Chapter Summaries

Ryan searched for Compound V and learned that Ezekiel was connected to its supply and would return to Seven Tower in a few days. He left to wait for him, while A-Train invited Ryan to lunch and showed him his training run, where his brother revealed that A-Train had slowed down.

• Ryan found that The Female had used her last dose of Compound V, and A-Train said she could get three more doses the following night.
• A-Train told Ryan that Ezekiel helped distribute Compound V through Supe Charity and would return to Seven Tower in a few days.
• Ryan left, and The Female worried that A-Train was tired of her as A-Train went after Ryan.
• A-Train caught up with Ryan, invited him to his race against Shockwave, and took him to lunch at a convenience store.
• A-Train brought Ryan to a running track to meet his brother and ran several laps while his brother timed him.
• A-Train's brother told him he used to be the fastest man alive but had become slower.

A-Train struggled with his declining speed and resolved to use Compound V to beat Shockwave, despite Ryan warning him that it would not be a clean win. A-Train took Ryan to a railway track, saying he would show him where to get Compound V.

• A-Train left the track after realizing he had become slower, while his brother urged him to keep training.
• A-Train argued with his brother and insisted he could beat Shockwave, trusting Compound V to give him an advantage.
• Ryan warned A-Train that using Compound V would not make his victory clean, but A-Train remained convinced he was doing the right thing.
• A-Train and Ryan left the track before A-Train's brother noticed they were gone.
• A-Train ran to a railway track with Ryan and said he was taking him to see where to get Compound V.

Ryan accompanied A-Train to a Compound V transfer point, where they found no supply and learned the drug would arrive the next day. When Hughie and Frenchie investigated the same location, they discovered a captive girl, whose attention fixed on Ryan.

• A-Train led Ryan to a hidden Compound V transfer point, but the card players told them no supply would arrive until tomorrow.
• Ryan spotted Hughie and Frenchie approaching the alley, said goodbye to A-Train, and waited for them.
• Hughie told Ryan that The Female had revealed leads on Compound V, and Ryan joined Hughie and Frenchie as they investigated the basement.
• Frenchie noticed a girl locked behind bars in a filthy room and opened the door; she looked past him at Ryan.

Frenchie accidentally freed a dangerous, fiercely strong girl in the Compound V basement, where she killed several men before Ryan subdued her. As Frenchie searched for Compound V, Ryan noticed the girl's broken leg had healed and suspected she could regenerate.

• Frenchie realized the girl behind the bars might be dangerous, but she wrenched the gate open and forced him to hide inside the cage.
• The girl charged Ryan, then killed the three armed men when they fired at her.
• Ryan restrained the girl, but the last surviving man shot himself before Ryan could reassure him.
• The girl attacked Ryan with a kick, and he broke her leg before she calmed down.
• Frenchie searched the basement and found a test tube containing a little blue liquid that looked like Compound V.
• Ryan noticed the girl's broken leg had healed and suspected she had a regenerative power.

Ryan captured Kimiko after she escaped from Vought International’s basement and took her to a villa, where he learned Vought had turned her into a Supe as part of a plan to create supervillains. The chapter ended with A-Train telling Ryan that he would have to ask Homelander for Compound V.

• Kimiko tried to escape the basement, but Ryan tripped her and Frenchie failed to keep her under control.
• Ryan carried Kimiko to a villa outside the city and used a translation app and dictionary to communicate with her.
• Kimiko told Ryan that Vought International had captured her, given her Compound V, and planned to create supervillains to counter its heroes.
• Kimiko said she missed home and was searching for her missing family.
• A-Train called Ryan about the attack on the basement, and Ryan learned he would have to ask Homelander for Compound V.

Ryan left Kimiko at his house and flew to the Seven Tower to ask Homelander about Compound V, while privately planning to exploit Kimiko’s regenerative powers in the Laboratory. At the tower, Homelander followed Madelyn as she carried a baby and questioned her concern for the child.

• Ryan asked Kimiko to make dinner, and she reluctantly went to the kitchen and began cooking Lime Meat with splintered wood and metal shavings mixed in.
• Ryan told Kimiko that A-Train was outside looking for her and promised to help her find her family, though he privately intended to put her in the Laboratory.
• Ryan flew toward the Seven Tower to confront Homelander about Compound V.
• Homelander followed Madelyn through the Seven Tower as she carried a smiling baby and told her she was too concerned about the child.
• Madelyn asked Homelander who she should be concerned about instead.

Homelander agreed to help Ryan obtain Compound V, while displaying his jealousy over Madelyn and his attachment to her. At A-Train's race against Shockwave, A-Train secretly used Compound V before heading to the starting line.

• Madelyn told Homelander to cause a fatal plane crash to eliminate a congressman opposing Vought International's military plan, and Homelander agreed.
• Homelander confessed his feelings to Madelyn, but she left; afterward Ryan teased him about drinking milk and photographed him licking the bottle.
• Ryan asked Homelander for Compound V, and Homelander promised to bring doses to A-Train's race the next day.
• Ryan visited the taped-off Video Store, then returned to Seven Tower before flying with Homelander to the stadium.
• Homelander gave Compound V to A-Train and several doses to Ryan, while Ryan asked who had developed the drug.
• A-Train secretly injected Compound V in a dark lounge, then returned to the track as the race against Shockwave was about to begin.

A-Train beat Shockwave in a race, and Ryan recruited the defeated runner to follow Homelander. Shockwave agreed after Ryan arranged for A-Train to drop their bet, while Ryan hoped the surveillance would reveal where Homelander was hiding the doctor who developed Compound V.

• Homelander's arrival distracted the crowd before the race, but A-Train beat Shockwave and claimed the victory.
• Shockwave tried to flee rather than pay their bet, but Ryan stopped him and led him into the stadium tunnel.
• Ryan offered Shockwave a place in The Seven in exchange for following Homelander, and Shockwave reluctantly agreed.
• Ryan persuaded A-Train to call the bet a joke, easing Shockwave's fears about losing a leg.
• Ryan hoped Shockwave's surveillance would uncover the location of the doctor who developed Compound V, and considered where to get a tracker.

Ryan obtained Compound V and went to a secluded villa to test it, but Shockwave reported that Homelander had flown out to sea. Realizing Homelander was about to attack a passenger plane, Ryan chose to intervene and confronted him above the clouds after saving the plane from his laser beams.

• Ryan got a tracker from Billy, gave Homelander a pen containing one part and Shockwave the other, then went to the villa with Compound V.
• Ryan found Kimiko at the villa, where she tried awkward ways to get along with him while he prepared to take the Compound V.
• Shockwave told Ryan that Homelander had flown out to sea, and Ryan realized Homelander was heading to kill a congressman and endanger a passenger plane.
• Ryan flew to the plane and punched Homelander, diverting his lasers before they hit the aircraft.
• Homelander warned Ryan to stay out of Vought International business, but Ryan refused and drank the Compound V before preparing to fight him.

After taking Compound V, Ryan unlocked far greater powers and defeated Homelander in a fight over the ocean. He spared his father, helped him toward land, and watched the rescued plane fly safely onward as he considered his future as a hero.

• Ryan stood dazed as Compound V surged through him, and Homelander struck him with a full-strength punch that barely hurt him.
• Ryan punched Homelander out of the sky and followed him down to the ocean, striking him into the water.
• Homelander surfaced and fired his lasers, but Ryan overpowered them with his own beams and burned Homelander's eyes.
• Ryan suppressed Compound V's violent urge to kill Homelander, who told him he was proud and urged him to take up his mantle.
• As Compound V's effects faded, Ryan helped Homelander toward land and saw the plane fly safely near the horizon.

Ryan saved a Congressman from Homelander and warned Madelyn that he might resume opposing Vought International. After Homelander’s defeat activated Ryan’s Cheat and revealed a mission involving Black Noir, Ryan searched for a way to grow stronger and returned home to find Kimiko bored and eager for action.

• Ryan met the Congressman and his child at the airport, explained that he had saved them to protect innocent passengers, and heard the Congressman warn him about getting involved in Vought International’s political struggle.
• Ryan told Madelyn that the Congressman had agreed to stop obstructing Vought International, and she proposed watching him before resorting to killing him if he turned against them again.
• Madelyn urged Ryan to consider having a child with Starlight and suggested he practice with her, prompting Ryan to leave her office.
• Ryan’s Cheat appeared after Homelander’s defeat, listing his powers and a mission warning that Black Noir would capture and force him to breed in one month.
• Ryan learned that villainy and bad deeds could upgrade his powers, then returned home and found Kimiko complaining that she was bored and missing the chance to fight enemies.

Ryan went to Seven Tower to seek more Compound V and discussed the investigation into Translucent’s death with Homelander. Homelander then revealed that he planned to speak freely at an upcoming event, leaving Ryan unsure what he intended to say.

• Ryan caught a Joro Spider, tied its legs with its own silk, and returned to bed.
• Ryan flew to Seven Tower the next morning, hoping to ask Homelander for more Compound V.
• Homelander ordered The Deep to find Translucent’s killer after examining the remains in a Zinc Box.
• The Deep showed Ryan the box, but Ryan stopped him from opening it further and told him to dispose of it.
• Ryan suggested that Vought International’s Security Department investigate Translucent’s death, and Homelander agreed.
• Homelander told Ryan that he would speak at an upcoming New York event and reveal who the real heroes were.

Ryan strengthened his Steel Body and defeated Homelander in a spar, then went to meet A-Train and The Female. A-Train asked Ryan to persuade Homelander to forgive The Female for leaking information, while threatening to kill her if Ryan refused.

• Ryan requested Compound V from Homelander, spent his ability points to raise Steel Body to level two, and then sparred with him in the sky.
• Ryan's tougher body withstood Homelander's punch, and Ryan knocked Homelander through Madelyn's office window; he earned only ten ability points for the defeat.
• Madelyn wondered about Ryan's strength, while Homelander warned her not to target him.
• Ryan flew to The Female's home after A-Train called for help and accused her of leaking information about the noodle shop's basement.
• A-Train asked Ryan to get Homelander to forgive The Female and threatened to kill her if Ryan refused.

Ryan reassured A-Train, agreed to consider helping him with The Female in exchange for something useful, and collected a large supply of Compound V from an ordinary-looking hospital. Back at the Villa, he stored the vials and planned to keep fighting Homelander to gain strength, while Kimiko declined his offer to fly her out to lunch.

• Ryan listened as A-Train explained that The Female wanted to marry him and that he feared losing his public image, then asked what A-Train would offer for his help.
• A-Train told Ryan about a hospital on the outskirts that had Compound V, and Ryan flew there to collect a shipping container full of vials.
• Ryan carried the container to the Villa and asked Kimiko to move it, but she could not lift it.
• Ryan stored the Compound V and considered sparring with Homelander and the other Supes to gain ability points.
• Ryan invited Kimiko to lunch, but she refused to go with him because she was afraid of heights.

Ryan and Kimiko drove into the city, where Black Noir confronted Ryan and revealed that Vought was moving up its breeding program. After Black Noir badly wounded him, Ryan consumed the hospital’s supply of Compound V, greatly enhancing his powers, and faced Black Noir again.

• Kimiko drove Ryan to the city, where they stopped to find food and listened to music outside a video store.
• Ryan spotted Black Noir and sent Kimiko away as Black Noir told him Madelyn wanted to move up Vought International’s breeding program.
• Black Noir tore open Ryan’s chest, and Ryan discovered his Steel Body could not protect him from Black Noir’s strength.
• Ryan flew to the hospital and drank every vial of Compound V, raising his powers to level 3 and triggering an abnormal-status warning.
• Black Noir entered the hospital room, and Ryan walked toward him with his wounds healed and newly enhanced powers.

Ryan used Compound V to overpower Black Noir, chased him across the wilderness, and burned him with his Laser Eyes. As Ryan prepared to kill the badly injured Black Noir, Black Noir began revealing why Compound V had made Ryan so powerful.

• Ryan battered Black Noir, then let him flee so he could test his Compound V-enhanced abilities in the wilderness.
• Ryan flew ahead and intercepted Black Noir, then carried him into the sky and dropped him.
• Ryan used his Laser Eyes to burn Black Noir and carve a fissure into the ground.
• Ryan found Black Noir still alive and flew down to finish him off.
• Black Noir asked Ryan whether he knew why Compound V had boosted his strength and why he had beaten Homelander so easily.

Ryan survived Vought International’s attack after Homelander rescued him, but his powers were severely weakened by the overdose of Compound V. After returning to Seven Tower, Ryan learned that Black Noir’s death had triggered a reward calculation.

• Black Noir revealed that Ryan was his and Becca’s child, and Vought helicopters opened fire as Homelander arrived to rescue Ryan and kill Black Noir.
• Homelander said he would deal with Madelyn, while Ryan chose to visit Becca another day and called Kimiko to pick him up.
• Ryan traveled with Kimiko to New Jersey, where she protected him from two armed men because his powers had faded.
• At Seven Tower, Ryan found Homelander gone, relied on A-Train to stop The Deep, and let Starlight join in dragging The Deep outside.
• Ryan’s panel detected Black Noir’s death and began calculating rewards.

Ryan learned the FBI was moving against Vought International, but remained confident Homelander would protect it. After A-Train called him to Madelyn’s burning estate, Ryan found Homelander had set fire to the mansion and took responsibility for Madelyn’s sleeping child, ordering A-Train to place her somewhere safe.

• Ryan bought Becca a dishwasher and later saw that his Supe powers were recovering quickly.
• A-Train called Ryan with Homelander’s location, and Ryan flew to an estate engulfed in flames.
• A-Train explained that Homelander had found Madelyn at her home, and Ryan saw Homelander standing atop the burning mansion.
• Homelander said Madelyn would rest in peace in the flames, then handed Ryan her sleeping child.
• Ryan ordered A-Train to hire a wet nurse and keep the child behind high walls, then called 911 about the fire.

After Madelyn’s security footage exposed Homelander burning down her mansion, Vought contained the backlash, and Homelander prepared to leave the Seven and visit Becca. Ryan received a suit modeled on Homelander’s, while Starlight decided to speak publicly in her own words and ran up to the podium.

• Ryan watched the viral security footage of Homelander burning Madelyn’s mansion and saw Homelander nearly lose control in the conference room.
• Homelander told Ryan he planned to visit Becca, encouraged Ryan to protect the country, and suggested he take the name Homelander.
• Vought’s public relations team subdued the uproar, and Ashley arranged a Homelander-like suit for Ryan.
• Starlight and Ryan talked in a park, where Hughie approached them and tried to spend time with Starlight, but she followed Ryan instead.
• At Ezekiel’s Vought-organized speaking event, Starlight rejected the scripted speech and ran onto the podium to speak in her own words.

Starlight discarded Vought’s prepared remarks and denounced the faith expo’s worship of Supes, earning Ryan’s support and eventually a growing round of applause. After the event, she stopped Ryan as he prepared to leave, but had yet to tell him what she wanted.

• Starlight threw away Ashley’s speech and condemned the crowd’s faith in Supes during her address.
• Ashley unplugged the speakers to stop Starlight after her speech had humiliated Vought.
• Ryan applauded Starlight, and A-Train, Ezekiel, and then much of the crowd joined in.
• Ezekiel prepared to conduct the expo’s rebirth ritual while Ryan planned to leave and visit Becca the next day.
• Starlight grabbed Ryan’s hand as he was about to take flight, then closed her eyes and tried to speak.