the public accepted the allegation, though some supporters suspected Vought had framed or silenced her 110.
• Loss of Homelander and dismantling: Executives feared for Vought's future when they saw that Homelander had transformed into a monster and could no longer serve as its celebrated public symbol. After his death, the company lay low. Evidence delivered to the CIA then prompted the government to move against the corporation itself 243 257.

Key Figures and Organizations

• Frederick Vought — Founder and developer of Compound V. His original plans for military use were rejected, leading him to create superheroes; he died in 1981 104 105.
• Edgar — Vought's president and later identified as its CEO. He directed succession plans, negotiated the company's Compound V agreement with the federal government, and concealed some research from Madelyn 54 91 99 107 108.
• Madelyn — Vought vice president who directed its selection event, capture operation, publicity, and commercial negotiations. She died shortly before the plane struck headquarters 6 10 17 41 102.
• Ashley — Madelyn's assistant; delivered the report identifying seventeen uncontrolled powered contestants 10.
• The Seven — Vought's flagship superhero team and the focus of much of its business 1 25.
• The Boys — An earlier leading superhero team associated with Vought. Its veterans had largely retired by the time The Seven became the company's public face 82 104 105.
• Homelander — Leader of The Seven and a major company asset. Vought concealed his killings, while Madelyn used her influence over him to keep him compliant. His transformation and subsequent death deprived the company of its most prominent hero 2 22 31 243 257.
• A-Train — Member of The Seven tasked with supplying Compound V to the Villainous League 34.
• House of Evolution — Dr. Genus's research organization and a Vought partner in Compound V experiments 35 40.
• Blizzard Group — Alliance formed by powered people targeted after Vought's selection contest 25 27 30.
• CIA and Victoria Neuman — The CIA investigated Vought's Compound V practices, while Congresswoman Neuman publicly challenged the company and later became director of the Supe Oversight and Management Bureau 98 99 104 110.