Chapter Summaries

Ryan visited Becca at her villa and told her she was safe to leave, but she chose to remain there. After Becca and Homelander argued over Ryan’s upbringing, Homelander offered to connect Ryan with Vought International president Edgar to learn about the doctor who researched Compound V.

• Ryan walked through Times Square with A-Train, then asked him to run to the Bowery and collect a dishwasher.
• Ryan brought the dishwasher to Becca’s home and told her Madelyn, Black Noir, and other dangers were no longer a threat, but Becca said she preferred staying in the villa.
• Becca cooked for Ryan, and Homelander watched television with him before joining them for lunch.
• Ryan asked Homelander about the doctor who researched Compound V, while Homelander and Becca argued over Becca’s parenting and Ryan’s childhood.
• Homelander told Ryan he could introduce him to Edgar, Vought International’s current president.

Ryan accompanied Homelander to Vought Tower, where Edgar announced that Stormfront would join The Seven despite Homelander’s objections. Homelander later obtained Dr. Baum’s address, while Ryan’s reason for wanting to see the doctor remained unstated.

• Homelander explained that Edgar treated supe justice as a business, and Ryan stayed overnight at Becca’s home before leaving the next day.
• Ryan and Homelander flew to the Seven Tower, where Edgar introduced Stormfront as the newest member of The Seven.
• Homelander challenged Edgar’s authority to choose team members, but Edgar insisted Stormfront would join.
• Stormfront examined Ryan, praised him as a future standard-bearer for supes, and then returned to insulting people online.
• Homelander asked Edgar for Dr. Baum’s home address and said that he missed him.

Homelander took Ryan to meet Dr. Baum, revealing painful memories of his childhood and trying to connect with Ryan through a gift. Ryan persuaded Baum to leave retirement and develop Compound V, and Baum agreed to help with the research.

• Homelander told Ryan how frightened he had been when Dr. Baum first brought him among crowds, then bought Ryan a model train as a gift.
• Homelander flew Ryan to Dr. Baum’s manor, forced his way inside, and argued with Baum about his childhood in the Laboratory.
• Ryan stayed behind after Homelander left and asked Baum to resume Compound V research so more people could have the chance to gain powers.
• Ryan revealed he also wanted a database of Supes’ blood and genetic information to help create stronger Compound V for himself.
• Baum agreed to help if Ryan provided a Laboratory and staff, then watched Ryan and Homelander fly away before closing the curtains.

Stormfront revealed her age and proposed creating a world with more Supes, while Ryan secured a laboratory for Dr. Baum and rejected her advances. After Edgar confronted Ryan about mass-producing Supes and exposing Compound V, he decided to protect Vought International’s continued prosperity.

• Stormfront told Ryan she was born in 1919 and was Homelander’s grandmother, then showed him an old newspaper as evidence.
• Stormfront proposed making Compound V available to the public, and Ryan said Dr. Baum needed a laboratory, which Stormfront agreed to arrange.
• Stormfront made advances on Ryan, and he burned her face with his Laser Eyes before leaving; she healed and remained fascinated by him.
• Stormfront arranged a laboratory for Dr. Baum, who began preparing to research and produce a new version of Compound V.
• Edgar questioned Ryan about mass-producing Supes and revealing Compound V, then accepted the situation and resolved to keep Vought International prospering.

Ryan protected Starlight from Stormfront, then helped Billy and his allies after Vought International exposed their hideout. After Mallory refused to help Billy fight Vought, Ryan drove away and the Time-Space Instrument transported him to Fromville.

• Starlight told Ryan that she had learned she was given Compound V as a child, and Ryan blocked Stormfront's electricity when she attacked Starlight.
• Stormfront showed The Seven evidence linking Hughie and Billy to Translucent's death, and Ryan later left a meeting with Homelander and Stormfront after Billy called for help.
• Ryan found Billy, Mother's Milk, and Hughie hiding from Vought International, then brought Billy a car so he could seek Mallory's support.
• Mallory refused Billy's request for funding and protection, urging him and Mother's Milk to stop fighting Vought and return to their families.
• Ryan drove away from the golf course, and the Time-Space Instrument transported him through a tunnel to Fromville.

Ryan drove through a forest into a strange town whose residents watched him with hostility, then found himself back there after the road inexplicably looped around. Sheriff Boyd warned him that dangerous things came out after dark and that outsiders were not welcome, but let him shelter inside.

• Ryan confirmed that his superpowers had remained intact after crossing into the unfamiliar world.
• Ryan spotted a town beyond a fallen tree, took a different fork, and drove through the town into the forest.
• Ryan found himself back in the town after driving straight without taking any turns.
• Ryan asked the bell-ringing man where they were, and the man told him no one could leave once they arrived.
• The man introduced himself as Sheriff Boyd, warned Ryan about the things that came out after dark, and let him into his house.
• Ryan introduced himself as Ryan, or Homelander, while Boyd offered him bread.

Ryan spent his first night in a town where humanlike monsters tried to lure residents outside, then learned from Sheriff Boyd that protective talismans kept them out. The next morning, Ryan settled in with breakfast and prepared to meet the townspeople while Boyd showed him around.

• Boyd warned Ryan that monsters appeared at night and explained that a stone talisman kept them from entering the house.
• A creature disguised as a pretty girl tried to persuade Ryan to open the bathroom window, then battered the glass after Boyd pulled the curtain shut.
• Ryan and Boyd spent the night inside without incident, and Ryan cooked egg pancakes for breakfast the next morning.
• Ryan discovered that the town's old computer had no internet connection and began looking through its files.
• Boyd invited Ryan to tour the town and meet its residents, who feared unfamiliar faces because the monsters imitated people.

Ryan explored the quiet town with Boyd, who explained that he ran the town by day while dangerous creatures ruled the nights. After learning Ryan had worked in security, Boyd offered to make him his deputy.

• Boyd welcomed Ryan and showed him the town, where he argued with Frank about boarding up the windows.
• Boyd told Ryan that the townspeople respected him because he ran the town, and mentioned a communal house beyond his control.
• Boyd took Ryan to the town’s restaurant and asked what useful skills he could contribute.
• Ryan said he had worked in security, and Boyd offered him the position of deputy.

Ryan became Boyd’s deputy, chose to live in town, and learned how its residents survived the nightly threat. After a monster killed Frank’s wife and daughter through an open window, Boyd and Ryan confronted the grieving Frank as the town’s fragile peace began to break.

• Boyd explained the deputy’s duties to Ryan and told him to urge residents indoors after dark.
• Ryan chose to live in town, took a talisman, and spent the night at Boyd’s house.
• A monster lured Girl into opening her bedroom window and killed her and her mother.
• Ryan and Boyd found the two victims the next morning, and Boyd beat Frank for ignoring his warnings to board up the windows.
• Ryan stopped Boyd from killing Frank, who returned to his house in grief, while Boyd brought a cart to move the bodies.

After burying Frank and the other remains, Ryan settled into an empty house in the isolated town and discovered its electrical fixtures were inexplicable. The chapter left Ryan examining a lamp cord that contained no copper wire.

• Boyd and Ryan transported the remains by handcart and buried them in two graves near the town cemetery.
• Boyd watched a blond newcomer drive a motorhome into town and told Ryan that newcomers could never escape.
• Boyd gave Ryan the key to an empty house whose former owner had opened the door at night and ended up underground.
• Ryan inspected his new home and found a lamp flickering and crackling despite no one else being inside.
• Ryan unplugged the lamp and discovered its plug had only one metal prong and its cord contained no copper wire.

Ryan investigated a strange wire, confronted Boyd over his plan to punish Frank, and spent his first night alone in the house, where he killed a monster that came to the window. The next morning, Boyd returned with several people rescued from a crashed RV, and Ryan explained the town’s nightly dangers to them before Boyd noticed the blood on the floor.

• Ryan traced a strange coil of wire into the ground, but Boyd interrupted him to ask him to lunch.
• Boyd told Ryan he had detained Frank and planned to lock him in an unsafe iron box, and Ryan visited Frank in the town jail.
• Ryan noticed the RV was gone and Boyd had disappeared, then went home as night fell.
• A girl asked Ryan to let her inside, and Ryan attacked and killed her with his powers.
• At dawn, Boyd returned with several RV survivors after the vehicle crashed in the woods, and Ryan explained the town’s dangers to them.
• Boyd noticed the red mess on Ryan’s floor and asked what had happened.

Ryan fed the newcomers and explained that they were trapped in the town, though Christian refused to believe him. After speaking privately with Boyd, Ryan was joined on the porch by Judy, who said she was soaked from the rain.

• Ryan served bread to the newcomers, and Christian introduced himself as a wealthy man who had recently sold a software company.
• Ryan told Christian that he was trapped in the town, but Christian dismissed the explanation as an elaborate scare-themed event.
• Boyd told Ryan that Christian would have to follow his authority in town and hoped Christian might disrupt their repetitive days.
• Boyd returned inside to speak with the others, leaving Ryan alone on the porch.
• Judy came outside and told Ryan she had been caught in the rain and was soaked.

Ryan took Christian into the rain to show him the shroud in an unfilled grave, then brought him back home as the storm worsened. When Judy and Boyd fled the Communal House with monsters close behind, Ryan went out to help them, leaving Christian to watch the house.

• Ryan carried Christian outside and led him through the rain to the graveyard, where Christian saw the shroud and vomited.
• Ryan returned home with Christian and sent the other visitors, including Judy and Boyd, toward the Communal House.
• Christian proposed building a transmitter from the radio in the diner, but a violent thunderstorm kept them indoors.
• Christian spotted Judy and Boyd fleeing through the rain with human-skinned monsters pursuing them while the townspeople refused to help.
• Ryan revealed that walls and distance did not limit his sight, then left alone to help Judy and Boyd and told Christian to guard the house.

Ryan rescued Judy from the creatures that attacked the Communal House, then revealed his powers by flying and destroying them with his Laser Eyes. The next morning, after Judy, Boyd, and Christian returned to Ryan’s house, Christian wondered where Ryan had gone.

• Judy fell while fleeing the creatures, and Boyd left her behind to run for help.
• Ryan found Judy, pulled her to her feet, and told her to escape while he faced the creatures.
• Ryan flew into the air and blasted the creatures with his Laser Eyes, leaving a scorched crater.
• Judy returned to Ryan’s house, where she reunited with Boyd and Christian.
• The rain stopped the next morning, and Christian opened the door and asked where Ryan was.

Ryan returned from Nightmare Town to New York, gained a Bio-Force Field, and resumed life with The Seven. He learned Dr. Baum had developed a new Compound V drug, leaving him interested in using it to grow stronger.

• Ryan returned to New York after completing Nightmare Town and received a Bio-Force Field as his reward.
• Ryan discovered that only about two days had passed in his world and replied to Homelander and Stormfront, who had been trying to reach him.
• Ryan ignored Homelander's dinner invitation, rented a horror movie, and blocked Stormfront after she suggested he move in with her.
• Ryan attended The Seven's meeting, where Homelander woke Stormfront with his Laser Eyes and led a routine discussion.
• Stormfront told Ryan that Dr. Baum had developed a finished Compound V drug using the genes of newly created Supes, and Ryan considered taking it.

Ryan encountered General Zod after a Kryptonian spaceship appeared over the city and emptied its streets. Zod claimed his ship had accidentally brought him to Earth while searching for Kal, but Ryan prepared to confront him.

• Ryan drank Dr. Baum's new Compound V, found that it had changed nothing, and continued studying the drug in the laboratory.
• A spaceship appeared beyond Earth, prompting authorities to ask Vought International and Homelander to help monitor it.
• Starlight invited Ryan out, but when the ship covered the city, Ryan left to help protect people while she organized an evacuation.
• Ryan flew to the deserted city center and found General Zod calmly drinking coffee beside a murdered waiter.
• Zod introduced himself as a Kryptonian general and said his ship had malfunctioned during a space jump, while Ryan told him that Kal was not on Earth.

General Zod declared his plan to remake Earth as Krypton and fought Ryan, overwhelming Homelander before battling Ryan across New York. After Zod swallowed Compound V and recovered his sight, Ryan escaped with the Time-Space Instrument, leaving Zod furious and ready to fight again.

• Zod announced he would turn Earth into a new Krypton, and Homelander attacked him but was knocked unconscious by one punch.
• Ryan fought Zod, endured his attacks, blinded him with his Laser Eyes, and battered him until Zod collapsed.
• A-Train brought Compound V, which Zod swallowed, restoring his eyes and unleashing new strength.
• Ryan used the Time-Space Instrument to disappear, and Zod shouted in frustration when he could no longer find him.

Ryan arrived in a primitive town in search of Kamar-Taj, with his abilities from the main world set to return in three months. After defeating two robbers and taking their money, he met Mordo, who offered to lead him to Kamar-Taj.

• The panel gave Ryan the quest to find Kamar-Taj and promised him magical talent as a reward.
• Ryan discovered that Steel Body still protected him, but he had no money and could not use his lost vision powers to search easily.
• Two robbers tried to steal Ryan's clothes, but he beat them and took their money instead.
• Mordo approached Ryan and offered to take him to Kamar-Taj.

Ryan arrived at Kamar-Taj with Kaecilius and began studying magic under Mordo, where his newly granted Magic Talent let him form a Magic Circle on his first try. Mordo planned to report Ryan’s extraordinary ability to The Ancient One, while Kaecilius saw him as a potential ally.

• Kaecilius brought Ryan through a magical portal to Kamar-Taj and arranged a room for him.
• Mordo introduced Ryan to the students and taught them the basics of magic and its three steps.
• Ryan received Magic Talent from his completed quest and formed a Magic Circle during his first lesson.
• Mordo dismissed the other students, marveled at Ryan’s talent, and decided to report it to The Ancient One.
• Mordo told Kaecilius about Ryan’s achievement, and Kaecilius was pleased by Ryan’s potential.

Kaecilius tested Ryan’s magical talent and began training him, hoping to guide the gifted newcomer toward becoming a powerful Sorcerer. He took Ryan on a long run around Kamar-Taj, but by midday Kaecilius himself had to call for a stop.

• Kaecilius and Mordo visited Ryan’s room after seeing students practice at dawn, and Kaecilius took Ryan to breakfast.
• Kaecilius brought Ryan to the Training Ground, where Ryan demonstrated that he could weave red magical threads on his first try.
• Kaecilius told Ryan that talent was only potential and said he would teach him more magic as he grew stronger.
• Kaecilius said physical fitness was essential for a Sorcerer and took Ryan running around Kamar-Taj.
• Kaecilius planned to wear Ryan down and establish himself as his senior, but after running lap after lap until noon, Kaecilius sat down and called for a stop.